In my continuing quest to find some relief from the intense neuropathic pain in my feet and lower legs, I had been considering acupuncture for a while. There is almost nothing that I will not try to get some relief from this intractable pain I've had non-stop for the last two years or so.
Well, I went in and had my first acupuncture session yesterday. First a consultation with the doctor, who has specialized in acupuncture and Chinese medicine for 34 years. We went over my health in detail, but English was clearly not his first language, and I'm not sure if he really understood what I was telling him about AMN and Addison's. He kept asking me if I had received an official diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and I tried to explain that while they are similar conditions, ALD/AMN can in many ways be worse. I'm not sure if he "got it".
At any rate, afterwards he had me lie on the table and stuck very small diameter needles in a few places. One in each of my hands, a couple in different areas of my legs, and a couple in the tops of my feet (interesting, since the pain is typically worst in the soles). Maybe ten needles total, while seems like a pretty small amount. He ran an electric current through a couple of the needles in my legs, and then I just lay there for half an hour before the needles were removed and I was sent on my way.
The doctor told me that he has had great success for other people with neuropathy, but honestly, I feel absolutely no different today. The pain is not any worse today, but it's still very noticeable. The acupuncturist recommended that I come back in a couple days, average two appointments for the next couple of weeks, and then should be able to go in once a month afterwards. I have no idea what to think. If there was even the most marginal improvement to pain symptoms today, it would be one thing. I'm just not sure if I'm willing to commit my time and money to something that could possibly just have a placebo effect (that doesn't work on me).
What are your thoughts? Have you had success with acupuncture? Cheers!
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