Diane was standing at her kitchen sink in Bedford when her hip locked up so sharply she had to grab the counter to stay upright. She wasn't surprised, not really. Her oncologist had explained months earlier that her breast cancer had spread to her lower spine and hip, and the pain had been building ever since. But standing there, unable to move for a full minute, made the diagnosis feel newly real.
She was fifty-eight, a retired schoolteacher, and until recently, an avid walker.
Living With the Weight of It
The pain didn't come and go like a strained muscle. It was constant, some days duller, some days sharp enough to stop her mid-step. Lying down didn't reliably help. Neither did sitting for long. She stopped her morning walks along the reservoir near her home in Bedford, the ones she used to take with a neighbor most days of the week.
Sleep became difficult, which made everything else harder to cope with. The pain was a constant reminder of her diagnosis, impossible to set aside even for an hour. Her daughter, who lived nearby in Burlington, started coming by more often to help with things Diane used to do without a second thought, groceries, stairs, getting in and out of the car.
Her oncologist in Boston was managing her treatment closely and had her on a pain management plan, but Diane still had hard days where the pain limited nearly everything she wanted to do.
Finding AWC
Diane's daughter found Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic after searching for pain support options in Burlington. Diane was uncertain. She was already managing a full schedule of oncology appointments and wasn't sure she had the energy for anything else, or whether it would even help pain caused by something as serious as bone involvement.
At her first appointment, Dr. Min Jeon took time to understand exactly where Diane's pain was worst, what made it better or worse, and how it was affecting her sleep and daily movement. She was clear and direct: acupuncture wouldn't treat the cancer itself, but it could help support Diane's comfort, mobility, and rest alongside her oncology care. She mentioned ATP Resonance BioTherapy®, a gentle electrical frequency technique, as something they'd use to help ease the pain intensity.
Small Returns
After a few weeks of regular visits, Diane noticed she was sleeping in longer stretches, waking less often from pain during the night. She started walking short distances again, first just to her mailbox, then eventually a slow lap around her block in Bedford with her neighbor beside her.
The pain hadn't disappeared. Diane was clear-eyed about that. But it no longer dictated every hour of her day the way it once had. At her next oncology visit, her doctor noted her improved comfort levels and asked what had changed in her routine. Diane told her about the acupuncture. Her oncologist welcomed it as a helpful addition alongside her ongoing treatment.
Diane still keeps every appointment with her oncology team in Boston. AWC works alongside that care, not in place of it. For patients across Greater Boston facing cancer with bone involvement, from Burlington to Bedford to Woburn, comfort and quality of life matter at every stage of the journey.
Call Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic at 781-221-0162
Acupuncture & Wellness Clinic | Burlington, MA | Serving Greater Boston including Winchester, Billerica, Bedford, Burlington, Lexington, Reading and Woburn | Specializing in cancer-related pain support, chronic pain, and complex cases for over 25 years.