Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Voodoo Bag Lady

So, the Bag Lady decided to try something different yesterday. She went for acupuncture. This was a big step for the Bag Lady because she is not overly fond of needles.

She is pleased to report that the acupuncture did seem to relieve the pain in her hips and legs. How long this relief will last remains to be seen, but for the first time in almost 3 years, her hips are not aching! She feels like dancing!

She will, of course, continue with the exercises given to her by the physiotherapist, but she was truly amazed at the results from the acupuncture. If only she had known sooner.....

Of course, she does not have pictures to share with you, but she is sure that she resembled a voodoo doll, lying there on the table with needles sticking out of her back, hips and legs! The needles were then hooked up to some kind of machine that sent a low-voltage current pulsing through the Bag Lady's body. It was a strange sensation, but not unpleasant (except for the one in her calf, which made her want to kick like a mule!) Once the needles were removed, the doctor did some massage and some adjustments, and showed the Bag Lady some exercises to do. Then she applied a patch of herbs and told the Bag Lady to leave it in place for several hours.

The doctor also told the Bag Lady she is not to lift anything heavy. The Bag Lady will try to follow the doctor's orders, but the Rancher is also not supposed to lift anything heavy, so that could present a problem. Sooner or later, something heavy around the ranch is going to have to be lifted! Wonder if the Bag Lady and the Rancher can hire someone to do the heavy lifting. Hahahaha....

Have a nice day!

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did someone say the need a visit from TODDLER HERCULES?
she can house a cow in a single bound & only demands gummy bears for her trouble!

(Ive always been curious to try acupuncture. can you feel the difference today??)

Anonymous said...

Needles?!? Yikes! But I've heard of their healing powers...
Hope it does indeed make the difference.

Maybe you can hook a pulley system up and have the cows do the heavy lifting? ;)

Hilary said...

Glad to hear it, Baggie. Finding yourself without pain after so long is wonderful.

I used acupuncture to quit smoking almost 28 years ago. If I recall, the needles went into my ear.

Yes, I'm hinting that you should try it. Seeing as you're a good acupuncture subject and all.. ;)

the Bag Lady said...

Mizfit - send the Toddler Hercules on up! I promise to buy gummy bears!!
(yes, I can still feel the difference - was stiff when I woke up, but not as bad as usual.)

kcinnova - hmmm - wonder if we could come up with some sort of system where the cows push a button with their noses and are rewarded with some oats.....

Hilary - I thought of that. In fact, I am taking it under consideration. Don't know how I'd react if I could see the needles coming, though.

JavaChick said...

Oddly enough, Husband is quite needle-phobic but is pro-acupuncture. He's had it before and says it worked great.

Glad to hear you are pain free! Enjoy it! :)

Rupal said...

I am all into alternative therapies!! Curious to give acupuncture a try myself. Glad you feel better!!

~rupal

Anonymous said...

Could you both lift the heavy object?

A friend who was a in school for alternative medecin once offered me acupuncture for my stress/anxiety, which helped fuel the ED. I can't do needles though, so he gave me an acupressure massage (pushed on the spots he'd have stuck a needle in).

It was painful. But everyone was impressed that I didn't scream or cry (it was done at a frat house, and I was fully clothed).

the Bag Lady said...

JavaChick - it was actually my hubby who talked me into it. And he's not crazy about needles, either!

Rupal - I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt after the treatment. If you ever have a need for it (and I hope you don't!), it does help with pain management.

the Bag Lady said...

Tricia - the doctor that I went to did a little acupressure as well - it was far more painful than the acupuncture! The needles going in feel just like a little mosquito bite.

Leah J. Utas said...

Yay! df Bag Lady, I have used acupuncture and am all for it. Did wonders for my asthma.
I had it with the current and without and from two different practitioners. It's good stuff.
I'm glad you've responded so well.

the Bag Lady said...

dfLeah - I am glad, too, that it worked well. My back is still a little stiff and painful, but the pain in my hip is practically non-existent!

Lucas said...

Glad you are feeling better BL. I've always been curious about acupuncture but never tried it. Maybe someday. And if I lived near you, I would volunteer to lift your heavy things. ;)

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks for the offer, Lucas! That's very sweet of you. But then you'd end up with a bad back.... and have to have acupuncture... it's a vicious cycle!

Geosomin said...

You need elaborate pulleys and levers for everything, like Wallace and Gromit...
I'm glad it worked for you. I've never been for acupuncture, but I've been told it does help. If it can give you pain free time that is fantastic. Whatever works :)
I don't know about needles in my ear tho...maybe if I closed my eyes...maybe the thought of it just happening would cause someone to stop smoking? I'm such a geek I'd want to watch it all and I don't think I could deal with watching that.

Anonymous said...

