I'm now going full time to an OCD treatment place as an outpatient. There's lots to discuss there, but first I want to deal with a more prickly topic.

There is an acupuncture and massage business in the same building as the treatment facility, so it's set up for psych patients to easily get acupuncture and massage. 

I wandered over during lunch to ask about acupuncture, and the nice lady swore up and down that it doesn't hurt. Of course, I believed every word and immediately signed up for a series of treatments. Or maybe I asked if she could try just one needle on me to see what it felt like. Apparently that's an unusual request, but she thought it was reasonable.

She showed me how each needle comes individually wrapped and then stuck one in the webbing between my left thumb and index finger. I was shocked at how it was like a slight pinch, but nothing painful. I was even more shocked when she mentioned that the webbing is one of the most sensitive areas that they stick. If I could handle that, I could handle a real session, right?

Today was that real session. And I was very nervous. First we went over the standard paperwork, such as when was your last period (almost two years ago) and do you have any numbness or tingling (hello left arm). Then it was time for the main event.

I stripped to my bra and panties and laid down on the table, with only a towel for warmth. The first needle went in my forehead, followed by one in the sternum. Then came the webbing between my fingers and somewhere near my toes. I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact spots, but everything was going fine.

The next two needles went in the tops of my shoulders. Those hurt, the left significantly more than the right. The lady said this was normal for people with high levels of stress and tense backs. Yippee.

She turned on a space heater and left me to relax for thirty minutes. With some help from the sleep-inducing anti-anxiety meds, I fell asleep quite quickly, despite my fear of rolling over and poking myself to death. Apparently this is a good thing, according to the lady.

After she removed the needles and I got dressed (a very important order of operations), she rubbed my left shoulder, where it was still hurting. It was really weird as I could feel slight palpitations, another side effect that she declared normal.

Of course, acupuncture requires multiple sessions to see results. Nothing in life with sharp pointy things can be easy. I think I'll keep trying it and see what happens. The worst that happens is I get very expensive naps.