Pressing On

It is mid-June and I am still continuing treatment at the chiropractor.  I will say that I feel great.  I do not have chronic neck, shoulder or back pain and I have been sleeping better also. I have not had a migraine in several months and I can't remember the last time I took any medication, over the counter or otherwise. My neurologist was extremely supportive at my last visit and supported my decision to get off migraine medication. I was skeptical of going to the chiropractor, but my testimony now is this: Chiropractic care works. Get off the drugs. Go to a chiropractor!

Still going

Not really much to report these days. I am continuing my visits. I am going twice a week now and will begin once a week next week.  My upper mid back and neck are doing well, but I believe I am sort of "addicted" to the adjustments. I just don't feel right if I don't get them. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. I am on the posture pump for approximately 10 minutes each visit at the end. This is where I lie on the hydro-table and a posture pump is placed under the neck. I squeeze the pump five times for 20 reps then on the last one squeeze four times and it stays in place until the hydro-table shuts down. This is awkward but is meant to put natural curvature back in the neck. I am also supposed to be taking a rolled up towel and putting it under my neck for 15 minutes every day. Dr. Chiro gave me some exercises to do on the exercise ball which will strengthen upper mid back and lower back. Same stuff I do at the gym.  Overall, still a good experience. I do feel better when I go and can tell when I haven't been.  I can't really say it has been life-changing.  He did ask me about my pillow and recommended a water pillow. I will think about this since I sleep on a feather pillow. I know....not good.

Visits 15 and 16

I seriously feel great! I haven't had any problems sleeping or with my neck hurting when I wake up. My lower back is well and I can only attribute this success to the chiropractor.  I came in with a spring cold which I have treated with Benedryl at night and 3000mg of vitamin C. Dr. Chiro informed me today that I could take up to 5000mg, but to scale back if my urine turned orange.  He is definitely not into over the counter drugs if we can treat problems without medication.  Good to know.  On visit 16, he put me on the neck pump which is supposed to introduce some curvature to the neck. This was evident on my x-ray on my first visit...no curve.  I was a little sore after the procedure, but nothing significant. I lay down on the hydrotable and this little pump is placed under the neck. I actually control the pump while the hydrotable is going.  I did the neck pump after my regular adjustment. He stated that most people have been on the neck pump before now, but since I was having problems with T1-T3, he held off on that part of the treatment.  Overall, my experience is going well. I am at two visits per week instead of three.  Dr. Chiro is still very interested in my feedback and allows me to be a significant part of my own treatment.

Visit 14

Today was great! I can actually say that I did not have any pain. I put a pain level of 1 on my sheet for today only because I don't think anyone over 40 can truly be pain free at any given time. Anyway, Dr. Chiro adjusted my back and neck which went fine. I was sore in the afternoon from the neck adjustment, but it was insignificant compared to the other times.  He would like to get me on the machine which puts some curve in the spine of the neck. That does not sound pleasant.  In the meantime, he asked me to roll up a towel and lie down with it under my neck for about 15 minutes before I go to bed and start working on this.  I will let you know how that goes.

I must go off on a tangent for a moment. I suffer from migraines. I have significant migraines. I do not have visual auras or anything like that, but I do have debilitating pain that keeps me unable to function. I just want to curl into a ball and float away into oblivion. Anyway, about a year ago, I did some research and decided that I would get off the medication gradually and seek alternatives. I am happy to say that I have had very few migraines since and the ones I have had, have not been debilitating.  I researched certain foods, the benefit of exercise and meditation and simply breathing.  No, it isn't hokey. It works. It just isn't as easy as popping a pill.  I have seen recent posts from a social media website where people are complaining about migraines and when I tell them about alternatives, they just don't want to embrace the fact that there is something out there besides drugs. Well, there is.  I had one lady tell me that I have never had a real migraine. Really? Are we in kindergarten? "My migraine is worse than your migraine."  I would like to say that putting chemicals into your body simply masks the underlying condition of the migraine.  It is a fix. Plain and simple.  I understand there are times when drugs are warranted, but I am completely convinced that migraines can be controlled without medication. I have heard many success stories from acupuncture, chiropractors, and biofeedback.  This is in conjunction with limiting processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, dairy products and hormone fed meat.  Yes, it takes work, but isn't it worth a drug free life?  I say don't discount the alternative until you have actually tried the alternative and don't assume it won't work because you believe your migraines are too severe.  Consider an underlying problem (i.e., a trigger). Find a neurologist who specializes in headache treatment and who is open to alternative therapies.  Seeking an alternative to medication for one thing will spill over into other areas of your overall health.  Drugs don't cure the migraines. Drugs make doctors and pharmaceutical companies richer because they have you convinced that this is what you need. A quick fix.  Don't fall for it.

