"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

[Tyrone Biggums]

a client just contacted me because she has been "achy and sore all over for about 10 days" and is hoping a massage tomorrow will help. she's got an appt next week with the doctor to see if it's not something worse than sore muscles. she's in excellent, athletic condition and this sounds very odd---at the very least a virus. she's wanting the comfort of a massage but i'm hesitant to work on her without doctor's permission. any suggestions?

 

[Nekomimi 13]

Protocol

Subject to protocol, comfort massages are wonderful, might want to wear a mask.

 

[Semra]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

By "subject to protocol," you mean, when in doubt, go with gentle? Sorry, I'm sure I should know this. P.S. I love your Annie Dillard quote. Holy the Firm, yayyy!

 

[QQq!]

Best wait

If suspected cold or flu, waiting 'till the symptoms abate is recommended.

 

[Wiseman]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

Thank you Holley, I -should- use my masks more. I wonder if there is any situation in which even gentle work would be ill-advised for the client's sake. But reading my original post I realized how vague it was. I think i was being a bit panicky over this usually very healthy client. She ended up breaking into a high fever last night and went to the ER today, but I'm not sure what her full symptoms are. I'll post when they figure out what it is. Her doctor's appointment would have been on Tuesday.

Thank you again; it's always so helpful to just being able to talk something out---gets my head on straight .

 

[Pompal 09.]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

Hi there,
You mentioned that your client is in excellent shape. I would ask if they haven't been working out too much. I've had clients where this has occurred. Also, you might want to try a natural product called Monolaurin. It comes from coconut oil and acts as a natural anti-biotic. I've used it with great success. Ecological Labs is a good source and you can find them on line. Try the 600mg dosage. Many times I've had clients and co-workers carrying infections and had the pleasure of NOT catching it myself.

 

[Annettest]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

Oh, those are good suggestions, thank you!
It turns out she was in the hospital four nights with a severe kidney infection (she entered the hospital the day she was supposed to get her massage). Poor thing. It sounded serious and unusual---unusual enough that if it had been me I would have probably gone to the ER, or at least to one of our good medical clinics. In retrospect I would have suggested that.

 

[Laetizia]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

Personally, if I feel like I have to wear a mask for a client, I won't see them.

If the client has felt bad for ten days, and I am to assume that the worst case scenario would be that I may get what they have... here's how that would play out:

• I end up feeling bad for ten days = I can calculate at least twelve days before I can get back in the office. That is roughly two weeks worth of work.
  
  Since many clients take a week or two to get back in sync with their schedules when I take vacation, I can expect the next two weeks (post-returning to the office) to be a much lighter than normal schedule.
  
  If I am to pay my months bills, that becomes a huge burden for me. And, then I have to try to pick up extra work in other places, possibly hold a bill or two - or cross my fingers and hope for the best.
  
  It's not worth it for me.

Since she has an appointment with the MD for the next week, I would suggest she see the MD before seeing me and refer her to an acupuncturist who is comfortable with these conditions in place of the visit she is hoping for at my office.

But, that's me...



Edit: {Oops... just saw your post above mine. That's what I get for not reading the entire thread. So sorry for your client.}

 

[Brad S.]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

hi pueppi,

it's an interesting point to make about masks. one client told me it's fine to come in with a cold, as the MT can just wear a mask! i think we do have to gauge ourselves and what works for us. i personally for some reason find masks extremely uncomfortable, which makes me feel less focused (this seems crazy to me, of course, since uh, heart surgeons somehow manage), but in my experience it's rare that people want to get a massage with a cold or flu so this has rarely been an issue.

in retrospect, not knowing what it was, it makes sense, in my mind, to avoid working on her---who knew what she was bringing into the massage room? what i had to tamp down was that overwhelming desire to be of some assistance---she sounded desperate. sadly, i now know why: the client had been misdiagnosed twice before she ended up in the ER. her intuition must have been telling her something was really wrong, but since no one was getting it right, she was probably thinking, when all else fails, try a massage!

!best wishes to you and your clients!

 

[Mitsuna]

"achy and sore all over for 10 days"

...her intuition must have been telling her something was really wrong, but since no one was getting it right, she was probably thinking, when all else fails, try a massage!

!best wishes to you and your clients!

Definitely the type of clients we all like to have. Those that trust us. Sounds like you're doing something right!

Back at ya.