all clean?

Well. That’s better. Last night I went for my colonic. I’ve had a few in the past, but it’s been years. I called around to a couple of different places and booked my appointment with the first one that returned my call. The place was nice, the practitioner friendly, but not too much so, which I appreciated. She escorted me to the treatment room and explained what would happen. Told me how much to undress and where to sit, etc. Then she said – and I found this odd – “It’s okay to talk on the phone during your treatment, so you can keep your phone with you.”
While I lay there trying to relax while feeling the rush of fluids in and out of my body, I thought about how GRATEFUL I am that I do not have the kind of lifestyle which would necessitate my taking a phone call while getting a colonic.
Well, the treatment certainly got things moving, and I am, to a certain extent, relieved. I’m still experiencing some pain and bloating, however. I could burp for about 5 minutes straight. While both my sons might find this hilarious, it is a bit uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, my period started yesterday. Hmm, interesting. On one of the websites, it said that IBS is often triggered by the onset of menstruation. This is not a normal period, either, I might add. It was 44 days in coming, which is long, even for me, and I usually go 34-36 days. And it’s not really flowing either. It’s like everything in my body is just sitting there, held in, waiting for something.
Clearly, something is not right. So now what?
I’d love to get some acupuncture. I think it would help immensely. The question is how? I can’t afford a ton of treatments, but even if I could, I have no time. I currently have about one hour a week during which I am both kid-free and not doing some kind of paid work. I’ve taken my younger child to therapy with me, but he was still crawling then, so it was a bit more manageable. Last week I brought him with to my pap smear, and that was a bit of a challenge, but do-able. My older son goes to the chiropractor with me and has a good enough time. Somehow, though, it seems like it could be counterproductive having the needles in and trying to keep Elijah from uprooting the lucking bamboo while also keeping Caleb entertained by making up stories for him on demand. I could hire a sitter, but then that would just add to the cost, obviously.
I could have a conversation with my husband during which I tell him my needs and we negotiate our schedules.
Wait, what?
The good news is that I’m leaving town tomorrow with a friend. We’re going away for what maybe becoming our annual garage-sale funded birthday celebration night away. Can’t wait.