Manatee Sightings

In 2006 I ran a small Pilate’s studio in Melbourne Beach. One fine day Norman walked into my place for a work out and to  have a massage session. His daughter had recently helped him move here from California. Norman was ninety years old and she wanted me to help him with his balance through exercise and massage him every week.

He was so handsome and sweet, I could not help but adore him. And for four years I taught him Pilates, increased his balance and strength, massaged him and most of all, enjoyed him.

Normy and his daughter lived in a condominium overlooking the water, on the Harbor. It was filled with boats and we often spotted dolphins, manatees and pretty birds as we strolled along the boardwalk and over to the park. It was a joy to be around Norman and we had fun chats about many different things. Norm and I liked to tease each other about politics because we had some differing opinions. Yes, we often came at things from different points of view, yet we also respected each other’s right to have an opinion. We were different, yes, but there were some things we absolutely agreed upon. For example, neither one of us liked Hawaii…both had spooky experiences there and would not go back even for a free ticket, nope no way!

We had similar spiritual philosophy as well. When I gave up my studio in Melbourne Beach we switched to home visits and would take a walk in the park while having our interesting chats. I enjoy being a gadfly and will sometimes oppose a position just to get a rise out of someone, or just to see what he or she will say. Most people find that annoying, but Normy had fun convincing me and educating me and even found me amusing at times. He was very understated, but humorous. To get a good belly laugh out of him was such a reward!

Now looking back, I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but Norm, who was in his nineties, and I decided to go kayaking in the river near Sebastian inlet. I was nervous at first, having limited experience with any watercraft that involves paddles…but we figured it out and paddled along looking at birds and marine life. It was a beautiful spring day. I was hoping we would attract a manatee or a dolphin as we glided along and sure enough, I suddenly heard tourist squealing about seeing something in the water. We headed over to where she was pointing and was delighted to see manatees up ahead of our kayak. All of a sudden a face popped up, out of the water, took a breath then dove under our kayak.

The water we were in was very shallow, it was amazing to see this huge manatee right in front of us! As she dove down under our craft I prayed we wouldn’t tip over! We saw her face, then her whole back and tail as she dove under us without disturbing our kayak! I still remember Norm’s head with his blue Miami Dolphin hat sitting very still in the front of the boat as this huge mammal was gliding under us. I of course was freaking out and saying Normy are you seeing this? He quietly says “HMMM, yes I did, it was very interesting”.

I had never seen one that closely in my life, it was stupendous. It doesn’t surprise me that the manatee came to say hi to Norman, often, as we took our walks, squirrels and birds would eat right out of his hand. I loved watching him patiently holding a peanut until a squirrel would run up and grab it.

We enjoyed our routine until he had some issues that started his slide into the next phase. That not so fun phase of complications and breakdowns of parts in his body that were no longer repairable. He began a stint of hospitalizations, rehab etc., but finally returned home. I visited him for a massage; it felt poignant to see him. Because of my years of experience working with bodies, I knew things were probably coming to a close.

I memorized every moment of our last 2 visits, trying to imbed in my mind the joy and honor of ever having known him. On what was to be the last time I saw him, I assisted him in undressing to get ready for the Massage. As I pulled his shirt overhead, I realized we were standing in a cloud of sorts. The sun was streaming through the glass door and he appeared to be standing in a snowstorm. I was puzzled for a moment. The saying “ashes to ashes” came to mind. I looked into his fading gaze as he smiled at me, I soaked in that amused smile, and I gently massaged him, helped him dress and upon leaving his caregiver took a photo of us.

But what about the clients I have worked with for years? Some of whom are now beginning to manifest  ailments of the aging? I may have started working on a 65 year old when I first began my  practice and he or she  is now 88 years old. I was helping my massage client/friend get through a knee replacement when we found out that she had to undergo a mastectomy. She also had to have radiation therapy, after she’s barely healed from a joint replacement. With no family nearby to help I dove in and did my best. She recovered fairly well went on with her busy life, then she fell. “Val, I think I hurt my hand it’s all swollen”. She was diagnosed with lymphedema, a sad side effect of surviving breast cancer and lymph node removal.

In Massage school we learned the basics of the lymphatic system. For instance, the tonsils are part of it, and the lymphatic system essentially acts like highway for our body fluids. It is a network which exists just under the dermis layer, and keeping this highway flowing is one of the benefits of massage. I taught about the Lymphatic system in my training as a massage therapist, but in most massage therapy classes the focus is more on muscles and how to relax them, so the Lymphatic system was not discussed at length.

When my friend went to a Physical Therapist who specialized in manual lymphatic drainage, I went along to learn how to help. I learned the specific massage and wrapping technique. As part of the Lymphoma treatment, she was prescribed compression stocking to be worn which would help to keep swelling under control. I learned the treatment to help ease the symptoms of her Lymphoma, and worked with her too keep up treatment, but because she has rheumatoid arthritis, it made wearing the stocking to be worn for preventative measures from being effective.

