I’m still obsessing about the edema in my feet! The tingling and numbness is constant now and there’s additional pain in the joints of my 3rd and 4th toes on my right foot. I have ordered a foot massager with the trigger points, compression socks (knee-high), and a metal shoe horn, which are due to be delivered on Wednesday.
Tuesday, August 18
This was my in-person visit with Sophie for “ear seeds” and “body magnets.” I took my tote bag that Jan sent me, with the “I <3 Acupuncture” and Sophie noticed it right away. I asked her if the writing is Chinese and she said, “No, it’s Korean.” She then told me that Korea and Japan make a lot of the things that are used in acupuncture, specifically the needles that are smoother and thinner than Chinese needles. She said that the Chinese like to have needles that are thicker and rougher because they feel that they do a better job of acupuncture than the thinner, smoother needles. But Americans, of course, want the thinner, smoother needles!
I noted that the treatment table was not prepared for someone getting acupuncture there. Sophie asked me first if I was in a hurry to get done with this appointment. I said no, so she said, “Okay, I’m going to give you 15 minutes of ear acupuncture, like you got with Jorge in the group acupuncture.” I was pleased as I watched her open up two packs of 5 needles each and waited as she cleaned my ears with alcohol swabs and then stuck the needles in my ears as she continued to talk. Sophie worked efficiently. Then she dimmed the lights and made sure the Eastern music was playing and left me for 15 minutes.
I took full advantage of this unexpected time for actual acupuncture and leaned my head back against the wall, closed my eyes, and began mindful breathing. I didn’t think I fell asleep, but I felt mildly startled when Sophie came back into the room. She removed the needles then got out the ear seeds and body magnets. Each ear seed was attached to a small round adhesive, about 3/16″ in diameter. She placed one ear seed in the outer folds of each ear, near the top, and instructed me on what to do at home. Put one finger on the ear seed and thumb behind the ear and “massage” the ear seed for 15-20 seconds, and do this 2-3 times a day (or as often as I think of it).
She then placed 4 body magnets in round adhesives, approximately 3/4″ in diameter, one on each shoulder just in back of the collarbone, and two on the top of the back. Sophie then instructed me what to do if the adhesives came off when they got wet and she gave me extra adhesives for the body magnets. She told me that an M.A. would call me in a couple of days to schedule my next appointment.
The printed instructions she gave me indicated that the adhesives would not come off easily even when wet, but I didn’t want to test it so I put off taking a shower for a few days.
I got home in time to “attend” the WebEx pain management group at 4 o’clock. Angela Anderson hosted the session but she was in a different place so her audio was better than usual. Today I found out she’s a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), which may explain a few things (about why I’ve never liked her much). However, I knew Francis was going to continue with the QiGong movements that he started last week, so I was looking forward to that and very much enjoyed it.
Wednesday, August 19
The foot massager, compression socks, and metal shoehorn arrived today. I also received the cannabis salve from Naturally Humboldt and put some on Emily’s eczema and the sores on my feet. It relieved the vicious itching almost immediately. Emily lay very still as I put the salve on her and rubbed it into her skin; she seemed to enjoy it.
Thursday, August 20
I put on a pair of the knee-high compression socks, though it took me a full 10 minutes to get them both on! It’s a good thing I had the metal shoehorn because I needed it just to get the socks on, as well as putting my foot into my shoe. I also wore the new pair of leggings from Walgreen’s.
Today is, of course, the traditional Hegarty Anniversary. Linda had her one-week post-op appointment with Batra Vision. Emily and I went for a walk while Mom was in the doctor’s office. We both wore the new masks from Vistaprint (the most expensive masks and the ones that took the longest to be delivered, except for the box of masks from Office Depot that were NEVER delivered).
At the end of the day, I struggled to get out of the leggings and then the compression socks. The front parts of my feet seemed to have less edema than usual, but there was still some swelling around the ankles. I used the foot massager a lot when I sat at my desk, and I can see that I will use it a lot!
Saturday, August 22
I “attended” the Zoom Adventist Today Sabbath Seminar (2 1/2 hours), and it required setting my alarm to get up in time to make breakfast and pour coffee. Now I can finish this week’s blog!