As of today, I’ve been seeing my Chiropractor since October 6, three times a week. Each time I go, he puts muscle/nerve stimulators on my upper and lower back, then ultrasounds the tender spot on my rib, to break up scar tissue and calcium deposits that may have formed there. Then, he manually puts my rib back in place and re-aligns all my other ribs and spine. My overall feeling is that I am getting better, but, as he put it: “You’re suffering from an ailment that did not happen over night. It’s gone untreated for a very long time and has caused a lot of collateral damage. It’s going to take quite some time before you begin to feel better.”
Now, normally I wouldn’t trust this guy’s words, just because he’s a doctor and all the doctors I’ve been to seem to have had an agenda (and by agenda I mean a way to “cash-in;” I’m not stereotyping or generalizing doctors-I’m just saying the doctors I’ve seen haven’t had my best interest in mind). However, I went to grade-school and high-school with this doctor and have known him pretty much all my life; he’s been practicing long enough to remain driven and determined without becoming jaded and cynical. We also talked about the “witch-doctor” stigma Chiropractors seem to be labeled with, i.e. they’re not “real” doctors (kind of like foot doctors; I mean really, how many things can go wrong with a foot)? We had a long talk about the nature of Chiropractic and what they do, specifically, and I have a new-found respect for them.
So, I’m pretty much in a wait-and-see pattern. I’ll just have to wait and see. If I had to say whether I thought the therapy was working or not, I would say that it is, albeit slowly.
I’ve also been in contact with others who have been and are in the same boat as me, and I can’t tell you how helpful and uplifting it is to have them as a support-network. You know who you are, K, and you are invaluable to me!
Hi,
I’m a last term chiropractic student and read your post about flank pain.
From what I’ve learned, it sounds like he’s doing what he should.
We are taught (at least at Palmer/Iowa) you work with the patient on their condition for two weeks and if you don’t see any improvement you need to change your plan for care. The new plan is to be followed for two more weeks, and if significant improvement isn’t seen then, we are to refer out to another care provider/service that might help.
Hope that helps,
Eric
I’m so glad I found your postings. I’ve had this condition since February ‘06, but just diagnosed myself a week ago. I’ve been to the emergency room once, had a CT scan, 2 sonograms, 3 blood work ups and seen 4 doctors, all with no answer. Finally, I found the collegiate swimmer case study as well as other information and voila, my illness is finally diagnosed. It’s helpful to know that other people are finding relief for this condition. Is your chiropractor still helping you? Are you still seeing improvement? Have you heard of or attempted prolotherapy?
Good luck in your road to better health. I am on the same boat as you are. It takes some time but I hope you feel better sooner than later.