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Go Backpacking

Round the World Travel Guide

Tibetan Acupuncture And Massage

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Big furry spider with egg sack in my bathroom

 

 

The morning after returning from my trek, I awoke with a giant, furry spider in my bathroom, aching right shoulder, stabbing pain in the area of my right ribs, and mild soreness in my legs. The soreness in my right shoulder felt as though I was carrying a heavy bag, even when I was lying down. The sharp pain in my side was only a problem when I coughed, sneezed or laughed, but it caused me to keel over in agony without fail.

 

A Royal Enfield motorcycle parked outside The Peace Cafe

 

I was in sad shape when Steve stopped by for lunch. I wanted to tell him about the trek, and share my photos so we went to the nearby Peace Cafe. Steve is a funny guy, so I had to explicitly tell him not to make me laugh. While I wasn't complaining much, it didn't take long for my body language to give away the discomfort I felt. We cut lunch short and he picked up some Paracetamol (aspirin-like drug) from a pharmacy and met me back at my room where I was already back in bed. I was in enough pain to wonder whether I should see a doctor. He recommended rest, and given he had trekked to Everest Base Camp without a porter back in April, I trusted his advice.

 

The Paracetamol took the edge off the pain, but it was hard to be comfortable, especially at night. I felt as though my arm should be in a sling to relieve the aching, and I had to sleep on my left side. I was so glad I made the effort to find a new room with a soft mattress.

 

Upper McLeod Ganj as seen from my hotel balcony

 

After two days, I felt as though I could handle a Tibetan massage. I'd been meaning to try acupuncture, so I combined the two and visited a Tibetan doctor whose office was in the building adjacent to my hotel. She recommended three sessions given my injury was new. I was doubtful the pain could be alleviated in just three days.

 

The first session was limited to 25 minutes of acupuncture. Three needles were poked into my shoulder, with a fourth and fifth in each elbow. Unsure whether to credit the acupuncture, I found myself able to spend a few hours on the internet before feeling a lot of pain again by bedtime. The second session began with a 25-minute back and shoulder massage, followed by acupuncture. Again, I felt better after the session, though it was even more noticeable the next day. To my surprise, I felt 100% again after the third session.

 

Unfortunately, I have no way to know whether the pain would've dissipated as fast on its own, or whether the massage helped more than the acupuncture (or vice versa).

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About Dave

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking. For more of his adventures, follow him on Instagram or Twitter.

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Comments

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 6:54 am

      It certainly worked better than the Aleve I’d been taking. I guess all headache medicines are not the same.

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 6:54 am

      It certainly worked better than the Aleve I’d been taking. I guess all headache medicines are not the same.

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 1:54 am

      It certainly worked better than the Aleve I’d been taking. I guess all headache medicines are not the same.

  3. Kango Suz says

    June 30, 2008 at 11:26 am

    I’ve always been slightly scared of acupuncture as well as intrigued by it… did it hurt? Was it weird having needles stuck into you? Did you bleed? How long to they stay in?

    And why didn’t you take any pictures of THAT instead of the huge spider?
    -Suz

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 1:56 am

      A few of them hurt a tiny bit, but more like a prick than an injection. Wasn’t weird to have the needles in me, they didn’t bleed, and they were left in for about 20-25 minutes.

  4. Kango Suz says

    June 30, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    I’ve always been slightly scared of acupuncture as well as intrigued by it… did it hurt? Was it weird having needles stuck into you? Did you bleed? How long to they stay in?

    And why didn’t you take any pictures of THAT instead of the huge spider?
    -Suz

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 6:56 am

      A few of them hurt a tiny bit, but more like a prick than an injection. Wasn’t weird to have the needles in me, they didn’t bleed, and they were left in for about 20-25 minutes.

  5. clair says

    July 1, 2008 at 1:20 am

    Yikes, was your condition from the spider bite? I must say that’s one heck of a doctor who knew exactly what she was doing. Glad you’re okay now :smile: .

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 6:57 am

      Nope – the spider didn’t bite me. I couldn’t even bring myself to shower while it was in there. It left on it’s own accord after 2 days. :)

  6. clair says

    June 30, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    Yikes, was your condition from the spider bite? I must say that’s one heck of a doctor who knew exactly what she was doing. Glad you’re okay now :smile: .

    • Dave says

      July 2, 2008 at 1:57 am

      Nope – the spider didn’t bite me. I couldn’t even bring myself to shower while it was in there. It left on it’s own accord after 2 days. :)

  7. Mark says

    July 2, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    Good that you are feeling better!

    But does it really matter whether the pain just went by itself of if the massage and acupuncture had something to do with it? :mrgreen:

    I would have handled the spider the exact same way – I would never want to kill it and I think I wouldn’t have been able to throw it out :roll:

  8. Mark says

    July 2, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Good that you are feeling better!

    But does it really matter whether the pain just went by itself of if the massage and acupuncture had something to do with it? :mrgreen:

    I would have handled the spider the exact same way – I would never want to kill it and I think I wouldn’t have been able to throw it out :roll:

  11. . raul apolos says

    July 14, 2008 at 10:43 pm

    that spider looks a bit freaky…much like brown recluse and the damage they cause it’s pretty ugly. here is a link to the damage they can cause (this pic was taken 9 days after the bite): http://somuchdamage.com/stuff/brown_recluse_spider_bite_Day10.jpg

    glad it didn’t bite you! i love your blog!
    btw, im getting ready to plan my rtw trip also and i have a few questions for you. hopefully, you’ll get some free time soon. :)

  12. . raul apolos says

    July 14, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    that spider looks a bit freaky…much like brown recluse and the damage they cause it’s pretty ugly. here is a link to the damage they can cause (this pic was taken 9 days after the bite): http://somuchdamage.com/stuff/brown_recluse_spider_bite_Day10.jpg

    glad it didn’t bite you! i love your blog!
    btw, im getting ready to plan my rtw trip also and i have a few questions for you. hopefully, you’ll get some free time soon. :)

  13. chinese auricular acupuncture says

    August 18, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    havent tried Tivetan massage but i quite prefer the chinese maassage

  14. chinese auricular acupuncture says

    August 18, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    havent tried Tivetan massage but i quite prefer the chinese maassage

  20. acupuncture for weightloss says

    June 5, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    That is a nasty looking spider! Ick! I would have been really freaked out that it were poisonous or something. But that’s just me :p Glad you recovered well. I bet the acupuncture had a lot to do with your healing so quickly.

  21. Sofia says

    September 29, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    My mother had the same thing in her shoulders for a very long time. The only thing that turned out to help was acupuncture. I’m certain that it helps a lot, and combining that with massage is probably even better!

    • Dave says

      October 3, 2010 at 6:24 pm

      Sofia – I would definitely consider acupuncture again in the future based on my experience in India.