jaye
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Post by jaye on Sept 9, 2011 11:07:51 GMT -5
I didn't find a thread on this so I thought I'd start one. I first learned of Maya massage (MM) in the Pelvic Physical Therapy thread. I've really been trying to figure out how to reduce my adhesion pains. I'm also paying for my medical expenses out of pocket so I thought MM sounded like a practical less-expensive alterative to PPT. I went for my first MM 2 days ago. My massage therapist is also an acupuncturist, nutritionist, and herbalist. She started by asking me lifestyle questions - the normal diet, stress, medical history plus wanted to know if I had had birth trauma. I was delivered by forceps but I never thought it was relevant. She gave me some different suggestions - Totally drop dairy, soak nuts before I eat them, keep my feet warm, do regular castor oil packs. Then she had me pee/ take my clothes off/ get on the table. She started with my head and went all the way down my back to the low ligament that attaches in your butt area (can't remember the name). She said there was a lot going on there - tightness and so on. Then I flipped over. She kept everything covered except by abdomen and started the massage. It's very deep pressure. I expected it to hurt more than it did. The pain was pretty minor until she found a bad spot that she needed to work. Afterwards I felt a little cramping. She said that is a normal response to having your uterus repositioned. Bleeding can be, too, but I didn't get that. She also mentioned that my next period will probably be noticeably different - passing more tissue and old gunk that hasn't been able to get out. She said it takes about 3 cycles of massage to change the cycle. She will do 1 massage each month for three months. I will do a 15-20 minute home massage each day in the way she taught me. Home care is a really important part of MM. I felt a little sore the rest of the day and tender the next day but feel pretty good today. I did my first home massage yesterday. It went pretty good but I had to look at the sheet to remember parts of it. I think it will get to be natural after a few more. Unrelated to MM, she mentioned that she wanted me to come in on my very worst day next cycle for acupuncture. It sounds like she wants to learn more about how my body is processing pain and also she said it can disrupt my normal pain patterns. I've never done it before and it's going to be a chore to do all that driving on my worst day! But I'm going to do it. So, I'll try to remember to post updates here - especially one after my 3 months is up.
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Post by painttheseconds on Sept 9, 2011 12:02:52 GMT -5
Thank you so much for starting this thread. I've been doing some research on Maya abdominal massages and found a place in Denver that does them. I'm really glad to hear about your experience. I can't afford to go back to pelvic PT right now so I thought this would be something I would be willing to try.
Can't wait to hear about your updates. I hope you see some positive results from it. If I start going I'll share my experience too.
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Post by Karen on Sept 9, 2011 12:59:24 GMT -5
Yay!! Sounds like a good experience so far. Have you noticed much improvement yet?
As for going there on your worst day - as challenging as that may sound, I think it'll be so beneficial for her to see it, and for you to get some acupuncture. I'm starting acupuncture up again today. The relaxing, calm feeling I feel when I'm done just helps melt all of that away. I look forward to hearing your updates!
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Sept 29, 2011 13:34:37 GMT -5
Paint - I'm glad you'll be doing it, too! Definitely let us know how it goes.
Karen - You were right about the acupuncture. I felt so good afterwards. It was worth the trip.
just a little update on the MM... My period is definitely different this time. I usually have a very predictable period - a few days of spotting, followed by a temp drop and a huge flow for 2-3 days. Then on Day 4-6 or so, adhesion pains.
This time I started spotting about 5 days before my temp drop. After my temp dropped, I had super light flow (basically heavy spotting) for about 3 days and then my heavy flow started. Those first 3 days there was a lot of "brown blood." My heavy flow the last 2 days hasn't been as heavy as usual and it is bright red. I have had about normal cramping which isn't too bad.
All good so far. I can't wait for my adhesion pain days! I never thought I'd say that.
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 3, 2011 14:52:45 GMT -5
Ok. I am through my first adhesion pain days since my first MM.
They started very lightly on Thursday evening - barely registering as pain. The pain intensity on Friday and Saturday was about the same as usual - wicked. The main difference was that I did not have pain on the left side of my pelvic cavity. I could tell that generally my whole uterus was involved, also my right ovary was unbearable, and higher up (just under the bottom of my rib cage there was also pain. But it was weird to only have pain on my right side. My third day, the pain usually starts to decrease a lot and it was less this time, from like a 6 to a 4.
It's not a lot of progress but I'll take any and all progress!
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Post by Karen on Oct 3, 2011 17:23:51 GMT -5
Well, progress is progress!
If I recall, I think you're in my area... Any chance you're going to the place on Willy Street (I think that's where it is?)? I ask because a friend of mine went there. I think she only went once, but I know she had a good experience in general. I don't know how much it did for her overall, but I know she felt some sort of change.
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 3, 2011 17:37:49 GMT -5
Yes! Isthmus Acupuncture - they are moving to Wingra now. The massage therapist said that it usually takes 3 cycles to see a change.
You have me wondering. If MM doesn't sort out most of my adhesion pain, I am going on to a PPT who does myo-fascial (sp?) release. I think I remember that you saw/ or are seeing one? If you have a good one, I would love to have a lead.
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Post by Karen on Oct 3, 2011 17:44:47 GMT -5
Small world! I'm curious what your results will be with MAM - keep us posted! Have you looked into the acupuncture portion or nutrition portion of things there, too? And yes, if you decide to go to a PPT, I went to Dean West - Suzi was AWESOME but only works part time so she's hard to get in to see. I know a friend of mine has another PPT name, too, that I could dig up if need be.
