In an earlier post I mentioned that after months of seeing various specialists and undergoing numerous tests only to receive inconclusive results, I would be trying a form of alternative medicine.
Well, today was the day. The alternative medicine in question? La Trame.
In a nutshell, La Trame dislodges whatever masses or blocks that may be preventing the natural flow of the body's energy. I already use EFT on a regular basis and have had excellent results. I know that a more spiritual approach to health may not appeal to everyone, so I'm not going to go into detail about the technique. If you are interested, do check out the links above.
What I would like to talk about, however, is my experience with the treatment. This will undoubtedly be an ongoing subject as the effects of any given treatment manifest themselves over 21 days.
The treatment was all about what I felt, and what I didn't feel. I'm pretty sure I was awake the entire time, but it really felt as though I was drifting in and out of... well, consciousness seems a little dramatic, so I'll just say that it felt like I was drifting about. Conversely, my body felt like it weighed a million pounds.
The most interesting feeling was the inability to feel my hands. I'm not saying they were numb. My legs tingled, my lips tingled, but my hands? It was like I didn't even have any. I seriously felt like there was just empty space at the end of my wrists!
As for my back, there were moments where I felt pain, there were moments where I felt no pain, and there were moments where the pain traveled to different places and seemed to condense.
Oh! The craziest bit besides the no-hands? At one point, I felt as though my breath was happening from a small hole in my sternum! It was as though there was a thick filter, like a scotch bright pad and it was actually a bit difficult to breathe.
Interestingly, just yesterday I realized that the two periods where the pain was most severe (the fall and now) coincide with a particularly difficult situation in my personal life. There's a very good chance that the pain is linked to that.
How do I feel right now? Well, I can tell you that my back does indeed feel better. Plus, I feel happier, calmer and just plain lighter than I have in quite some time. I'm very curious to see what other changes occur over the next three weeks. Too bad I won't be in town for another treatment until the summer.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Nearing the Finish/Starting Line
And so, my marathon week of training is coming to a close. I admit, I punked out on a couple of hours because four hours total on public transit was just too painful for an hour of training. But all told, this week has been a success.
After two days, my body remembered to ignore the bruising. The backs of my knees may be burned and a little bloody, but at least now I can head across the pond knowing that the flying line and I are on good terms.
Most reassuring of all is that I'm no longer afraid of that first run through in Blagnac. After the last month+ break, I couldn't even get through half my act. True, I hadn't trained due to the California fiasco, and my back was trying to kill me, but still. This time around, I not only have some serious pre-tour training to lean on, I also have a run through under my belt.
Circus is a funny beast. Learning new tricks is fun. Creating a new act is fun. Performing is fun. Running through an established number, however, can be like pulling teeth.
Fortunately, there were some folks in the studio today, including some German wheel folk and about-to-audition-for-circus-school folk, so I felt an encouraging push to perform. Normally, the presence of people would have the opposite effect on me. Maybe I'm growing a bit as an artist...
Of course, a run through on its own isn't that terribly exciting. A lot can go wrong after not running for a month and a half. And between you and me, I'm pretty shocked that I did all my tricks, finished with the music, and wasn't all that out of breath!
This section of the tour has some pretty big moments waiting for me. We'll be playing the circus' home town and I have some pretty exciting wheel opportunities scheduled. The last town we played was a warm-up. Now it's time for 2010 to truly begin!
After two days, my body remembered to ignore the bruising. The backs of my knees may be burned and a little bloody, but at least now I can head across the pond knowing that the flying line and I are on good terms.
Most reassuring of all is that I'm no longer afraid of that first run through in Blagnac. After the last month+ break, I couldn't even get through half my act. True, I hadn't trained due to the California fiasco, and my back was trying to kill me, but still. This time around, I not only have some serious pre-tour training to lean on, I also have a run through under my belt.
Circus is a funny beast. Learning new tricks is fun. Creating a new act is fun. Performing is fun. Running through an established number, however, can be like pulling teeth.
Fortunately, there were some folks in the studio today, including some German wheel folk and about-to-audition-for-circus-school folk, so I felt an encouraging push to perform. Normally, the presence of people would have the opposite effect on me. Maybe I'm growing a bit as an artist...
Of course, a run through on its own isn't that terribly exciting. A lot can go wrong after not running for a month and a half. And between you and me, I'm pretty shocked that I did all my tricks, finished with the music, and wasn't all that out of breath!
This section of the tour has some pretty big moments waiting for me. We'll be playing the circus' home town and I have some pretty exciting wheel opportunities scheduled. The last town we played was a warm-up. Now it's time for 2010 to truly begin!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Hip Hip Not Hooray
The results of the latest test looking into my insides are in, and the results, while not surprising, aren't terribly awesome.
