I just have to give props to my pain doctor – Dr. Marcia Mastrin in Phoenix. There are very few doctors out there who are willing to manage pain control and narcotics, and I've had some very bad luck with other doctors in the area. Dr. Mastrin worked out a very sensible plan to wean me off of my narcotics. I'm happy to say that I'm completely off of the Fentanyl. (Whoop whoop!) Even better, she gave me some other meds to help with the side effects and, other than a couple of achy days, I really haven't had too many withdrawal symptoms. I've heard such horrible horror stories of how this goes, but thus far I've been pretty comfortable.
I also must give a shout out to Debbie Vendt at Angel Wings Wellness Center. I have had several Reiki sessions with her and she is just amazing. Whether it's pain, depression, stress, or anything else going on in your life, I've just been amazed at how well Reiki works. It's considered alternative, of course, but all they do is have you lay on a bed and lightly touch certain parts of your body. I had it done for the first time when I was in the hospital in MN and it was the only time during that hospital stay that I was completely relaxed and out of pain. Now that I'm doing it in Phoenix, I think that it has helped me tremendously with withdrawal symptoms, pain management, and just a better outlook on life. (I've really struggled with understanding my purpose in life now that I'm not working, and this has given me a lot of clarity and eased my anxiety about it all.)
Anyway, I just wanted to send out some thanks to these 2 amazing people. If you live in the Phoenix area, these are the folks to see. And if you don't – you should definitely seek out Reiki as part of your healing. I wish I had tried it a year ago when my health first started going downhill! I've learned that recovery from major surgery (or any other traumatic event) takes much more than just medicine. It is impossible to heal just the physical scars when there's so much more to the trauma. It's taken me a while to realize this – too long – so I hope others can take my word and at least give Reiki (or other methods) a try.
