Monday evening I had my first final exam even in law school. Even though this course wasn’t part of the “substantive” curriculum, the materials covered were (mostly) cases we will be discussing in later classes, so this wasn’t some fluff class. In fact, one of the guest lecturers mentioned how she didn’t even understand parts of what we were studying and how other cases were ones she taught in second or third year courses. 

The exam itself consisted of 9 multiple choice questions (short essays to read for each) and then two differently weighted essays. Because I have but a lowly pre-Intel iBook, I could not take the exams on the laptop (software is Windows only). I’ve been trying to wait it out for the new MacBooks to hit the stores (rumor has that in late september but I’m not sure I can wait that long), so I was forced to write the test by hand…all three hours of it. I ran out of ink in not one, but two pens, even, and my hand looked like a claw when I was done. When was the last time you wrote for hours, by hand? I bet it’s been a while. It was literally painful and not just for the older folks–the girl next to me was maybe 22 and she was just as sore by the end of the test.

I have no idea how I did. I’m confident I got 7 of the 9 MC questions right and I think I got the last two as well, but I’m not as sure. The essays, well, I used up almost all the time (I finished with 3-4 minutes to spare) so I wrote as much as I could, and there was very little fluff in what I wrote–I’m sure I didn’t fail, but how well I did I have no idea. Let’s say I’m hopeful I learned the lessons of the midterm, but not confident. 

Tuesday morning I had my second visit with an acupuncturist. I figured it would be better to get pins in me after the test, rather than before. My first appointment had been the previous Friday and was quite interesting, but I figured the second visit would tell the tale more clearly.

In the first appointment, Eric and I talked for quite some time after he reviewed my history. He asked loads of questions that seemed occasionally disconnected from my concerns (and oddly fixated on my menses, I thought), which were mostly about the whole butt issue and the general left sided tightness and pain I get. As I have been saying for over a year, it just makes sense to me that there is some sort of physical cycle going on here: get exercise, get tightness, get butt problems, stop exercising, pain goes away…but I do not want to stop exercising! Anyway, so he asked a billion questions, then took me into the exam/treatment room and looked at my tongue for a while, then felt my pulse on both wrists, but for far longer than the regular docs ever do. He pronounced my qi thoroughly a mess (spleen qi vacuity with some other issues) and said he’d have some dietary info later. After that he poked me in the buttcheek a bit (with his hand) and got to work. Needles were stuck in my butt, lower back, back of my left thigh, in both calves, and one in the top of my head (to draw the qi up, in case you were wondering). Electricity was run into some on the butt/leg, which made my foot jump involuntarily (very odd!) at first. A heatlamp was positioned on the needles in the small of my back, and I was left to “cook” in a darkened room with soothing music for a while. 

During the “cooking” time, I could feel odd sensations. There was definitely something going on, but what, I wasn’t too sure about. I felt almost discomfort in some places, and then release, and then…well…just different. Eric came back in, unpinned me, stuck his elbow in that butt muscle (piriformis–and he is also a licensed masseur) which hurt like hell, but in a good way, and then I got up and we had another chat. He “prescribed” a Chinese herbal remedy, changes to my diet (temporary–while we get the qi back in good working order), suggested some additional stretches to do (and some to avoid that I had been doing) and off I went.

The next day I was sore. I did a bunch of research online, though, and could find no negatives to taking the herbs. I also found descriptions of what “spleen qi vacuity” is and its symptomology, and damn it described me (including lots of stuff we didn’t even talk about!). So, I have slowly been adding the herbal remedy to my routine, since I am generally squirrel-y about taking anything. And, no coffee for days now, not even decaf, but lots of black and green tea. No salads–all veggies should be lightly cooked. No cold anything, actually, including water (room temp). And I ate a little beef (I’m supposed to eat a little animal protein at every meal and beef was recommended) in my stirfry last night, for the first time in forever (expensive, organic beef). Over the weekend, things got less sore, and by the time of my exam, sitting in those lecture hall chairs wasn’t painful (it usually was). My guts have been happier too. 

Yesterday I went in again. This time we took just a minute to review how I had been doing, then got right into the needles. I mentioned how I was surprised that he put them where the pain/discomfort was. We have this popular culture image of acupuncture working more like “my butt hurts” and the needles then being stuck in your hand or ears or something. He laughed, said both happen and, in fact, stuck one in my hand just to prove it (point for sciatic pain). Same deal as before with electricity (no foot jumping this time but a feeling of someone tapping me on the butt) and heat and “cooking” and afterwards he put his elbow in my buttcheek again. This time I could feel a couple of releases and knew it wasn’t as tight as it has been. I went home. During the drive, by left buttcheek started to hurt. It kept it up on and off all evening. I knew that could happen, though, and didn’t worry about it.

Then this morning I got up and did my stretches. For the first time in I can’t tell you how long, my right side was tighter than my left. That is, whatever has been going on felt gone. It’s a friggin’ miracle! There is just the slightest discomfort in one tiny spot on the left side, and only when I sit for a long time. Holy crap! This stuff might actually work! I can tell you I downed my herbal capsules with pleasure this morning and my tea tastes just dandy. I might even make it through the long wait to get my exam grade.