Visit 13

Well, I am a third of the way to the finish on this initial chiropractor treatment.  I say "initial" because everyone I know who goes to a chiropractor stays with him for a lifetime of adjustments.  This helps me to remain positive about the final outcome.  I must say that I do feel better.  I really don't know how to put a measurement on that, but I guess that is the point.  Today he adjusted my back and tried a slight neck adjustment. He told me to see how that feels by the time I come back.  I can tell you that the adjustment is not painful, but I am still feeling extremely sore afterwards in the evening and next day (I am writing this the day after treatment).  I am starting to be convinced that the neck adjustment is relevant to the whole spinal adjustment process but my neck is resisting.  I have also noticed that the only headaches I have had since treatment were due to stress and the meditation breathing and Tai Chi have been a big help in eliminating the headache (NO DRUGS. YAY!)  There is so much to total body health without putting chemicals into my body and this is definitely the way to go.  I still have tinnitus which I was hoping would be reduced, but I have lived with that most of my life so I am not worried about that for now.  And so I press on...

Visit 12

I apologize if this blog is becoming mundane.  Well, I actually don't even know if anyone is reading it so I guess I am pretty much talking to myself. Today was visit 12 which means an evaluation of progress.  Dr. Chiro took readings of my spine like he did on the first visit and I also had to fill out several questionnaires about my view of the progress and treatment.  The good news is that most of my numbers from the temperature readings on the spine were better. The ones that were better actually made sense because those are the places that I am sincerely feeling improvement. The readings that were slightly worse or stayed the same are the troubled areas which include T1-T3.  I will say that I do feel better. My back is better and I have noticed that I am not waking up at night due to neck and shoulder pain like I was prior to treatment. Dr. Chiro was very thorough and asked if I had any questions about treatment or anything that I would like to discuss regarding treatment. I did not have anything to add because as I have said, he is very thorough.

I was hooked up to the TENS again and had an adjustment before I left. He held off again on the neck adjustment for now and he is trying to focus on that T1-T3 pain.

Just to add a small note...while I was getting ready to leave the office, a lady about 60 years old came in clutching her neck for dear life. She was sobbing in pain and her son signed her in and filled out the sheet for her which describes the pain. She kept telling him to put 10 +++ on her pain level. I was actually impressed that a lady in that much pain decided to seek the help of her chiropractor and not rush to the ER searching for drugs. I thought that was a testament to Dr. Chiro.  There was also a sweet lady in a wheelchair in the waiting room as I was leaving.  Chiropractors treat every age and every stage so it appears.

Visit 11

Well, I don't know if the doctor has found my blog, but he did not adjust the neck today. I am not a doctor, but I am glad because I woke up today and the neck was sore down to my upper back T-1 area.  My pain has also shifted some to the left side of the upper/mid back, but also pain just to the right of the spine on the upper/mid back.  He did some sort of adjustment today that targeted that area and it was spot on! The TENS before the adjustment was nice across my upper back and shoulders and I went as high as I could tolerate. I wish I had control of the machine during the time I am on it like when you go to the physical therapist and I could turn it up as I am lying there. I can always tolerate more the longer I lie there.  My lower back seems to be improving so we will press on with this journey. I am just hoping that being sore all the time in the neck/back is normal.  I guess with all the adjustments or the spine, I can see where the soreness comes in...maybe it is like sore muscles after working out. If so, it must be working.