I would never have imagined a crockpot filled with paraffin heated to
130 degrees could bring such relief to very stiff and achy joints and
ligaments. Ahhh... I only wish Susan would allow me to soak, but since I
have no feeling in most of my hand, she starts to worry when my flesh
turns a deep crimson. Full immersion,
lift it out NOW! Drip, drip, dry to a glove of candle-like silkiness.
Repeat. Dooowwn... OK! Up. One more time. Yeeeess.... We move to settle in at her small adjustable solid surface table for the hour, I in a burgundy fabric office chair while she scoots in on her rolling stool to my right. Encased in warmth, my fingers become magically pliable beneath her hands as she asks me about my week and begins gently pushing and bending, pulling and stretching. The wax slowly lets go of my skin and becomes a loose white glove as she works and massages. Eventually it tears, its mission accomplished, and is pealed off into a wadded ball and tossed into the trash in the corner. MmmHmmm...
I just love Susan. Her contagious smile, her stories of her fisherman away in the Sound and their kids and the puppy, her years of professional training and experience coupled with her welled-up eyes and empathetic heart, next to her cheers, "Everything looks so good! ... You have done your homework! ... See this - your progress is amazing!" She knows to the very tissue and nerve ending what a serious and traumatic event this has been for me, and she offers hope of a future with restored use of my right hand. And... I believe her.
God gave her especially strong and smart hands that literally read my every muscle and tendon. Sometimes she closes her eyes so that she can get a clearer picture, a FEEL, of what needs the most attention. Then the work begins... OUCH. Because it's back to the surgeon on Thursday, and he'd better be impressed!
I recently shared a message Susan sent me with my friend Stacey after a pretty rough day. Her reply sums it up, "What a great PT you are working with. Sounds like she was hand-picked just for you." I know so. XOXOX
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