It happens all the time. It happens every time. Patients teach. They tease out our skills. We just have to listen. To look. To touch. Carefully. Without prejudice. Someone once told me, "we hold the space for their wellness to show up in". And sift the root cause of their illness. Example.
Last Friday two patients thanked me. One for referring her to ER, where she subsequently had a stroke. The second for referring him to ER, where they discovered he had kidney stones. A nickels worth of needles would have delayed the inevitable.
Knowing when not to treat, based on the muted advise of the patient. Not just their recitation of what went wrong, way back when. But right now, piercing the veil of Story. Filled with disappointment, frustation, and overwhelming, grinding pain, reveals what really needs to be known. To make a quantum leap out of the morass of misery.
The last patient of that day was a first-timer with us. She spoke only Spanish. Which warranted getting a translater on the Speaker phone, and the delay of translating questions from me, and answers from her. As well as translating questions from her. And answers from me. But the body is universal.
Her right shoulder and neck were very painful. More importantly, she had a history of breast cancer, a left side mastectomy, chemo and radiation.
She was disappointed when I used only one needle on the opposite leg to restore 80% of her mobility. And significantly reduce her pain. As an afterthought I also did a Wind point on the back of her neck. Given the Weather's rapid 20 degree change to cold and snowy.
We wound up with about 30 minutes of talking, and 10 of acupuncture. I promised her more later. She will teach me more then.
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