APRIL 22 — It’s been nearly a year since my lumpectomy and the stiffness that came on immediately after, still lingers.
My physiotherapist says my shoulder blade isn’t working like it should and despite stretches, exercises and supplements I cannot easily raise my left arm.
I thought that perhaps after my immunotherapy sessions stopped, the stiffness would ease some but apparently sudden onset menopause will do this to you.
As I figured I had nothing left to lose (besides money) I might as well try acupuncture.
There is a practitioner right around the corner, next to my regular GP but I decided to look online for more options and settled for a practice that had an all-female staff.
The whole endeavour would be awkward enough; being around women would be a comfort, especially ones who specialised in women’s health issues.
My acupuncturist/TCM doctor was very nice, super chirpy and rather young but seemed self-assured and wasn’t overly pushy.
I wasn’t sure what to expect besides being poked with needles.
The ensuing session was enlightening.
So, because my issue was with my left shoulder I would apparently not just be getting more needles but those needles would be attached to a current.
On top of said current, I also had a red heat lamp pointed on top of my shoulder area.
Speaking of needles, I had quite a few of them placed on top of my head, along both hands as well as my feet.
All the needles were inserted while I was lying down on my back in a sarong, and once the needles were placed, a call button was placed under my hand and an alarm set.
There wasn’t anything I could do besides lie down and wait for the 30 minutes to be done; it would have been nice to nap but getting zapped by electrically-charged needles made that a little difficult.
Could have been worse, really.
Someone I know had to see an acupuncturist first thing in the morning, had needles inserted into her head and then was told to just go about her day — with needles, I repeat, in her head.
I didn’t really feel much pain besides the sensation of pricking when the needles entered my body but they did feel uncomfortable when I tried moving my free hand around.
If you’re the kind who cannot sit still I don’t think acupuncture would be wise.
A week has passed since my treatment and the biggest difference is that lifting my arms is less of a hassle.
Yet I find I can somewhat simulate the sensation with my trusty TENS machine, that I forgot about, after no longer needing it once my chemo-induced neuropathy faded.
It’s easier to do my stretches now, my left shoulder blade seems to be more active and relearning to do the things it should have been doing.
In other news, I thought my neuropathy was stopping me from pressing on my aircon remote effectively.
No, the remote was faulty.
I suffered, a whole year, of jabbing the damn button multiple times needlessly but at least the replacement OEM remote was only RM18.
As I don’t really like having to travel for yet another health procedure I think my acupuncture experience will be a one and done, and I will instead continue my physio exercises, un-retire my TENS machine and maybe next month I’ll get my own red light therapy lamp.
I’d like to think the acupuncture treatment helped realign my neural pathways or maybe eased some residual inflammation but who knows, really?
What I do know is the pain has decreased, my mobility has improved and I would say it’s a nice complementary treatment to help manage side effects.
I was told at the centre that one of their clients was a Stage 4 cancer patient who was a regular, having acupuncture to help ease swollen ankles from regular chemotherapy.
That’s where I think alternative treatments should start and end.
It’s important to first see a doctor, get a proper diagnosis and only rely on things like acupuncture, reiki and the like to improve quality of life.
Sadly there are people who turn first to their herbalist, acupuncturist or masseuse for their health issues and only go to the doctor when it’s too late for it to help.
My acupuncturist says my Qi is strong (judging from my pulse) and overall I seem fine though my spleen is a little weak (according to my tongue).
As neither my acupuncturist nor my oncologist feel I need extra medication or therapy, perhaps I am, health-wise, in a better place than I realise.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
