Steve Pimps Acupuncture, Part II

An amazing song called, Miracle Drug, by U2

I had an interesting experience this morning so I thought I'd come out and write about it. I had a visit early with the pain psychologist and then another acupuncture session right after. What I have been doing with the pain psychologist is work on biofeedback. What it basically is, is a computer thing that attachs to your body and you tell yourself to relax. This little graph line moves up or down depending how well you do. Each session gets you to new levels. I am doing well at the Hard difficulty level but I have not nailed it yet. Interesting thing after the session is what he talked about. He had a discussion with the pain doctor and basically told me, they don't know what is wrong. Normally with this much time, they can pin point the pain I am feeling. Right now, they have no idea but to keep trying the relaxation stuff.

In the above song at around 3 minutes, the Edge comes in and sings this verse:

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear your voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was a stranger
You took me in"

Later I went to another acupuncture session and I basically did the same relaxation thing, but this time with pins and needles stuck in my neck, face and hands. I was worried because after the last session, I got a real stiff neck and yesterday I had a huge migraine headache, like the type I had when I started this blog back in November of 2004. (Yeah I started a blog over headaches) Today's session of acupuncture was relaxing and my sore neck and shoulder are gone this morning. I get to go back on Friday.

I was laying in bed though the another night when the song Miracle Drug came up on my iPod. I had heard the song many times but for some reason, at 2 in the morning, I got totally absorbed into the song. The words sort of struck a chord with me, (Key of A actually, which the song I believe is in, though I haven't checked with a guitar yet). I was listening to these words though, and I wanted to know desperately what the song was about. That and I heard 3 distinct voices instead of just Bono's. That verse above though stuck way out. I knew it wasn't Bono singing it and I later found it was the Edge. (Yes I am going somewhere with this). But the thing is... those words:

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear your voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was a stranger
You took me in"

Brings a tear to my eye thinking about this. The din is basically distorted loud noise. I think we as people have "noisy" lives. We live in chaos really, between work, family, paying bills, planning your life out, achieving goals and all that good stuff. Under all that, and I thought about these words in the acupuncturist's chair, I wondered, "What is the voice I am hearing? Is there a voice? And is it only a whisper?" Only a whisper? What am I thinking... I think the voice is loud and clear. I need to treat myself better, whatever that means... My life is entirely filled with happiness and joy and utter success, which I am not at liberty to talk about in detail but I really am the best at what I do. Yet with all that, that whisper is a shriek and it's the real cause of my chronic pain. It's telling me something and I think today I figured that part out. But what? What is it?

I did feel like a stranger when I initially went to that pain clinic last year. I still do sometimes. Maybe because when I am there I see people that feel real pain. People with chronic health issues in wheel chairs and 40 to 50 years older than me. Their pain is real...

Is mine?

(What the song is actually about, fascinating!!!)