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Acupuncture for GERD Session 2

The second session with Dr Li is in the bag. Different places were done today and a couple were twangy, but mostly imperceptible. Dr Li was happy with my innovative way to take the Death Tea™! (See previous post for how to brew, store and take the Death Tea™ with minimum assault on your tastebuds!)

Visit went the same way as last time. Had a couple in my wrists this time and a few more in my lower leg. Also had a couple in my legs on the back this time. My spine was less sensitive this time, which is a good sign. My body freaked out for the first 10 minutes, as usual, but calmed down. I am extremely sensitive to any fiddling with my body. I don’t like it in general and I avoid it as much as possible. But I think this modality is going to work for me, so I tolerate it.

Dr Li asked if she could do electricity with them and I declined. I am VERY averse to electrical charge. I tried the Violet Wand: NOPE; I tried it with a facial: NOPE. She was fine with my refusal. My skin is uber sensitive to anything electric, I’d advise caution with the electricity if the needles are painful to you or you are new to acupuncture, I’d skip it.

Here are a couple of shots of me with all the needles in place. I’ve linked to the large version of the photos since the needles are so fine they are hard to see without zooming in. The needles are VERY fine, smaller than a pore, and they leave no trace. I also found out today that there are different lengths for different areas of the body, which makes sense, the wrist has much less flesh than the stomach or the leg. I’ll try to get a shot of them next time.

OK, I have four in abdomen, one in each wrist (inside), two on each leg, and two in each foot (I think). See if you can see them:





The needles are SO tiny! Yet I can feel the Qi being stimulated. I am also feeling results even with just two visits. My usage of Tums during the day has already dropped and Lil Tummy is feeling more robust and less bitchy. Of course, if I drink a lot, I know I’ll pay for it for a day or two, and I’m OK with that. But in general, I am starting to see some improvement. I hope it continues!

If you’ve ever considered acupuncture, I’d say give it a try. Find a Chinese Dr and go for it. It is worth a shot, particularly if nothing else has worked.

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Acupuncture for GERD!

I have taken my own advice and started getting acupuncture for my GERD. These will be in the bariatric section of this blog since my GERD is caused by VSG and also under Health.

I’ve had the first appointment and it went very well. Not very painful at all. I could feel a couple of the needles, but in a zingy kind of way, not a hurty kind of way. I can’t explain it any better than that. The needles are tapping into your energy meridians in order to stimulate Qi, so if you think of these meridians as electrical circuits, you can imaging what a zingy feeling could be like. It’s interesting.

Dr Jiang Li is an AMAZING Chinese doctor here in Atlanta whom I HIGHLY recommend if you have ever wanted to explore Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture. I saw her years ago for compressed disks cause by some asshole “trainer” who had zero clue what he was doing. The acupuncture session then was terribly painful the first time and somewhat better the second, but my back was completely better in just a few days. Read about the first session here and the second here – I am very specific with needle placement for the second session, so read it for info! (I have no idea why I stopped going after only two sessions, but it is SO like me to do that. Sigh.) This time is VERY different!

Anyway, I’ve been recommending Dr Li to people forever and it suddenly occurred to me that I should take my own advice and seek alternative treatment for this damned GERD. So here we are. Continue reading “Acupuncture for GERD!”

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NEWB Guide for Buying a Used Car

This is a bunch of stuff I just wrote out for someone asking for help buying a used car. I figured since I spent my time doing it, I’d post it here so I can reference it in the future. This list is not for lazy people who just want to go to CarMax and pay whatever they are asking. This is for people who are actively looking for a used car and want to get the most car they can get for their money. YES, it involves work. If you’re lazy, just stop reading and go pay retail for your car at Carvana or CarMax. This info is not for you.

And NO, just because it’s a Honda does NOT mean that “it’ll be fine”. You won’t think so when you have to pay for a timing belt or other big maintenance items that you did not account for when you bought it. Trust me.
Continue reading “NEWB Guide for Buying a Used Car”

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About Pride Month

I put this graphic on my FB header the other day. Everyone assumes it’s to “celebrate” Pride Month:

Well, not exactly. When I told Nick it was just for giggles and I was taking it down because I’m SICK TO DEATH of Pride and the double standard that SO many of the Community have, he INSISTED that I make a post about my feelings and lean into it rather than just be silent. So, here it is!

I’ve been very unhappy with the trend perpetuated by mostly the younger set of queer kids that REQUIRES everyone to label themselves and also make sure to tell everyone they meet about those labels in great detail. Also, this is an AMERICAN thing. Americans tend to obsess and this is definitely the case here. The obsession with labels runs deep.
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Customer No Service

Everyone knows I am notoriously impatient and intolerant of companies with shitty customer service. It’s called No Service for a reason.

These days, it’s considered “Karen” behaviour to ever demand better service, EVER, but I think demanding service has gotten a bad rap because of the Karens who just want SPECIAL service. There’s a difference between demanding to be treated as SPECIAL and demanding decent service in general.

I demand decent SERVICE. If I’m paying a company – any company – for a service, then I expect to be given decent service. It’s that simple. I deal with companies for a living. I’m an admin assistant aka office manager and I get to deal with vendors for everything from linens to internet service. I won’t tolerate bullshit – especially from a sales weasel – and I expect to get the best deal possible. YES, I want a detailed bill. NO I won’t accept your “bundle” just because. Lookin’ at YOU Combastard.

I run my house the same way. This is how I get 200mbs internet for $50/mo. I negotiate. I demand. And I usually get what I’m after because I’m persistent. Persistence is the key when dealing with vendors, especially large corporations.
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