Christmas 09

I hope you all had a nice Christmas. We spent most of the day at home, Luke and Randy played video games and I watched the Disney Christmas Day Parade and later watched Field of Dreams. Gotta love that movie! Then we went over to Alicia's to eat dinner and open presents.
I write about Christmas so next Christmas I can read back and see who got what for whom and it helps me think of things for that year. Here is the rundown...Chrissy sent our gifts to us. She didn't need to do that! She and Jeff bought me a French Press for my coffee. Oh boy! I am excited. I also have my shiny red tea pot from Alicia + my coaster that warms up and keeps my coffee hot. My little sweetnesses M and M got old Aunt Cheri some really nice coffee too. I am all set for hot beverages at my house. No more running out of coffee filters and making my own out of assorted paper in my house. Mom and Dad did way too much for me, coat, ice cleats that slip over my shoes so I won't fall and as I have no arms that work (left elbow was broken in the past, now right arm doesn't work either-so falling down for me is a bad, bad thing), picture frame, sweaters and scarves, boots and money for my trip. Alicia got me some really cool socks (she is the queen of socks) too. Alicia's house looked beautiful. That girl can decorate trees like no one I have ever seen. Beautiful. She needs to be hired by Disney to decorate the park. Luke received a movie, CD, jeans, iTunes cards and a neon clock for his room that says, "The Man Cave" on it. Randy received gift cards, pajama pants and money. We are so blessed. Now on to the rest of our vacation. Merry Christmas Everyone.

This is Why We Need Our Savior. The words to "Jesus Will Meet You There" by Steven Curtis Chapman

When you think you've hit the bottom
and the bottom gives way
and you fall into a darkness
no words can explain
and you don't know how you make it out alive
Jesus will meet you there.

When the doctor says, "I'm sorry,
we don't know what else to do."
and you're looking at your family
wondering how they'll make it through...
Whatever road this life takes you down,
Jesus will meet you there.

He knows the way to wherever you are
He knows the way to the depths of your heart
He knows the way cuz he's already been
where you're going
Jesus will meet you there.

When the jury says, "Guilty,"
and the prison doors close
When the one you love says nothing,
just packs up and goes
When the sunlight comes and your world's still dark,
Jesus will meet you there.

When you've failed again and all your
second chances have been used
And the heavy weight of guilt and shame
is crushing down on you...
And all you have is one last cry for help
Jesus will meet you there.

He knows the way to wherever you are
He knows the way to the depths of your heart
He knows the way cuz he's already been
where you're going

When you realize the dreams you've had
for your child won't come true
when the phone rings in the middle
of the night with tragic news...
Whatever valley you must walk through,
Jesus will meet you there.

He will meet you there.

Jesus will meet you there...

Merry Christmas Everyone...it is here!

I love Christmas. I have felt so bad lately that until this morning I have not had my Christmas joy, that feeling of connection with my Savior, that sweet communion with my Abba. Abba, what we observe this day, this beautiful day, is a day of hope, of blessed assurance. In this day, my gift, the only gift that matters is the knowledge that I am forgiven and free. I am yours and you will never leave me. There is no death ahead for me or anyone who calls your name. Because of you I am not afraid. Because of you there is hope. You took me in to your heart and you took my place to allow us to be together, always.

Thank you my Abba, thank you.

Last night, we had Christmas Eve at our house with Mom, Dad and Hazel. It was very nice. Big turkey dinner and lots of food, but the best part was seeing them all around the table. Unfortunately, with this rain and fear of water in their basements, they did not spend the night, they went back home. Mom and Dad will come back later today and we will all end up at Alicia's tonight. But for now, I sit by the tree with my old dog. I have a hot mug of coffee beside me and beautiful music playing. I have found my Christmas joy as well as my Qi.

2nd visit for Acupuncture-The Quest for Qi

Hi. I must admit that I went in a bit scared of what Dr Na was going to have to do to me. Now, I was very happy that she has literally taken my pain and distress down from an 8 to a 2 or 3. But I did too much this week and my arm was starting to hurt again yesterday but only in one place, not three. Anyway, she was glad I was feeling better but she checked me out and she is still pretty worried about me. She said my pulse is still very weak and my GI tract is a big source of concern. She said she would need to do a very strong whole body treatment (translation: needle in the philtrum). She said I felt bad after treatment (usually you feel amazing afterwards) last time because of the type of inflammation I have all through my body and because I couldn't relax during treatment. So today she got me all warm and cozy again and then about 20 minutes later came in to place the needles. She placed the first one in my arm and I was expecting the big rush of pain. It didn't happen. She continued to place them just like last time. The one in my leg (that was almost as bad as the one in my philtrum last time) had me worried and I was dreading it. She placed it and no pain. She got me all wired up and started the electric stimulation but this time on very, very lowest settings. That left the big one, getting ready for the dreaded philtrum. She told me right before she placed it that it is like being a heart patient, they must shock you back to life, it is worth it but hard. Now that did not make me relax, but she placed it and it did hurt, but not bad. Really, I almost screamed last time and this time, very little pain. I actually fell asleep with treatment. She put music on and put the lights out and turned on the big warming bulbs over me. She treated me for a long time. I was there from 5pm to 6:30. She decided to treat me once a month now and continue to work on getting me healthy and help me find balance in my life. I can't wait to see how I feel in about 12 hours. Last time I was about 80% better 12 hours later.

