Dealing with Pain

2/26/2025

Surviving the trump administration, A Daily Thread. Episode 35: Dealing with Pain

On Inauguration Day, I went for a walk after dark, tripped over an uneven place in the sidewalk, and strained my hamstring. I think. I didn’t go to the doctor – what could they do? – but treated the injury gently and waited for it to heal.

After about a week, the hamstring pain settled into stiffness and (yay!) sciatic nerve pain down my entire leg whenever I sit for more than a few minutes.

I spent the next month trying combinations of ice, heat, stretching, foam rolling, and gentle movement to try to ease the issue, but nothing seems to be helping very much.

So, last week I saw my acupuncturist (we’re SO LUCKY in Oregon to have great insurance that covers acupuncture)… and found out that starting next month, she will no longer be accepting my insurance. She recommended physical therapy from a place nearby, which I called… and they don’t accept my insurance. So I went on my own hunt and found another office that does, with a referral, and about a two-week wait time to get an appointment. So I started that process.

I also sprang for a massage yesterday (is massage EVER covered by insurance? After a car accident, maybe. Otherwise, not that I’ve found. It really should be). The massage felt wonderful, but so far hasn’t seemed to really do anything to help the issue.

It’s humbling to deal with a problem like this. It has the potential to be either debilitating or a useful learning opportunity. It’s reminding me over and over to choose to stay empowered rather than slipping into victimhood. It helps me find more compassion for the struggles other people might also be going through. And It’s making me confront my relationship to control – accepting that I’m not in control of the timeline of this process, nor which providers will and won’t accept my insurance, and recognizing what my responses and actions can be.

May we all stay empowered, strong, and supported to navigate the personal and collective nuances of this very complicated time.