Gallbladder :: Acupuncture Cured The Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction

I was struggling with Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction but feeling it was not worth the risk of pancreatitis to go ahead with the endoscopic sphincterotomy and would like to share my success using self-administered acupuncture.

My SOD had two pain styles. My daily pain is very successfully managed (99% pain free days) using 30 mg amitriptyline each night and 10mg Buscopan 3xdaily. Before drugs my daily pain was so bad that I was hardly eating - not a long term strategy.

I also get (used to get) episodic severe night time pain attacks. The upper gastric / chest area pain is extreme (as you'll know if you have SOD) and I used to take 20mg oxycodone. Each morning after an attack I woke with migraine, vomiting and general weakness, needed a day in bed. These night time attacks became worse and more frequent until I started acupuncture.

A GP friend taught me to do acupuncture to myself, the most useful points are GB34 and LR3. I do electroacupuncture weekly as a preventative measure, since March 2012. My night time attacks are now infrequent, very mild indeed, and I can stop them by using manual needling in GB34 only. I don't even have to get out of bed, go straight back to sleep and can get up and go to work as usual in the morning.

This has transformed my experience of this horrible condition.

Happy to discuss further with fellow sufferers or medics. Planning to present a paper at an acupuncture conference soon