I’ve received a lot of questions about the treatment I shared that I was undergoing for post-surgical adhesions.
Most of the questions center around a couple of things: What is it like? And, It sounds excruciating. Which really isn’t a question, but a valid concern.
So here is a look at how my appointments go. This post is officially TMI. So if you are squeamish about medical stuff, then just skip this one, okay?
I arrived at Clear Passage to meet my therapist at 7am Tuesday morning. She greeted me with a warm hug and it immediately put me at ease. I had spent the previous evening filing out a detailed medical history and I was feeling pretty vulnerable and scared that first morning. Her warm greeting really made a difference.
But I was still a little nervous.
However, I could tell within a few minutes that Mary, the therapist, was a compassionate person. She spoke to me, not my husband, about my symptoms (I’ve noticed that doctors, even females, tend to address my husband about my issues and my problems. Not cool.) While she included my husband in the conversation, she clearly respected that I would know what was up with my body better than he would. And that was surprisingly gratifying.
After only having been there for a few minutes, Mary asked me if I was hard of hearing. I am hard of hearing, and I cannot remember the last time anyone picked up on it, and certainly never that quickly. She also quickly noticed that I hear better when I can read lips and made sure that I could see her when she was speaking to me, and has continued to do so. This was another huge deal for me. There are people that have been in my life for all of my 36 years that still don’t get this, so again, her intuitiveness just put me at ease. I felt as if I was in good hands.
And really, if I could sum up the whole attitude of all of my appointments so far, they have been about putting me at ease. Even though sometimes it is difficult, painful, and just uncomfortable, everything is aimed to make it as peaceful as possible.
From the instrumental music in the background, to the lowered lights, you almost feel like you’re at a spa. I won’t go as far as to say it is pleasant, but they do everything they can to make it as comfortable as possible. A very nice change after years of cold rooms and paper gowns.
In fact, in every interaction I have had with anyone from Clear Passage, from the corporate office, to the clinic employees, compassion has permeated every conversation. You get the feeling these people are doing this because they care.
At the beginning of the appointment, Mary spent over an hour evaluating me. She measured angles of my body gently pulled on my limbs, and assessed me literally from head to toe. I had no idea just how much these problems have affected me. Things I never realized, like my posture and pain in my joints, are all affected by the tugging and scarring going on inside me.
If you are wondering what adhesions are, here is an illustration. Many women with endometriosis develop glue-like adhesions that can be incredibly painful inside the body. You can also develop adhesions, or scar tissue, after surgery, that have the same painful effect. At Clear Passage, they use the Wurn Technique to soften the tissue and release painful sticky parts inside of you. And without surgery!
Once the initial evaluation was done, Mary started in on the external treatment. She showed my husband and I how to tell when organs weren’t moving freely around and when and how to apply deep pressure to soften the hard scar tissue up. She worked on certain areas that were causing me pain, applying deep pressure and loosening things up.
She also shared some tools with us that I will be using at home. I’ll share more about those later. After two hours, it was time for a break. We went on a short walk and got a bite to eat. I was honestly dreading the next segment of my appointment, because I knew it was going to be internal work. And let’s face it, no one looks forward to that. I was also already experiencing a little soreness.
At 10am, we started back up with the second half of the appointment. This time, Mary was working internally. Something that happened the very first day was improved bladder function! When she began working on my bladder, it was stuck to adhesions and not moving freely at all. She was able to loosen it up quite a bit and I have been able to slowly increase how long I am able to go between bathroom visits. I haven’t exactly tried out a trampoline yet, but even a small improvement was seriously encouraging. My posture also improved after just one visit, an unexpected benefit.
The internal therapy was intense and uncomfortable, but throughout the entire process, Mary reminded me to let her know my level of pain. It is never supposed to go above a medium level of pain, because if it does, your body will resist treatment. She also would tell me exactly what she was doing and why, which helps, too. Sometimes, she has to hold pressure on a sensitive spot for a few minutes, and when doing so, she will chat and ask questions, getting my mind off of the discomfort. Sometimes, she is quiet, too, and always seems to know what is best in each circumstance. In those times, I practice breathing and recite scripture in my mind and pray. It is crucial to stay positive during these times.
After the internal work is done for the day, Mary ends with a more calming treatment, working in my head or neck area and calming my nervous system. I have actually fallen asleep at this point! It is a nice way to end a challenging and exhausting day.
Soreness after treatments varies from person to person. So far, I have been sore after every treatment. I do what Mary recommends and take short walks and Epsom baths to help with the soreness. I am also able to rest and take the day to relax after, which helps.
So, that’s one 4 hour therapy appointment.
I have a few appointments left and when I am finished, I will definitely let you all know the results. Meanwhile, I am still praying for a miracle 🙂
Turtlemomma says
Trampoline, hahahahaha!! Yeah, even I wear a little protection if I jump w/ my kids on our big one. Keep up the good work. My happy/peaceful place is pretending to be in the ocean w/ no sound and weightlessness. A momma sea turtle guiding my way encourages me, looks at me w/ a look that says, you can do this momma, Ive been there. I believe you are already getting miracles.
KarenKnox says
I so excited for you that you have a had some improvements already. I can’t wait to hear how the rest goes for you. I’ll be praying for you.
Mamala says
Remarkable.
Your words—pulling back the veil for others–a service most splendid.
How you would have loved to have heard this first-hand account, yourself–before you first stepped through their door.
How typically YOU to turn ’round–straight after a life changing event—and pull up those coming along behind.
God continues to use and bless you–to my great joy.