That's awesome! It's funny, when the dogs and cats get acupuncture from my mum they all start jumping around and acting like puppies again. Acupuncture is super good for the hips :)

the Bag Lady said...

Geo - I'm not sure I could watch the needles being inserted, but it did help!

Sagan - I can definitely understand why the dogs and cats start jumping around - that's seriously how I felt! Told hubby I wanted to go dancing.... :)

Missicat said...

There is an acupuncturist quite near me, and I have considered going to her for my back/hip pains...may just take the plunge!
I like the cow/pulley idea!

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - I resisted the idea for quite awhile because of my needle-phobia, but it actually did make me feel better! I'm glad I went.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I've been curious about acupuncture, but yeah, the needle thing put me off. I'll be curious to see if you get long-term relief from this.

the Bag Lady said...

BG - it was not at all unpleasant. A little pinch like a mosquito bite when the needle went in. So far, the hip is not aching. I'll let you know how long the pain-relief lasts!

Reb said...

Glad it worked for you Sis! I might have to look into it too.

the Bag Lady said...

Reb - so far, so good. I hope it lasts long enough to make it worth the expense!

Levi said...

Moo back to you.
And thanks for your comment.
I liked your use of pun in the middle of your post where you wrote "(except for the one in her calf, which made her want to kick like a mule!)" Get it or am I nuts?

Off to buy another bed.
BTW, my doctor said to me, "Do you drink wine?" and I said, "Not much" and he said, "Well NOW may be the time to start."
That was his joke that made me chuckle.

the Bag Lady said...

POD - so glad you got it!! :)

My day has not been in vain.

And I'm thinking I would like your doctor....

Melissa said...

OK, that does it. I'm going to make ScottieDog go to an acupuncturist. He has terrible upper back/neck trouble.

I'm so proud of you (and probably MizFit is too) of doing something outside your usual regime! WTG!

the Bag Lady said...

Melissa - it is totally worth a try! I was a little skeptical, but it did help.

Redbush said...

Ooooooo, needles stuck in you everywhere! I'm not that brave! It's good to hear that you feel like dancing already. Did you like dancing before? Ha! Maybe you could get your favourite neighbors to help you with the heavy lifting. Or, maybe princess could help. Strap some of the stuff onto that bull. He'll lift it for you, then snort!

Charlotte said...

Sooo interesting! I've long wanted to try acupuncture myself. I'm glad you had such a good experience with it. Do let us know how long the results last for!

the Bag Lady said...

Redbush - the Princess is willing to help with the chores, except for the tiny matter of being afraid of the yearlings in the corral! And I'm pretty sure my favourite neighbours wouldn't want to come over every morning and give those brats their oats! :)

Charlotte - I'll be sure to let you know how long it works (in other words, I'll be whining as soon as my hips start hurting again!) :)

solarity said...

Did the doctor define heavy, though?
(When one of my friends was pregnant, her doctor, who later proved to be quite an idiot, told her to just go on doing what she usually did. She wondered whether he knew that she usually spent her weekends carrying 50 pound bags of concrete and climbing two story ladders to paint trim.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

the Bag Lady said...

Mary Anne from Kentucky - you have a point! The doctor did not specify what she considered heavy, although, but the look of her tiny little frame, her idea of heavy and my idea of heavy would be quite different!

Clare2e said...

I have friends who were practitioners and my husband tried and liked it. Keep going, because nerve pain is (I hear) routed electrically and they're trying to reroute the traffic long-term, and I guess repetition helps with better control for longer. I don't completely understand it, but I know too many people it's helped not to say Yay! to you and Keep it Up!

Susan English Mason said...

Acupuncture works BL!

5windsOfvenus said...

I have an under-active thyroid, IBS, asthma and some neck & back pain and I can say that acupuncture as well as the rest of traditional Chinese medicine (if you see a traditional doctor, it isn't consider complete unless it is also in combination with acupressure, herbs, spinal alignments much the same as chiropractic work and massage) has certainly worked miracles for me... Of course it receiving regular treatments create way more long lasting results then one or two treatments.... acupuncture is amazing though! I have had some instant results with it over time and I am not on any of the meds the western doctors used to have me on... Chinese traditional medicine rocks!

carla said...

it's MEAT DAY UP IN MIZFIT :)

all meat all the time...
please to come and shout out to the Ranchers.

xo xo,

Miz, who gives not a care if you have nutritional info but would lOVE a this is life on the ranch guest post!

the Bag Lady said...

Clare - thanks for the info - the practitioner that I saw didn't say anything about coming back, but I will make another appt. if the pain comes back.

Pouty Lips - I had heard this from lots of people, but was afraid of the needles. Silly me.

5windsOfvenus - thanks for your input! The treatment I received involved all of the things you mentioned, and I really was surprised (and grateful!) that my pain was relieved so quickly.
Thanks for stopping by.

Carla - I'll come and check it out!