When the staff at the therapy center asked, "How are you today," I answered with a long, sad face and a litany of my complaints -- I did manage to preface that I had felt better for a brief time than I had in 10 years. But that had all but washed completely away. "I feel like the last rose of summer," I summarized as I removed my tee and bra for the message.
The table was clothed in cool linens and this time the music was soft piano. My masseuse is middle aged but her hands are soft, warm, and timeless. She started with the misery that has been my right foot for the past week. I was leery -- the foot hurts all the time and manipulating it wasn't going to make me happy. At first it was slow and easy but then I began to twitch and jerk. "I'm working on the tension, the sore spots, and some of this will also help the knees so I need you to breathe through it if you can." So I did.
I had been having a headache for the last 24 hours and living on pain meds, even resorting to the stronger gout pain pills when nothing helped either the head or the foot. Within five minutes the ache in my head eased.
She moved up to my back and then spent a lot of time kneading the knots out of my neck and shoulders. When I turned over, she began with the left side of my body. The ache in my right foot eased into a very manageable jolt now and again.
Thirty minutes later and I felt, for the first time in days, relaxed and nearly pain free.
Before I left I made my appointment for two weeks hence -- to heck with this going once a month. Like the Spike Lee movie proclaims, "She's Gotta Have It!"
2 comments:
Don't forget, by taking care of yourself you take care of those around you as well.
It is amazing how much tension we carry in our bodies and how much worse that makes the pain. So glad the massage is helping so much. I need that too, but more for stress than pain!
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