More acupuncture!

It's very difficult getting me into the massage chair because I have absolutely no upper body strength whatsoever, all I can move is my head and neck. We have done this once before with success, but that was with my two caregivers and acupuncturist AND my dad, who is basically a respiratory therapist by now and helps calm me down when I freak out about my breathing. There is so much trauma attached to the feeling of not being able to breathe and when I am positioned like this in the massage chair my body goes into temporary shock readjusting to the situation as my blood pressure and my breathing take a second to get in alignment. The second time we tried this, I panicked and Lost track of my breath, so we put me back in bed for the rest of acupuncture. Obviously, lying on my back means that acupuncture is not very effective, so it is much better being in the chair. Today I was so happy that I conquered my fear once again and, with a lot of eye contact and positive affirmations, I was able to maintain my breathing and hold this position for about an hour! It's so nice to get the pressure off of my back. Discomfort and spasms Live in my upper and lower back particularly in my shoulder blades. Because I am sitting a lot, my shoulders tend to Cave in which causes bad posture and reduced lung capacity. I am constantly asking my caregivers to get behind my blades with their hands to alleviate the discomfort causing huge spasms throughout my body and encouraging my shoulders to open which feels amazing. It's good to be in this different position in the massage chair though because it gives my body something else to work with and it gives my feet and knees the feeling of bearing weight which is a good challenge. If you know a paralyzed person, give them back rubs! I promise they will thank you.