Return to Acupuncture

Hi. I have had a progressively worsening problem with my right arm over the past few weeks. I have an ongoing battle with this body of mine, this lemon I was given that has a tendency to fall apart easily. What happened, you ask? Now it very likely started with my amazing feat of gymnastic coordination and cat like reflexes when I saved myself from a nasty fall from a tree house this summer. I was working with one of my favorite kids in the world at his house. Unfortunately, I had a momentary lapse of good motor planning and banged my head, saw stars and slipped. My recovery however was amazing. I not only rescued myself, I assisted the child and saved two plates of food. But I did this by dangling from said tree house with one arm (think King Kong here). My elbow was not helped by writing books, blogs, reports and spending hours on Facebook. Nor by lifting too heavy of a weight with bad technique in my attempt to become strong or traveling the globe and not checking luggage.

It all hit a peak a few weeks ago when my arm literally stopped working without great pain. As a very sensory person, pain takes a big toll on me. It takes a bigger mental toll. As I do not tolerate pain meds without severe side effects on my GI tract, it often means I can't take anything. That and the long list of 'to do's" on my list have made me feel like I am coming out of my own skin. I went to OT and my radial, ulnar and median nerves are a mess. I was declared a Neuro Chernobyl.

So Randy suggested a return to acupuncture to help me cope. My OT sessions have resulted in a great increase in pain but I am at least moving it better. I am going to combine the two treatments again. Yesterday I returned to acupuncture with the wonderful doctor Zhai Na. Now, Dr Na zoomed right in on my GI tract. Since I have been in pain, I have comforted myself with gluten on and off. My comfort, however, is short lived and it all just creates big problems. I love how Chinese medicine focuses on the body as a whole. Not just one organ out of whack or one localized pain in your elbow. It is all very holistic and focused on balance.

So, how does acupuncture work?

The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up in others. Dr Na describes this to me as she doesn't take pain away she gets it flowing throughout your body so it is a less painful area. So I will give you a little bit of info about what acupuncture does. My meridian is an issue not only with my tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and nerve pain but also my GI tract.

The meridians are influenced by needling the acupuncture points; the idea being that the acupuncture needles unblock the obstructions at the dams, and reestablish the regular flow through the meridians. The belief is that the acupuncture treatments can therefore help the body's internal organs to correct imbalances in their digestion, absorption, and energy production activities, and in the circulation of their energy through the meridians. The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities, and promoting physical and emotional well-being.

Now, I feel out of whack. I could not relax at all yesterday. My mind is on overload all the time with this pain and I feel like an empty vessel. I am enduring my days. So Dr Na also focused on all of that. She put me under warm blankets, played soft music, turned the lights down low and told me to focus on finding a calm place. She gave me about a half hour of that before treatment. Usually I can go right into relaxation mode. My biofeedback therapy from the past has made that pretty automatic. Yesterday I could find no position to rest that arm without pain and no I didn't find my happy place either.

When she placed the needles, my elbow and arm were extremely sensitive. However, after she got the needle in, it was better and I could keep my arm still. Well lets just say I HAD to keep still because moving was not an option. Owie!! The ones in my right leg/foot, stomach and above my lip were very, very painful for a few seconds and the ones in my ear and neck, well, I was not even aware of them being there. But I was grouchy when I was done yesterday, I didn't find my happy place. I didn't feel well and floating on air like I usually do after treatments. Dr Na does not understand my goal to feel well enough to go on vacation. She wants me to focus on being well all the time. She doesn't like the idea of trying to live an unbalanced life and use treatment to just keep a grip on things. She wants to me find balance. Dr Na told me that my body is hungry for treatment and my life is hungry for balance. She focused in on what I eat, how I rest, mind and body and told me that soon I would be better again, but there was much to do.

This morning around 3:45 I woke up and discovered that I had actually slept all night, my pain was down at least 80% and I kind of felt like myself again. I haven't slept in weeks. I was shocked to wake up feeling good. So on Wednesday night when everyone else is going home for the holidays, I will be on the table at Dr Na's trying to find my Qi.

Stars

The other morning I was watching a slide show of pictures from the Hubble telescope. They were so beautiful. I was so struck that the God who formed the heavens, distant galaxies and glorious stars can care about someone as small as me. It gave me a tiny glimpse of how glorious, how majestic God is and it made me cry, in a good way. So, check out my little slide show or look on line to see the pictures or better yet, go stand under the stars and just look up.