It would appear that my hips, particularly the right one, are somewhat deformed. This doesn't really explain my back pain, but it does explain what I've basically come to accept as my "bad hips".
It turns out the curves below the right femoral head aren't the same. One is longer than the other creating a bump that makes my hip... stick. But here's where it gets weird...
My left hip has the same problem but to a much lesser degree. It is, however, right up in the socket. My right hip, the one with the bump, sticks out much farther from the joint. While this normally might be seen as a bad thing, it actually leaves more room for the aforementioned bump to pass.
In other words, the two abnormalities in my right hip cancel each other out.
In the future, the wonkiness in my hips could lead to the erosion of the cartilage there. Right now, every thing seems okay on that front, though. It will, however, be something I'll need to keep an eye on as I get older.
What does all of this mean? Let me sum up a la Mastercard:
Doctors visited: 2
Osteopaths seen: 2
Kinesiologists frequented: 1 (or, "too many")
Countries examined in: 2
MRIs: 1
Ultrasounds: 1
X-rays: 1
Bone scans: 1
Theories: 4
Answers: 0
Next up... some alternative medicine...
It would appear that my hips, particularly the right one, are somewhat deformed. This doesn't really explain my back pain, but it does explain what I've basically come to accept as my "bad hips".
It turns out the curves below the right femoral head aren't the same. One is longer than the other creating a bump that makes my hip... stick. But here's where it gets weird...
My left hip has the same problem but to a much lesser degree. It is, however, right up in the socket. My right hip, the one with the bump, sticks out much farther from the joint. While this normally might be seen as a bad thing, it actually leaves more room for the aforementioned bump to pass.
In other words, the two abnormalities in my right hip cancel each other out.
In the future, the wonkiness in my hips could lead to the erosion of the cartilage there. Right now, every thing seems okay on that front, though. It will, however, be something I'll need to keep an eye on as I get older.
What does all of this mean? Let me sum up a la Mastercard:
Doctors visited: 2
Osteopaths seen: 2
Kinesiologists frequented: 1 (or, "too many")
Countries examined in: 2
MRIs: 1
Ultrasounds: 1
X-rays: 1
Bone scans: 1
Theories: 4
Answers: 0
Next up... some alternative medicine...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Getting Close to Go Time!
And so, my month and a half long break is almost at a close. I didn't train all that much and spent a lot of time running around town getting various scans and x-rays to try and determine the source of my back and hip pain. They jury is still out on that one.
Sunday marked the first ever training session on my brand new wheel! She's gorgeous and exactly what you would expect from a Zimmermann. Unexpected, however, was not having my straps with me. While disapointing, it wasn't the end of the world. I have a number of training sessions this week, and considering the bulk of my act is straight lines, it was good to spend the time on a couple of figures that have been giving me trouble.
One thing I was not prepared for was adjusting to the floor. ENC has always been my main training space and is where I've logged the most hours. However, a year of working on wood floors has clearly marked me. The floor at ENC is concrete covered in a thick rubber and really isn't ideal for wheel. It's too soft and the wheel has a tendency to sink and lose speed. Wood is much firmer and faster. Suddenly, I'm finding myself working much harder than I should be to get the height and speed I need to pull off my tricks. By the time I get properly adjusted to this floor, I'll have to get used to the theatre floor in Blagnac (our next stop on the tour). Fortunately, I know my "home" floor isn't too far beyond my reach. We'll be back under the big top at the end of March.
One week from tomorrow I'll be on a plane to France. A few days later, the second year of the tour officially begins! I wonder what adventures this crazy world of circus has in store?
Sunday marked the first ever training session on my brand new wheel! She's gorgeous and exactly what you would expect from a Zimmermann. Unexpected, however, was not having my straps with me. While disapointing, it wasn't the end of the world. I have a number of training sessions this week, and considering the bulk of my act is straight lines, it was good to spend the time on a couple of figures that have been giving me trouble.
One thing I was not prepared for was adjusting to the floor. ENC has always been my main training space and is where I've logged the most hours. However, a year of working on wood floors has clearly marked me. The floor at ENC is concrete covered in a thick rubber and really isn't ideal for wheel. It's too soft and the wheel has a tendency to sink and lose speed. Wood is much firmer and faster. Suddenly, I'm finding myself working much harder than I should be to get the height and speed I need to pull off my tricks. By the time I get properly adjusted to this floor, I'll have to get used to the theatre floor in Blagnac (our next stop on the tour). Fortunately, I know my "home" floor isn't too far beyond my reach. We'll be back under the big top at the end of March.
One week from tomorrow I'll be on a plane to France. A few days later, the second year of the tour officially begins! I wonder what adventures this crazy world of circus has in store?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Urgle....
I finally got back onto my wheel after a month long break. It would appear that the problem isn't not training for a month, the problem is not having been hit repeatedly with a metal bar for a month.
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