Acupuncture Sessions...ready, set, GO!!!

I've made the huge decision to seek out acupuncture to help with my peripheral trauma. Though I have had significant improvement in lessening my dystonic movement in my embouchure, the area where my nerve damage was is still causing me problems. I've noticed it more and more now that I've been working in my upper register again. I can't help but notice how limp it goes as I go higher.

I feel like a nerve is entrapped or stuck. Though I can function quite normally, its the sensation of feeling like my muscle in my upper lip is only half-functional. I feel it trying to move, but there's something preventing it. My dystonia symptoms also freak out more and come back pretty strongly after a few days of playing in my treble clef range. It isn't too hard to calm the dystonic symptoms down, but when I go into the higher register, it seems to dull the sensations around my embouchure. It doesn't make any sense.

After much deliberation, consideration, and speaking with a mentor and some extra guidance, I have decided to take the route of acupuncture. I feel I've come a long ways...regaining maybe 40% of my abilities, but I'm at a stand-still. There's only so much I can do, and I know there has to be some additional help to overcome what I'm dealing with.

I am really ecstatic and excited about my acupuncture therapy. At first, I was hesitant thinking about a needle or NEEDLES coming near my embouchure, but after reading the amount of research done on Acupuncture helping patients overcome Bell's Palsy, I find it miraculous, as it's known as a significant alternative treatment to neurological disorders...practiced outside of traditional medicine.

When asked why I never considered it before, I think it's because so often when dystonic musicians seek out medical help, we are lead to main-stream practice options such as botox injections, surgery, etc. that's way to harsh and can complicate things even more. I had known about the option of acupuncture before, but because the area where the damage was done had been tender when I was initially diagnosed, I had completely blocked it out of my mind as an option due to feeling it would hurt or make things worse. I definitely didn't want to bring any needles near my embouchure. But recently within the last couple months it was brought back to my attention the option of acupuncture due to meeting another horn player who overcame some embouchure and jaw pain and difficulties with acupuncture.

Anywhoo! Reading about the amount of cases that have overcome something as extreme as Bell's Palsy with the help of acupuncture, has left me feeling very hopeful. My acupuncturist says that because I have had my embouchure dystonia for so many years, it will take multiple treatments to overcome if possible.

Anywhoo, there's a lot of work to get done after a bit of a break. One of my best friends came out to visit this last week. He brightened my week up and we had a ton of fun hanging out! Was a good break among my hectic schedule!! Now, just to get some of my friends to move out here! :)

Also I haven't recorded a video in forever! I'm STILL waiting for my new mouthpiece to come in the mail. Apparently ordering it through my own job/work was not a good idea, as it got lost in the mail, had an invalid tracking number, blah blah etc. They said they are now sending it to my work place instead of my address, and go figure....it's the one week at my job where we can't receive shipments/orders due to our delivery person taking a vacation. LE SIGH. :-)