We had to design a care plan that would serve her needs. I see her on a daily basis to assist in her daily morning activities. I arrive early in the morning, get her going for the day, and return each evening. I hypothesized that if we performed the lymphatic drainage massage in the mornings, along with some reflexology on her feet, we could relieve the congestion until the evening when I wrap her in the special bandages that act like a pump system for the trapped lymph in her arm. This has been the most beneficial treatment plan. However if we do not wrap the arm, for one day it fills back up to a painful point that is hard for her to recover from. Battling this with her on a daily basis has been an educational experience. I have been allowed to apply massage, as a medicine in a way not usually afforded me.

Unlike a medical practitioner she might visit for a specific pain, I know her various issues well enough to not simply treat the spot that is hurting at the moment. With Jeanne, for example, I have noticed that her arm will often become inflamed because she is fighting an infection elsewhere in her body. If she has neglected to take the medication which keeps her colon issues might from flaring up, that will be enough to cause the Lymphedema elsewhere in her system. Rather than simply attempt to treat the Lymphedema, I will ensure she gets back on the regular schedule with her colon meds, that special med (that she forgot about since last time her colon was inflamed) and I will work the reflex points in her feet.

This is an approach of teamwork and inclusion of medicines with bodywork and careful monitoring. (I can tell if she has the slightest temp or a change in her wellness) We have probably saved thousand of Medicare dollars because we avoid extreme illness by staving it off preventively. The immune system is dependant on the lymphatic system like New York is on subways. Things get stuck and backed up when the vessels are destroyed. There are two fluids in the body, blood and lymph. It most important that lymph not remain stagnant in the connective tissue, this can break down the skin causing cellulitis.

The bandage patterns we use are similar to a tool made with palm leaves by people living in the jungle. It was used to expel the water and fluids that are toxic in the root that they are transforming into bread like food. Once the root is dry it can be processed into tortilla over a fire. I noticed it on TV once and wondered if that’s how the German Physician thought up the bandaging system.

Here in Brevard County, there are only two Physical Therapist I know of who are certified to perform the treatment of Manuel Lymphatic drainage. The Physical Therapist assigned to my client was mostly helpful and encouraged us to do our thing. There are several Massage Therapist who have studied MLD and are even certified. Unfortunately most insurance will not cover any cost of treatment by Massage Therapists. It only covered when treatment is provided by a licensed Physical Therapist.

As someone who has brought together many different facets of treatment to help my client effectively control her Lymphedema, I would welcome the opportunity want to share information or volunteer to help woman in our community that are suffering from this speak out, let’s do it together.

That is a very good question. As a practicing Massage Therapist with 31 years of working on bodies I have asked that question many times. Many times, people do not call me until they are in pain, and all they want is for the pain to stop. Yes, there are treatments for ailments, many kinds and theories are available, and one of them will work for someone. It is not always easy to find those “cures” using just one form of therapy or medicine. Looking for a cure is not always the best place to start,  helping people heal is most often something we can do.

Healing has more than one component. When we ask a practitioner for help, they usually treat us as  patients according to whatever principals and theories they adopted in their training. They also seldom see the patient often enough to know or understand them and or their lifestyle in order to better diagnose the source of their ailment.

I attained leaps and bounds in my knowledge when I was thrust into caretaking for a lady I had massaged for 24 years. Because I knew her history and was knowledgeable in the medical aspects of her condition, she refused to let anyone else become her caretaker. I knew about many of the ailments that were bothering her, but I didn’t have all the skills in place to help her with some of them, so I went on the journey with her.

I attended Physical Therapy sessions with her to learn how to wrap her arm (affected by history of breast cancer). Now I wrap her arm every day. I know the condition of her skin, when she has the slightest temp, remind her of meds she needs etc. She still deals with chronic conditions of pain, but because of the therapy I do with her, she is able to drive her 92 year old self to bridge every day.

The reason she can walk is because I work on her feet every morning to reduce the shortening of her tendons and the resulting pain. I cannot cure her, the condition started with polio 88 years ago. But I focus on what I can to improve her quality of life. The lymphedema wraps on a daily basis keeps her immune system running and her skin is in great condition. Untreated it would be a much different case. Together we have learned to modify, adjust, home remedy etc. and have avoided costly medical bills and discomfort.

However hard it is to measure, we will take the results we get. Have I cured her? No, but I have helped her heal enough to have a decent quality of life. There is more to cures and healing than just a pill that masks the pain, but does little or nothing to mitigate the cause of it. Through a combination of herbs, physical therapy, massage and gentle exercise there is a way to ease pain and increase one’s quality of life.

I can help..

Valentina

 I had an experience I am calling  Food Singing Intimacy and shortly you will know why. While I was out running some errands one day, the smell of pizza wafted out of  the door next to the store I was shopping in.  Hmmm, I said to myself… The smell was making me hungry, was it Lunchtime?

Grabbing a slice of Pizza is quick and I never eat it at home so in I followed my nose  to the Pizza Parlor. I placed my order and waited for my food. The place was empty except for a man sitting alone at table around a corner. I could not see his face because there was a wall between us. It noticed him, but not in any particular way, he was just there.  I was content to enjoy the wonderful smells, and anticipate the taste of my pizza.