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 6, 2011 20:31:22 GMT -5
Thanks much Karen!
I'm going to follow through with the MAM first - the 3 months and daily homecare. And I'll keep updating here.
My practitioner/ therapist hasn't suggested a lot of diet changes. She was mostly happy with my no gluten, sugar, or dairy. And she wanted me to keep up magnesium supplements, suggesting I take even more. She also wanted me to focus a lot on leafy greens.
And I did try the acupuncture, too. That was great!
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 19, 2011 10:33:02 GMT -5
A bit of an update...
My MAM therapist wanted to see me during the luteal phase (lp) this cycle. I ended up seeing her one time each of the 2 weeks.
My uterus is tilted pretty heavily to the right. During my lp, I'm not inflamed and she could feel my uterus over to the right side. Also, last period, all my adhesion pains were on the right. And I just started checking my cervix as part of FAM this last cycle - the first time I did it I thought I must be deformed because my cervix is not centered - It's way over to the left side.
So she did the normal stuff but added some things. She had me lay on my right side and sort of pushed into my pelvic cavity under my uterus and slowly but forcefully pushed it back to center. She also worked on my sacral and tailbone ligaments. These two areas get pretty personal but I'm glad she is doing it. She discovered an old injury to my tailbone that could be part of the problem.
I felt a lot of change with these last two massages. More vaginal moisture, which is good. I also felt a light tenderness on the right side when I do my home massage - like healing pain - gone now but maybe we broke some adhesions! Yay!
So I'm on the cusp of my period. I should have been spotting a few days ago based on my "normal" periods but so far there is absolutely no spotting. I ovulated on day 14 so either my lp is going to be way longer or my progesterone is in the right amount this cycle. Maybe both.
One interesting thing the therapist told me to do is treat each period like a detox. She's having me drink dandelion root tea to that effect.
She also had me up my castor oil packs to 5 days a week, both abdomen and sacral area. I do abdomen one day and sacrum the next.
Finally, she had me add vaginal steams to the mix - one time a week and as much as I want during adhesion pains. I've only done one so far. Basically, you sit on something that air can flow freely through. Boil up a pot of herbs and put it down below you while sitting naked waist down and wrap a blanket around you on all sides to seal in the steam. It feels and smells wonderful.
That's all the news for now. I'll report back after my period.
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Post by Karen on Oct 19, 2011 18:03:31 GMT -5
Oooh, sounds like progress?? Isn't it amazing when you can feel things move around or feel like they're no longer 'attached'? And the vaginal steams... first time I heard of that!
All in all, sounds like some progress? I found that after PPT, my periods didn't have the brown gunky spotting, they were bright red and normal flow. Wishing you something similar!
Good luck and keep us posted!
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 21, 2011 8:46:23 GMT -5
Definite progress! My temperature dropped yesterday morning. My period came nice and light so far and bright red blood. I had no spotting ahead of the event!
I can't remember that ever happening. This makes me feel so happy!
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Post by Karen on Oct 21, 2011 17:14:58 GMT -5
Glad you're seeing some positive changes!!
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Oct 28, 2011 8:32:02 GMT -5
So I already posted that I had no spotting ahead of my period for the first time ever. I bled for 8 days, 2 days were moderate flow, the rest light or very light but all of it has been bright red. That is not normal for me.
Also, I bled through my adhesion pain days. This got me thinking. Before I thought that my pain came after my period because as soon as I would stop bleeding, they would start. Now I think that the inflammation that causes the pain might have something to do with my uterus being so malpositioned that the blood couldn't get out.
I had about a day and a half of obvious pelvic inflammation (during adhesion pain days). It started with a meal but there was nothing in the meal that I would suspect, except possibly lemon juice. Wild caught Alaskan salmon steak, Spaghetti squash, lemon caper sauce with a couple T of lemon juice. But I did stuff myself because it was so yummy - I mean like Thanksgiving day kind of stuffed. I wonder if the extra pressure from a full gut caused the inflammation.
My adhesion pains were different, too. They started really light and instead of being fairly constant, they came and went. When I really paid attention, it seemed like they coincided with involuntary gut movement. They never got quite as bad as a normal cycle until the night I ate the Salmon. Then they were so bad, they upset my sleep.
I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this massage. So many good changes this period.
That's my update for now.
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jaye
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Post by jaye on Nov 23, 2011 15:11:33 GMT -5
Since my last update to this thread, I had one MAM at ovulation. The positive flow changes continued with this period. Also, my temperatures during my follicular phase actually dropped below 98 degrees for the first time.
But the most important change is in my adhesion pains. So, this time the number of days that I feel pain shortened from 4 days to 3, with only about a 12 hour period in the middle where I had an 8-level-pain (1-10 scale). It used to be 2 days of 8-level-pain or worse. Also, the actual area where I feel the pain shrunk again. I could only feel it where my right ovary should be.
I think some of my recent progress is just my body continuing to respond to lifestyle changes (diet, stress management, exercise) I made a while ago. But there is no doubt in my mind that the MAM has helped sort things out down there.
That's all for now. My therapist says it's just maintenance massages now. I'll keep doing my daily home massage and the castor oil packs until I'm totally pain free. At that time I can just do them after hard days on my feet or falls and such.
I'd definitely recommend this to other women with endo.
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