Physical Therapy
Posted on Thu September 10, 2009 in Endometriosis
Tags: lymphatic system chronic pain massage physical therapy
Views: 422
Today was my first physical therapy appointment.
I went to Star Clinic, on Grant Road in Mountain View. Joan is my
physical therapist. First, I filled her in on the pain I've been having since
last November, the long, frustrating road to diagnosis, the thrill of being
pain-free after surgery, and the slow creep of pain back into my life. She
asked me lots of questions, expressed sympathy and frustration for what I went
through, and commented here and there on the experience. I was very comfortable
with her.
When she felt she had the whole story, she had me stand
up, bend to touch my toes, bend back, and bend to each side. She was happy with
my flexibility. (Yay, me!) Then she had me lie on the table and she examined
me.
A lot of the examination was just her laying her hands on me.
She asked some more questions, and then explained that she was feeling my
lymphatic flow.
Let me stop for a moment and tell you that I am a
borderline skeptic about this process. I'm firmly a western medicine kind of
girl. My idea of medical treatment? Find the pain, and then treat the pain with
drugs or surgery. So the laying of hands on me? Feels strange. Feels new
agey, wacked out, and maybe made up. But I was determined to be open to this,
despite my reservations.
She did gentle massage on my abdomen,
belly, underarm area, and neck. She said these are where our main lymph nodes
are. She said she just didn't feel much flow in my lymphatic system. So she
thinks my body isn't draining properly. She thinks that lymphatic massage could
help.
Things I liked about this visit: Joan. She put me at ease
and was warm and kind and concerned. The gentle massage was nice, too. I also
liked that we set goals. Our goal for PT is to reduce the amount of over-the-
counter pain killers I have to take to get through the day, and to reduce the
pain I feel each day.
Things that made me uncomfortable: not a
lot. There was some soft music and lighting and candles, and it felt decidedly
NOT like a medical clinic. But otherwise, it was ok.
I'm going
to be doing some research about the lymphatic system, because I'm not familiar
with this part of my body or the theories Joan shared about lymph drainage and
pain. But I'm going to see if this helps. If this helps, I'll have to reform
my views.
About me
35 / Female
Member since Jul 2009
Profile Views: 935
Journal Views: 6485
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About Me: I spent five months in daily pain before finally being diagnosed with endometriosis. I understand the frustration of chasing a diagnosis, and the hopelessness that comes with daily pain. I'm still fighting the endo, as it has no cure (YET!) and I'm trying to share information as I get through treatment.
Location: Mountain View, CA
Interests: Reading, writing, wine-tasting, spending time with my husband, dog, and friends.
Medical Conditions: Endometriosis, depression, severe food allergies, migraines
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Anna says:
on September 11, 2009 at 11:02 PM
hmmm, I too would be skeptical of this. How can you "feel" a back up in your lymphatic system. If your lymphatic system wasn't "flowing" nothing in your body would be functioning. What was her theory on why this would cause pain? and why this wasn't the case right after the surgery?
stacy says:
on September 14, 2009 at 11:11 PM
I am also a wee bit skeptical but I do believe that gentle massage can help MANY things. Tension and stress is the culprit of so much disease. Whenever I feel like I've let it build up too much, I get a massage and it really helps me 'reset' my stress and tension levels. I hope it adds good things to your life, even if it doesn't cure all.