"I thought I'd take a chance on you," said Carol "and I'm so pleased I did. You've changed my life!"
A statement that came at the end of our most recent treatment when I was packing away that nearly knocked me off my own feet!
But this is now, not at the beginning, so let's rewind.
I first met Carol on 6th April 2022. She wanted to try Reflexology and was happy I offered treatments in her home. You see, Carol is in her mid-70's and all her working life she had shop based jobs which needed her to stand up all day. Her feet were now very sore, walking was quite painful, her sleep was suffering with the discomfort they gave her at night.
She was ultimately worried she'd have to give up driving and lose her independence. Something she was not ready for just yet.
Carol and I spoke about what Reflexology could help with from a muscular and skeletal perspective as well as from a holistic healing perspective and I showed her how the body is mapped on the feet. As a retired Reiki Practitioner herself, Carol appreciated all of this. She knew there could be benefits and was keen to try.
From the first viewing of her feet to the first touch, I could see and feel the issues straight away.
The bones in the balls of her feet were rock solid and not malleable at all. There was no 'fat' there. This is not unusual in older feet but this felt different.
The feet had high arches and the shape they had been molded into, I suspected from years of wearing heeled shoes and being stood up all day when working, meant the toes lifted off the ground and couldn't be straightened back into place.
I couldn't flex or bend the feet - think 'good toes, naughty toes' in ballet. They were pale and lacking in circulation. They definitely looked like they had worked hard!
Carol told me she knew keeping her feet in good condition as she ages is important. She sees a Podiatrist every 6 weeks which was evident as there were no issues with her toenails or any corns, dry skin or wounds.
My first thought was where do I start? I normally begin every treatment with a bit of massage, or effleurage as it's technically called, to warm the feet up and then I hold the Solar Plexus points on both feet, together, to stimulate relaxation.
So that's what I did. I wanted her feet to relax and for her body to relax. I also wanted to promote some circulation to her feet. Get that blood flowing again.
Carol's feet were very responsive to the treatment. They 'spoke' to me with every movement I made. Whether I was just resting on a reflex point or working a particular area with my thumb, her feet would respond with slight twitches. It made me more positive about achieving a result for Carol.
I spent a lot of time in that first treatment working on the balls of her feet. This is the Chest area in Reflexology. But I was also working on the bones and muscles of that area too. I was cautious not to overdo it in case it made the area more uncomfortable.
However, at the end of the first treatment I could already tell a small difference. The feet had colour to them! The blood was flowing so much better from all the effleurage I had done.
Once Carol was out of my "chair of sleep" and walking around, she declared in amazement "my feet feel better already, Kate! That's amazing."
We agreed a further 2 treatments, each two weeks apart. We then spread them out to every 4 weeks and then 5 or 6 weeks apart. I'm always led by my client as to how far apart they want their treatments. It's a very personal decision.
By the 3rd or 4th treatment we were really starting to see positive changes in Carol's feet. They were starting to become more flexible and the colour was returning to them. It had also changed how she was feeling in herself. The reduction in pain was a boost for her mental health too.
As of this week, the 2nd of November, I've seen Carol 8 times in total and we reflected in this appointment on the difference regular Reflexology has made in her life.
Carol's feet are now malleable. I can flex and stretch them with more ease. They are a pinky colour, not pale white and Carol is not in pain anymore.
She said to me, "I was so worried Kate that I'd have to give up driving but the treatments you've given mean that I don't need to do that yet. I can keep my independence because of you. I'm sleeping better because I'm not in pain at night. I can walk further because it's not so sore."
"I thought I'd take a chance on you," said Carol "and I'm so pleased I did. You've changed my life!"
Anybody else welling up?! My heart was bursting when I left Carol's house this week. There's no doubt she has been my most successful client in terms of the benefits she's experienced from Reflexology.
Who wants to try it now? I'm waiting for your call!
Commentaires