So here we were, two strangers in an almost empty pizza parlor, waiting for our food, when the beginning of the song “That’s Amore” began to play. As I sat there I heard the beautiful voice of  Dean Martin  come out of the stereo speaker above my table.  I know  this song  well not just because I’m Italian, but also because I’ve watched the movie Moonstruck at least 400 times. When I hear a song that moves me,  I’m one of those people that will sing anywhere, regardless vocal abilities… but I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t. Then this beautiful voice pipes in and starts singing, loudly, no holding back,”whena da mooon hits you eye like a big a Pizza pie, dats amore”.  And that was it!! His singing gave me permission to sing,  granted by proxy!!  

  Freed of all fear of convention, I pipe in .This stranger, sitting alone at a table, behind a wall, sang with this big opera style voice! His voice filled the small room we were in, bringing tears to my eyes as I did my best to hold a tune. 

My body is awash in a feeling of LOVE. The love of singing, the love of cool old songs and movies, the love of two voices rising together as they sing of love. The vibration in that place was so harmonious that no other word suffices. Just as we finished our song the spouse of the man who was singing walks out of the restroom and back to their table. For her, it was totally normal to hear her hubby belting out a tune, by himself or with whomever would pipe in, you could tell that by the smile on her face as she sat down. My singing friend poked his head around the corner; we toasted our beers, said thanks to one another and proceeded to eat our lunch. 

 I was happy I stopped in there and enjoyed the experience of harmony .I was struck by how intensely contrasting my experience was so different as  to how much of the world gets along… When people are at music concerts or churches singing about love, kindness or harmony do they have that same experience? Do they feel the oneness, are they uplifted? 

As a licensed message therapist, I always want to do a good job for my clients. I want to help them with pain relief,  to feel heard when they are stressed or to help them have peace and quiet when they need quiet. When the massage is over they are usually happy and relaxed and so am I. Yet, on occasion my skill level reaches something hard to put into words. I feel so euphoric, knowing my client and I have just had an amazing experience.

Our energies have surrendered to each other, blended, floated as we recognized each other’s divinity; when that happens I become more intuitive to their needs and my hands find tight or painful areas and without a word being spoken, I massage their pain away.   It is not something I can explain, and it does not happen every time I give a massage. It’s more serendipitous.  I would love to say I know how to do reproduce this at will. Sometimes I even pray for it, ask God to please guide me. That’s not how it works, it is purely random, and it does not let me choose with whom it will occur. It might never happen with some one that I am so connected to years after working with them. It sometimes happens the very first time I work on a person. Even when it does happen, this magical experience can be with a client that I may never work on again.

I will probably never run into the couple from the pizza place again, but I’ll never forget they joy of knowing them for that short human moment in time. I hope you feel the love in your life…it’s always around like a radio station to be tuned into.

Val

intrinsicbod@yahoo.com

Just as I was completing  Massage school a class became available for infant massage. As I had several friends who were having babies,  I decided to take the class.   I felt if massage can be beneficial to adults, it must be good for babies as well. I knew how deeply touch could affect adults, and I had read several studies that stated it was even more important to the proper development of infants.

 Besides the class there was an extensive research program of books to read   things to look up , massages to perform, and one book in particular, Touching by Ashley Montague was so informative, it broadened my perspective of
the body and humanity in general.

Massaging an infant is different from massaging an adult. Although the environment you want to set up will be similar. For example, you want the room to be dimly lit, and warm, with some relaxing music. You will want to use  warmed olive oil, or a lavender scented oil for best results, but if all you have on hand is baby oil, that will work as well.

It is best to start with the feet, working your way gently up the legs towards the tummy. If you have a baby with colic, or gas, stretch the legs up towards the tummy while bending the babies knees. Again, remember to use gentle pressure, too light and it will tickle the baby, to hard and you can hurt your baby. Here is an excerpt from Parenthood.com:

“ Begin with the legs and feet using slow, gentle strokes. Babies are delicate, but too light a touch can be ticklish and aggravating, advises Karen Wright, a certified infant massage instructor. If your baby splays her fingers or toes, or avoids your gaze and looks away, she’s telling you that she’s stressed or that you’re using too much pressure, Wright says. If your baby clenches her fists in front of her chest, don’t try to pull her arms apart. This is a stance that the baby isn’t ready to be touched there. Some infants are extremely sensitive and can’t deal with a lot of touching at first. Maintain eye contact and observe your baby’s body language.”

I did some research, and there are several good videos on You Tube about infant massage. So go have a look and watch how they do it. And remember, infant massage is not only beneficial for the infant, but also the parent. It gives you a time to bond with your child, to relax together, and will help your baby sleep better at night, which always helps new parents!!!

enjoy… Val

Exercercise to promote mental and physical well being

As part of my journey, I encountered so many other forms of healing that work in conjunction with message. I will do my best to share with you what I have learned…

I have learned it is not only important to help heal people, but to assist them in gaining muscle and strength in wasy that prevent injuries from happening in the first place.