Chapter 4 - the Chiropractor
September 5, 2011. Monday. The pain in my back was severe. I cleaned up and drove to work. It was torture to sit, and torture to stand. I walked, bent over, with a cane. Medicine did not reduce the pain. Nothing helped. I called home about noon and told Leigh that I should probably see a chiropractor. Maybe they could help. She agreed. The phone book listed a few in Albion and Brockport. Some would directly accept our medical insurance, some did not. (In this day? Really?) I scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor in Brockport for that day about 4:30 PM.
We arrived for the appointment at 4:25. I walked into the office bent over double from the pain using my cane. There was some paperwork to complete, a short history, and insurance information. The secretary was very friendly and understanding. The paperwork complete, I met the doctor. We chatted briefly, he did his examination, and then the treatment started.
He told me my right leg was two inches shorter than my left leg. My spine was significantly out of alignment. There might even be a small scoliosis. This doctor had given me more information in 15 minutes than most physical therapists would have ventured to guess in multiple visits. We proceeded with the treatment. Fifteen minutes later the treatment was finished. I stood up. There was no pain. None. At all.
I scheduled appointments for the next week, and the week after. Over the next 5 years my appointments with the chiropractor would vary from either weekly or bi-weekly. The treatments he provided kept me walking and working. He also suggested I try an inversion table for therapy at home. At first I told him no way as the physical therapists in the past had 'hung' me upside down and only succeeded in making me sick to my stomach for days afterwards! He laughed. I told him it wasn't funny. He laughed again and told me most of the tables have an adjustable strap to limit the amount of inversion, and that I did not need to be completely upside down for benefit. I purchased a Teeter Hang Ups inversion table that week, and used it faithfully until September 2015.
Part of the treatment was regular nerve function testing. In September 2015, the chiropractor discovered a significant foot drop in my right foot. I developed tightness and cramps in my right leg. I also told him that the inversion table was causing more pain than it was relieving. He advised me to stop using it. I went to see my family doctor, and he advised me it was time to consult with a neurosurgeon as I had asked the chiropractor to send the test results to my family physician.
The journey toward surgery had begun.
Final Installment: Surgery
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