This Thursday, I will be experiencing my first real surgery. I'll have anesthesia, the local kind, since it's just minor surgery on my breast, but I can only imagine how it must feel after the numbing fades away and the pain medication takes over.
I've been doing lots of yoga and weights to get my body as prepped as possible. I should probably meditate more seriously, as well. Meditation is a challenge for me because I tend to get very sleepy, or my mind tends to wander.
I have a friend in Chicago who is a hynotherapist, and I may contact her to see if there's anything she can do to fortify me. When I was living in Chicago, she tried to hypnotise me, but I don't think it worked. A student of hers also practiced on me, and this was unsuccessful, as well. Maybe I'm just not a good candidate for hypnotism.
However, there's a new pain management technique that I've discovered through a fellow blogger and cancer patient. It's called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Before I discovered her blog, I had never heard of this technique of tapping the body at various acupuncture points to achieve emotional and physical relief. Apparently, there are different ways to learn it.
There's a free manual that I've downloaded, but since I tend to be very impatient and this document is extremely long and detailed, I already know that this is not enough. Then there are the DVDs that are available, which can be purchased as a set, or individually. They're kind've expensive, so I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with just purchasing 1, or at most, 2. Then there are the workshops. I found one that's scheduled in mid-January, but the cost is also a bit more than I can afford at the moment. [Big sigh...] Why does money always seem to get in the way?:(
I just tried to see if my library carries the DVDs, but they're doing maintenance to their Web site right now (of course). I'll make a note to check later.
At the moment, I don't feel very nervous about the breast surgery. Probably because Dr. P at OHSU made it seem like it's no big deal. "Minor" surgery makes it sound like I'm going to get my tooth filled. However, I'm sure that I will be very afraid as it is happening. I wonder if I'll be able to watch? And do I even want to watch?
Probably not.
Promise to myself:
About Me
- Cervical Cancer Survivor
- OR, United States
- I am 36, an artist and currently have a day job as an assistant.
1 comments:
Dear CCG,
I have all the EFT DVDs and can give you a copy of whatever you want. (Gary Craig, the founder of EFT, says anyone can make and give away up to 100 copies of each DVD, just as long as one doesn't sell them). However, the basic technique is fairly simple to learn if you have someone to go through it with you. You can contact me at seizaroo@willowcottage.org if you want and I'll give you more information. I live in Portland. You can even call me if you want and I can lead you through some EFT if that seems like it would be helpful. I've used EFT with a couple of members of my support group and it seems to work pretty well. Anyway, money shouldn't be a barrier here. I was originally attracted to EFT because Gary Craig is all about spreading the word about this healing technique, not about making lots of money.
I'm a social worker who works with people who have addiction problems who are getting out of prison. I needed a technique that I could use that would work quickly and well and was easy to teach to people.
BTW, I've had at least a couple of minor surgeries from Dr. P. at OHSU (as well as a major one, a mastectomy). He's an excellent surgeon. You are in very good hands.
-S.
Post a Comment