Of Cats and Needles

I had a slightly disturbed night's sleep last night; apparently the quantity and/or quality of the cat food offerings Chez Cat Hair was not to the standards of the furry residents, and every time I moved, there were mrrrps and PURRs around me.

Like this, only audible, jumping over me, and all night long. Unisom tonight.

Maybe it's the phase of the moon, because the cats have also been extra food-fussy lately: it's not just "not enough" food, it's "not that" food. I hate the waste as well as the nagging. Tonight I threw away this morning's dried-out rejects (they did eat some of it), and put down something different. Carlos looked at it, then went to wait for me to come to my senses and give him something "good". Given that he was sitting by the other bowl, the one with the unfinished good stuff, I found that rather funny. I sat down to my own dinner, and looked down to see him unmoving, and Miri taking advantage of the situation. Forgive the cell phone picture, but that was what I could reach.

She practically sat on his paws. He didn't move, either, not then or for a while after she left. I will wait, something good will come.

I do have more to talk about than the feline nuts tonight, though. The initial acupuncture report! (Can anyone tell me why I so want to spell it accupuncture? Is it just because of words like accurate?) I want to put down all the details that I would have wanted to know before going, as well as to remember for myself in future. To cut to the chase, it went fine, and all day I have felt ... fine. Not fantastic, not awful, just normal. It's not exactly a letdown, since I was more worried that I would feel weird or something, but it is somehow odd to me.

I had the initial session this morning, which starts with a lengthy medical history before moving on to the needles; future sessions of course will be straight to the pointy part. Walking in, my initial impressions were favorable. The woman seems pleasant, she pronounced my name correctly, and while the office is small, it's nicely done: a little decorated but not all fringe-in-your-face; it smells pleasant without overdoing the incense; and there was quiet music playing without being obtrusive. 

 

I filled out the medical history forms, trying to remember all the things that those sorts of forms ask one. Does it make me a bad person that I can't remember exactly how old I was when I started getting my period? Or exactly when the allergies started bothering me? Or a number of other little things. Anyway, when I finished, she and I went over my health and health history generally, which took a fair bit of time. 

 

After that, she offered me the chance to go the bathroom before we started (which I did, never pass up the chance) and then she left me to take off my shoes and socks and lie on the table (on my back, with a pillow under my head and another under my knees). When she came back in, she did a little poking at my midsection, and when the pressure was slightly uncomfortable in a spot, she would press on a spot around my foot/ankle, then try the middle again, which was interesting. She also checked my pulse, and looked at my tongue! I wonder what it told her.

 

She placed a few needles here and there: my left arm, my middle, and feet, I think, just four of them. I felt a slight pinch with each, but no pain. My head got more: three on top*, and six around the face (I closed my eyes for that part; I'm not phobic, but a little squeamish), and those hurt a little more, pinchy, but not that bad. She gave me a sniff of some sort of scented oil, and when I liked it, she dabbed a little under my nose, to breathe in. It tingled, and either made my nose run or made me feel like my nose was running, I'm not sure which. She put a doorbell-like thing in my hand, to call her if I wanted her before she came back, and then turned off the light and left me to relax there. 

*At one point this afternoon, I scratched the top of my head, and a bit of dried blood, about the size of the head of a pin, came off, which was disconcerting. Not painful, but surprising.

 

It actually was pretty relaxing, though that may have been because it was early and I'm not a morning person and who minds lying peacefully for a little while? After a while, I don't know exactly how long, she came back, took the needles out, and I was done. I go back after work next Tuesday for the next session; I wonder if evening will feel different? My "homework" is not to get headaches this week--hope I can manage that! She advised no strenuous exercise for two hours, and drink lots of water to flush the toxins: not a problem, and not a problem!

General advice: wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes. Short sleeves are good, and not a dress or jumpsuit, since she did seem to want access to the midsection (though perhaps that wouldn't have been a problem, I don't know that). I didn't do anything to prepare for it, other than leave off my perfume in case it interfered with something she would do (which is probably BS, why would it, but I thought of it and decided why not). Well, and I did bring my list of doctor visits over recent years, in case she asked about something, and I made notes of how many headaches I've had this year, as well as the drugs I took while seeing the neurologist. So I guess that is some prep!

 

My personal conclusion, after one visit, is provisionally neutral. The experience was fine, even pleasant. I didn't really feel any different afterward, and I can't even see where most of the needles went, so that's good. (Obviously that one spot atop my head bled a little, but nothing to worry about.) I'm really tired tonight, but more than usual? Probably not. So we await the conclusion, or at least the next part of the story.