i am such a big fat cry-baby

so my last real massage was May 28; oh how i miss Mary. we all know about my last attempt to get a massage, and since then, i've had none.

since i didn't get to see Mary Mary either of my weekends home, i finally gave in and looked for another therapist here; i actually looked in the phone book (so rare for me, but the internet was moving really slowly at work Monday). when i made the appointment for today, i wasn't sure my left shoulder would make it that long; my shoulder/neck area has been so knotted up, sore to the simple touch and blazing hot for a couple weeks now. and i've been on a massage schedule of every two weeks for two and a half years, so going from that schedule to nothing for six weeks is like quitting watching ALIAS cold turkey or something.

the only thing that got me through today was the knowledge that i would have my massage at six o'clock and that some of this pain might lessen. i spent a lot of the day slumped over, rubbing the top of my shoulder blade, doing neck stretches and working my reflexology points (yes, that voodoo medicine is good), literally counting the hours left to six o'clock.

and i got to the spa place and asked where i could find [some lady's name]. "she just left." i stood there in shock for a second and then realized there must be a mistake. "like to go home?" i was sure she just ran out for a coke or something. "yeah, i think so. do you have an appointment?" "uh-huh. six o'clock." it was literally six o three. three little tiny minutes. "oh. let me call her." i ended up talking to her on the phone.

she just forgot. even had it written in her little book, but forgot to check it, because she's so used to leaving at six. she was very apologetic, very nice (and i was very nice, though i really just wanted to scream right there in the ear of the lady waiting on her manicure next to me), even offered to give me a free massage if i rescheduled for Friday. and when i told her i was going out of town Friday, she offered the freebie when i get back; i told her i would try to find somewhere else tomorrow because i'm in so much pain i can hardly stand it, but if i can't find another place, yes, when i get back she can give me a free massage. then she felt really bad and offered to drive back, she was only twenty minutes away and halfway home; no, of course not, don't drive back into town.

so i told her i'd call her, and i will, because she was nice and felt terrible about the whole thing.

then i went and got in my car and cried like a baby. big ol' tears, too. i know what some of you are thinking: poor wittle SawahK, i've never had one single massage, and there she is whining about how it's been six whole weeks since her last one. wah wah wah.

i will gladly trade for your shoulders and promise to never get a massage again if it will make the pain stop.

i'm off to take a bath, and if that doesn't work, i don't know. Vicodin.

Comments

[_Jon]

Ahh yes, Vicodin - the "Happy Pill".
I've been using them about every two weeks for a few years now. Same problem - shoulders. I've had a torn rotator cuff, separation, physical rehab, and even a steroid injection. That hurt like a [muscle spasm], lemme tell ya. I shoulda taken the vic *first*. One time I tossed a towel across the room and forgot that I shouldn't do that. I [right] near passed out from the pain. Too many years of lifting transmissions into place while on my back in the driveway. :(

I've been trying to find a good massage therapist here in Detroit, but not very hard. I have a chiropractor that helps a lot and he has a massage table that helps some more. I see him about every two weeks. Hence the vic leading up to that appointment. I used to get a massage just about every day from my g/f, that made a world of difference. As I type this, it feels like a baseball is embedded between my left shoulder blade and my spine. When she used to work on it, the knot would roll around like a lump in a sock. ow. I'm planning on asking my normal doctor for a referral, mebbe I can get some of it covered by insurance.

So, basically, I know *exactly* how you feel.
Or, as BJ Billy used to say; "I feel your pain", in that swarmy, condenscending voice.
Sorry, couldn't resist that. :)

[James P]

We (or at least, I) don't think you are a cry baby. I don't like pain either.

[Joel]

I second that. Pain is, how should I put this... painful. And seeing as I am a drummer, I'm looking ahead to wonderful carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist surgeries. No fun, no fun at all. I feel for you.

[James P]

I'm a code cruncher myself. I feel ya on the carpal tunnel.

[sarahk]

thanks, y'all. and good luck to all of you, i hope you have no pain and no carpal tunnel thingines.

[drtony]

SarahK,

I am a sports med physician and I am normally very suspicious regarding things that aren't "real medicine." However, I have a lot of upper back myofascial pain. Generally, I would just wait it out, stretch, reach over my shoulders and press as well as I could or use a LidoDerm patch.

Then I read something about Bonnie Pruden (http://www.bonnieprudden.com) and "pain erasure." I ended up buying something called a theracane, http://www.theracane.com/

Now, trust me, I was not confident this would work. And it hurts, especially the first few times you do it. But I don't have the pain nearly as commonly as before and when I do, it goes away with just a few minutes of therapy, something I can do myself.

I'm sure there are a lot of products available to do this type of therapy, and I don't have any investment in any of this. But I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

[drtony]

Also, you should try to find a massage therapist who understands myotherapy and has had some training.

[jonag]

You need to get an electric lawnmower! I have a shoulder that gets goofy (read painful) when I pull or push something heavy with that arm, but the thing that really knocks it out of business is pulling the lawnmower cord. It's painful for a few days (which is depressing because I like to sew and play on my computer and it hurts to do both) then at night, I'll roll over and my shoulder will pop loudly and voila'! all better!! But for me, 800mg of ibuprofen works enough to let me sleep. But I would've cried too!! Oh, and a real hot bath might help!

[sarahk]

dr. tony, i think i've used one of those can thingies before. the Stepmo' has fibromaelgia (sp? too lazy to look it up) and i think she has one. and yes, it did work. thanks for the link.

jonag, i've had this coming on for about 4.5 weeks. it's actually the other shoulder from my lawn-mower-taming shoulder. but that shoulder pop sounds wonderful. and the hot bath, well, my epsom salts hadn't even dissolved and the bathtub wasn't even full before the water was cold. :(

[Kara]

Back pain is NO fun. That was one of the primary reasons why I took up ballet. The stretching and strength building barre exercises both helped to make a world of difference. And I got four sessions of ballet for the price of one Chiropracter visit. However, I must say that I really miss my massage lady........She retired and moved to Hawaii.... I live in California.

[Justin Buist]

Doesn't sound wussy to me. I've been there before with back problems. I opened up a parachute while facing in a bad direction as a student (never did finish) doing about 120mph. That hurt. I hoped it would go away on it's own but after four days I had to call up the massage therapist I use sometimes and actually left work early to get it taken care of.

He usually gets a kick out of hearing why my back got messed up. When he went to work he could tell it was pretty bad and knew I did something to it. He couldn't stop laughing when I told him.

[jonag]

Sounds like you need to get after the landlord about a new waterheater. A bath is not a bath unless it's scalding in my opinion.

[sarahk]

hey, kara! nice to see you back here! i miss mary too. so. much.

justin, that sounds quite painful. eek.

jonag, i don't know what happened, that's the first time it's happened...

[Leah Guildenstern]

Sarah, you should check out Egoscue.
http://www.egoscue.com/htdocs/index.asp

I don't know if any of his clinics (or the travel ones) are local, but his books work pretty well for most folk.

His exercises actually help you get your body to align itself so you don't hurt. Mebbe it can help.

My sympathy on the massage mess-up.

[sarahk]

thanks for the link, Leah, i'll check it out. and thanks for the sympathy, i got my massage friday morning, and it was wonderful. except she didn't do my ears. :)