Recovery Tools

[ladysprite]

I come from a fairly Puritanical upbringing. My family are good New England stock; we're fairly certain that hard work is good for you and that anything that feels good is probably unvirtuous, sinful, and/or Just Generally Wrong.

So one of the hardest things about recovering from surgery and prolonged pain, for me, has been accepting that things like massage and hot tubs are, in fact, really and truly actually therapeutic and not just wasteful self-indulgence.

It feels wrong - like I'm a bad person for spending money on these things, like they feel too good to be therapeutic or virtuous or necessary; like I'm trying to claim a luxury as a necessity. But I honestly can't argue the fact that, ultimately, my pain and loss of function come down to muscle tension at this point, and that heat, hot water, and pressure are the best ways to release that. (Well, and drugs. Can't forget the drugs. I wish I could.)

So, as guilty as it makes my inner Puritan feel, I will subject myself to the sad, terrible recovery path of massages and hot tub soaks. Poor me.

It almost makes up for the year-plus of constant pain and the month-or-more setback....

Comments

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

Go for it!

I'm from Maine, but at least half of my ancestry is French-Canadian, which means the only reason I'm not an absolute sybarite is I'm too poor. :)

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Oh, you poor sad puritan. I am glad this is a road to recovery, though!

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

I'd say "veterinarian, heal thyself" but it doesn't quite work so well that way.

But seriously, taking care of yourself isn't being selfish. It isn't being indulgent. It's taking care of yourself.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Offer it up as a sacrifice for the poor souls in Purgatory.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

Oh, the humanity!

Or the huge manatees.

I hope that you're not getting manatee massages. The poor things mean well, but they're not cut out for that kind of work.

;-)

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

It's good that you recognize this as useless leftover baggage from your dysfunctional family, and that reality does not support their arguments.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

Giggle, here in CA hot tubs are simply a way of life.

Though not if we have this drought.

Glad you're letting yourself have this healing tool!