carolyn - you know, who owns Quest Physical Therapy in the Center? - phoned me on friday at work to rave rave rave about mona and how happy she is that mona's at quest. i told you that mona is great!

i can't believe i made it through friday. thank you so much, mona.

so, renee, i live - live - not by my calendar but by the weather.com pain list - ten-day forecast. last friday was scheduled to be a "10"; furthermore, i'm being weaned off my narcotic because it's not strong enough to help, and when the dosage <>is strong enough, i really can't function. (that's why i carry the dictionary, the thesaurus...) so my narcotic level is only 1/3 of what it was a few months ago, and even though my brain is sharper, my body's feeling it. (even now - today was "moderate," i haven't typed since i left the office on friday. my fingers barely bent enough to turn the pages as i read. and tomorrow's another "8"...)

when doctors ask me, "what's your pain on a scale of one to ten?" i can't answer properly; i've taken to carrying (so they can see what i'm using) the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. numbers are too arbitrary for me. on a normal "8" day, using this scale, my arthritic knees and bum ankle may be "0-1" (benefit of weight loss), but my neck will be "4" and my hands will be "4-5."

mona also uses this forecast, and had emailed me the week before to remind me - like i need reminding! - that a bad day was coming. she also demanded that i come in to see her. it's been so hard for me to make the time, but i had no choice. i can't miss work because of pain; i can't afford it. (i just learned - mom and i have been screaming - along with my case worker, who got a Thank You card for it - that the money i'd banked for retirement/to leave to a sick friend for medical bills, if the pain gets me first - is "too much" to have, and that's why i've been denied. gotta see if, at the hearing, i dissolve my IRA and put the money under my mattress, so to speak, i can then be eligible for assistance. but i digress.)

i got to quest right after work on thursday. basic etiquette for a massage is the same as for the doctor's: shower, clean underwear, etc. (since i recently had a doctor thank me, again, for cleanliness when she's also got patients who are able to maintain their hygiene, but who don't, i figured i'd mention this very obvious - to me- rule!!)

got down to my boxers - it was weird being naked in the center of town! (and Unobtainable Crush, don't you wish you'd taken me up on my suggestion that you go for massage? >wink< ) and mona got to work. in an hour, hour and a half, she'd done a full body massage, with focus on my neck and back, and with work on my hands. she covers everything except the area on which she's working, so the client isn't exposed. she worked on both my legs, my back, etc., without making me feel at all naked.

we started talking about my dad, and my whole back tensed up. (Little Brother, when i tell you that he's affecting my health, think of what he's doing to mommy! - and mom won't even go for massage!!) mona had to force a subject change.

at another point, she had me breathing to the soothing ocean CD. unfortunately, i pictured the "ocean" ... and that hypodermic that washed up on the shore when Lu, Deb, and I were along the Atlantic in florida a few hours before we had dinner with matt gone...) well, we laughed...

i'm constantly amazed that the end of the massage feels as good as the beginning; i couldn't keep up that kind of strength, let alone the healing touch, for that amount of time.

i didn't want to move when i got up; i felt so good. but someone else was waiting, and all the linens needed to be changed (and i needed to get dressed) before the next person came in.

you're on your feet all day, renee; i'd suggest an hour with focus on your legs unless you have other pain i don't know about...

i'm not so self-centered as to think that everyone will love massage as much as i do. i do think that anyone with muscle pain would, however, enjoy the action of having that pain rubbed away! furthermore, she's been concentrating on my neck and my posture so that my spinal column will work better. (there's more to it than that, but this is just a blog post...)

got home and immediately, as per instructions, drank a lot of fluid.  in 24 hours, i'd had more than a half gallon of extra fluid.

there was email from mona when i woke up after my nap, with an article on Choosing a Good Therapist. it's not "by" her, so it's not propaganda. she knows i "research before i buy!"

i made it through the work day friday without puking :) the pain was seriously, honestly, at a "2-3" level, far below what i had expected. i stretched while my muscles were still relaxed. i'm sure that helped. (mona's given me follow-up stretching exercises, and part of what helps is that, when i go to her regularly, i remember to do them...) the worst pain was in my forearms; i went to the bank after work, but was afraid to drive to the supermarket. my neck pain was far below what i expected, though! made it today, sunday, to the store.

so i'm not touting a miracle cure for fibromyalgia; however, i'll tell you, honestly, mona has the right touch to help with muscular pain, and she relaxed the hell out of me!

give her a call. (it'll get you out, missy!) tell her i sent you and that you work for doc.

actually, all my connecticut friends should call mona (conveniently on myspace, too!)... thom, her leg massage is the thing for the mailman. you'll be the envy of your peers... my brother should set up a massage for his wife next time they come to town, so she doesn't have to deal with your wacky sister ;)

and Unobtainable Crush, if you go, i'll stand guard in the room and watch, uh... well, actually, now, your son's the right age for me...

i love saying this... drop my name; she'll hook you up.

whatever. mona, you're a life saver.

saturday, i was able to shower and dress, but not much else.

note: the "renee" to whom this post is written is the office manager extraordinaire at my office of my chiropractor, Dr. Steven Morrow. not only has she said that she likes my blog (gasp!) but she's also mentioned interest in treating herself to a massage. she just gave me a referral to a local doctor, and i'm using this post to return the favor.

Currently reading :
Barefoot in the Rubble
By Elizabeth B. Walter
Release date: May, 2000