This blog post is bit overdue. I thought it was about time I share how the last month and a half of acupuncture has been going. The one new challenge I have had during this time is an Iritis flare and not just one but two. As soon as I thought I would be coming off my Pred Forte drops it came on again and treatment had to be restarted. After 2 weeks of drops my eye made no improvement so my eye doctor put me on a 10-day course of oral Prednisone. In less then 24 hours I saw vast improvement so I think I am on the road to recovery. I am not a fan of pharmaceutical drugs but I know there are times when they are necessary. I am not going to take any chances with my eyes. When I analyze what may have brought these flares on my head goes right to stress and then a few slip-ups with diet. The company I work for has been going through some large transitions the last month and a half or so which meant layoffs. I was blessed to have made it through, but the stress of the weeks leading up to them was pure torture. We also have been left with less people but the same amount of work. Stress can be a huge factor in an autoimmune disease flare. Controlling it is key and luckily acupuncture can help with that. Because of the added stress in my life that means added happy hours with friends. I also give blame to a few indulgences with wine and a few bites of nightshades here and there. I think its good to test your body once in awhile especially if you eat clean the majority of the time. It helps reaffirm that the effort you put in every day pays off. My acupuncturist has not been doing anything specific for my eye but the total treatment I receive helps with stress and inflammation which in turn should help address the iritis. Because of scheduling conflicts I have not made it in for an appointment for over two weeks and am excited to say this coming Monday is my next appointment. I plan on having a more in depth conversation with her to understand if she has any additional thoughts on what we could add to my current treatment. I need to get to the bottom of why I’m not kicking it like past episodes. For some reason this time around I think my body has had a really hard time shutting it off. Hopefully this Predinisone kick will put it in its place.
Besides my iritis flare I have physically been feeling amazing! My ankylosing spondylitis symptoms are practically nonexistent. During this last month and a half I have continued to see huge benefits from almost weekly acupuncture sessions. In addition to feeling better overall, I am sleeping great and my mind feels more clear. Exercise has been much easier and moving my body has been feeling really good. I have to tell you though, acupuncture has sure been painful. I know I said in my last post that it typically is not painful. In my case it has been! A lot of the pain is due to the fact that the areas we are treating have had been chronically inflamed for years. Over time this pain should diminish. No matter how much pain, the benefits outweigh the pain.
Last month I shared that my focus was on my upper back. I am happy to share the issue I was having has been almost fully resolved. Part of this improvement is also attributed to the physical therapy I have been doing. The pain relief I have felt has allowed me to stick to my exercises and stretching. I have been blown away this past month and half by the additional progress I am making. Even though I am making progress there is still work to do.
Kate starts each session off with a casual chat to understand overall how I am feeling, how I felt after the last session, what worked and what didn’t work and if I have any new concerns. She is still treating my upper back and neck. Overall, my neck and back have been feeling great but both tend to historically be tight. We have also continued to work on my supraspinatus muscle in my right shoulder. This one has been a bit of a struggle. The left arm seemed to clear up rather quickly but the right one after feeling amazing in the beginning has regressed. Just last week she suggested adding e-stim to two of the needles in this area. E-stim is a more aggressive approach and provides continual stimulation. It’s not overly comfortable but I have to say I saw immediate improvement and even after a few days there was a lasting effect. I’m hoping this only continues to improve with time. My goal is to be doing cartwheels and handstands before the end of the summer! Oh, and crossing the monkey bars on the playground with my 2 year old. We will see!
Not sure if its related to my AS or not but I have had super tight hips and IT bands for as long as I can remember. Sitting on the floor is particularly uncomfortable as well as some yoga poses. During a recent PiYo workout I pulled my lower back on the right side. I told Kate about this and she placed needles in 3 points on my hip. I could not even believe the difference when it was over! The next day during my work out was when I noticed it the most. We plan to add these points into my weekly sessions and will include the left hip as well. There is nothing better then being able to sit on the ground, cross you legs and play with your child and then be able to get off the ground without having him help you. I am excited to see what the next month brings. My tip for this month is to be sure to tell your acupuncturist about any new concerns you are having. The greatest part of acupuncture is it takes minimal time to treat a number of concerns. Being vocal is key! I was not even thinking about my stiff hips during the first month of treatment. I’m kind of happy I pulled my back or may never have thought to bring it up. Happy Healing!
