treatment | River's world…..

If you’ve been a loyal reader, you’ll know that I blew my right knee out last fall. Deep root radial meniscal year with damage to my MCL. The pain was intense and it swelled to grapefruit proportions.

I had xrays and MRI’s, a cortisone shot, numerous orthopedist appointments and rehab. I tried heat and cold and massage and gentle exercising. Nothing worked. For a solid year I moaned and groaned and yes, complained.

Western medicine’s answer to the pain? Opioids, that I didn’t take. Their solution to the problem? A surgery that will put me in a cast for 3 months and on crutches for another 3. The success rate for this surgery? 25%.

Tired of being in constant pain, and tired of hearing my orthopedist say, “ It will either heal or it won’t. If it won’t? We’ll cut.” … I decided to seek alternate treatment.

So now, twice a week I lie on a table for 40 minutes and stare at the ceiling, or this.

I also know exactly what it feels like to be a Voodoo doll.

Yes, I’m doing acupuncture. And while the skeptic in me scoffed at the slightly woo woo environment….

The chronic pain ridden patient in me is beyond impressed.

After the very first treatment… I felt relief. My knee felt less swollen and tight as soon as I got up from the table.

After the second treatment, I didn’t cringe in pain when I rolled over in the middle of the night.

After the third treatment, the swelling had gone down considerably and my knee was beginning to look more like a knee again instead of the fruity ingredients for a Paloma.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in pain and far from cured. It’s a process, and won’t be healed overnight. But any relief is progress and I’m convinced this is going to be the path forward for me right now.

Even if I do look a porcupine twice a week.

P.S…. If you’re feeling the need to lay a curse on a co worker or (used to be) loved one? I’m available Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00-12:00.

On my list of must see places was the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. She was an early collector of the form and I’d heard tell the place was filled to the brim with treasures.

What I didn’t know was the building’s original use.

Half museum, half insane asylum.

Color me intrigued.

Well, that doesn’t look at all comfortable.

But at least there’s a cushion.

*gulp*

This certainly gives new meaning to the term “time out”.

While revolting….

I have to say the peek into early treatment of mental illness was fascinating.

Yikes.

Seems like there was a whole lot of restraint … and not much actual treatment.

It was about this time the husband told me he read about men committing their misbehaving wives for little more than disagreeing with their authority.

IMG_2044 (2)

Uh oh.

Early shock therapy looked rather primitive.

Am I the only one who’s reading “restored” as irreparably brain damaged?

One can only imagine the horrors those poor people suffered at the hands of their supposed healers.

Though they did have some pretty snazzy syringes.

On a lighter note, the husband was tickled to see one of these on display.

He bought a whole box of these slides at a yard sale years ago. They’re pretty valuable as a few of them show pre Civil War life with slaves… but he’s never found the actual lantern for sale.