Those of you who have been keeping up with me know that I am trying to "take the road less travelled", "make new friends, but keep the old", "going out of my comfort zone".........well, yesterday I took quite the journey......I have been going to physical therapy for a few weeks for a chronic neck problem and have not been getting the relief I wanted (who's surprised by that?)......anyway a friend recommended an acupuncturist who has been in the business for 30 years and had done miracles on a client of hers.......I immediately called this doctor...he answered, asked me when I wanted to come in.....I said yesterday at l:00...he said, "come on in"........Well, I came on in.......First let me say that I was pre-warned that I shouldn't judge a book by the cover....and the place was not the cleanest..et al.....When I arrived, I tried to hold judgment on the facade of the building......not really too sure what material it was....not wood, not brick, not stucco....something that looked like it wouldn't hold up if there were any strong winds, but the parking lot was full and I found a space and ventured in with much trepidation. As I walked in, the strangest of odors greeted me along with the visual of a room looking like it had been hit by a tornado......a bulletin board jammed in layers with articles which were dated "1991".......the whole entrance, odor, bulletin board left me a little more disconcerted, but I got an application and started filling it out.....there was a woman sitting next to me filling out the same info and I just had to ask her if she was recommended by someone and if she had any misgivings of the surroundings......she smiled and said she too had been warned to not be alarmed at the clinic.......while we were sitting and waiting, two or three people left, and of course I stopped one of them to ask him some questions....he was very friendly and said he was very satisfied with the doctor's treatments....he had been seeing him for 20 years.........another woman who was waiting to see the doctor who wasn't filling out any papers looked nice enough, and I felt bold enough to ask her about the doctor and her success.....she was from Mississippi and they have no acupuncturists there, so she drives over......argh!!! She was from Boston and had treatment there and she said it must be "the old tradition" because her acupuncturist up there had the same type office and surroundings........she was pleased with the doctor....she had bursitis and was getting relief...eventually I was called and as he walked me to the back of the clinic, my heart sunk.....conditions were worse as we walked back.....everything was deteriorated...there were stacks of papers of magazines everywhere......I mean six and seven feet high........the smell followed us...we entered a room, sat down as he explained about acupuncture....I only understood a portion of what he said...he had a thick Mandarin accent, but I kept shaking my head as if I understood everything....
Okay...take off your top and lay on your stomach with your chest on the pillows. My inner self was screaming to get up and run, but I followed his instructions....the pillows had that dank smell, the sheet I was laying on looked relatively clean..and there I was, waiting for him to insert needles in me.....I would estimate he put in 60 - 80 needles.......not too uncomfortable, more of a puncture feeling as opposed to a shot......he left me alone in the room and my lonely part of this venture or adventure continued.....I was becoming uncomfortable laying on my stomach the way he had positioned me, so I tried to change positions....ouch....can't move when you have needles in you. I was deep breathing and found my face smothered by the pillows because I didn't want to put pressure on my neck by lifting it.......if it wasn't so humorous, I would have cried out......but there I was...no air conditioning, fan or circulation......30 minutes later he reentered and took my needles out...........my neck had gotten so tense as I awaited the needles that I could not relax for the procedure at all and when I stood up, my neck had mobility, but was incredibly stiff.........He said he wanted to see me again today and I scheduled like "the good patient"......when I left I politely asked what I owed him....His response was "$100"......I replied, "For each time?".....his answer was yes........and I had a sick feeling in my stomach.....I don't know if this was a reasonable price or not, but I knew if I was going to be on any sort of an acupuncture routine, it was not going to be in this doctor's office....in the two hours that I was there, I counted at least 14 people coming and going....I looked on the sign-in sheet as I left......30 people.....30 people at $100 a pop ..I'll leave you with my opinion....he is probably a wonderful doctor who gets good results with his patients, but he needs to spend $4 on a Glade candle, paint the place and get an exterminator in.....with the $3,000 he collected for 5 hours, he can afford it....as for me, I will be calling another acupuncturist.......
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