#laser therapy

Now my left foot has been getting more painful, so I went to a different podiatrist (after having moved). X-rays, and a steroid shot. It didn't help. When I went back, he suggested starting the night splint on that foot (actually he asked if I'd been using it already, which we hadn't discussed), so I'm doing that now. Then we discussed a very expensive laser treatment that would absolutely fix me, but insurance wouldn't cover it and it's hundreds of dollars. The pain is not that bad, so I said no. I did immediately research and order a cheap laser therapy wrap online. I've only used it once so far, but I can already feel improvement. I have another appointment in July in case I need another steroid shot, but I'm cautiously hopeful that this will work. I'm also trying it on my top surgery scars, because that's been slow to heal and I've done about all I can with dermatologists (the surgeon offered to help, but that's a plane trip and time off I can't afford).

Twice a week massage and treats from her favorite vet staff. She literally couldn’t be happier 😂

Have you ever gotten a tattoo? It's kind of like that, but not as steady of a pace, and much slower.

My first full session was for an hour long treatment. I wish that I had brought headphones to be able to play some music or a podcast, the office had no music or ambient noise, and my technician although extremely professional, was not particularly conversational.

As for the actual procedure, you know how when a hair stylist shampoos you, and you're never sure whether you should keep your eyes open and stare at the ceiling or at your stylist or if you should just keep your eyes closed? It was that kind of vibe. I kept my eyes closed for the majority of the session, making occasional small talk with the technician while the machine beepbeepbeeped, follicles were zapzapzapped, and the hairs were pluckpluckplucked. Did it hurt? Sure, a bit, but beauty is pain and I have a pretty decent pain tolerance.

The technician did let me know that some patients prefer to use a numbing gel, like lidocaine before a session to help with pain, and that some people find it particularly painful and hard to sit still. I'm very comfortable being tattooed, and sat like a champ! My technician agreed. 😊

She provided a refrigerated aloe gel to help with aftercare, and reminded me not to shave, shower or apply makeup to the affected area for at least 24 hours, and we scheduled our next appointment.

The aftermath:

[Image: top-down view of an infrared lightbulb in the darkness; a sort of abstract and wobbly visual]

Quanto varrà nei miei ricordi questo giorno che aspetto da due anni e che nei momenti più bui pensavo di non meritare? Vale come un traguardo tanto desiderato, e deve essere uno stimolo a fare sempre più e meglio, perché se ti ci metti d’impegno, ottieni risultati entusiasmanti... vero Patty?