Kaiser of course is recommending surgery on the herniated disc, as a matter of fact, neurosurgery called me to set up an appointment before I had even processed this news. When I spoke with the doctor initially to get the results from the MRI I made it quite clear that I was adamantly against surgeries and asked her how she felt about alternative therapies for this sort of thing. She said that she would have suggested Yoga, but since I have been practicing that very loyally for the past two years, that is obviously not helping. The problem she says is that the herniated disc is higher than usual, it is the disc between T12 and L1, which means it is at the bottom of my rib cage, not at the lower back, where discs normally slip. This makes it more important to the support and functionality of my organs.
I have not had great luck with surgeries in the past, as a matter of fact I could probably write a book on the subject. Not that I've ever had drastic problems with anesthesia or anything, just looking back on things I think I would do things very differently now. But, I'm scared to death of Chiropractors too. We have a friend that passed away one hour after seeing his chiropractor suddenly at the age of 50, he had just had a medical work up for new insurance and was one of the healthiest people we knew. Now, I know it is crazy, but I have always had an odd feeling about his death (could be shock) and you know I don't take my odd feelings lightly. Really, I do not mean to offend the chiropractic loving people out there, I'm just sharing my own personal fear.
So, I really have a quandary on my hands. I'm a skeptic of the medical field anyway, scared of alternative healers (not necessarily the methods) and wonder if they are what they say they are, but don't want to go through a couple more years of pain. In situations like these, who do you turn to for advice? Your friends and family of course. I'd really like to hear what you all have to say on this subject, do you have horror stories, or recommendations? I'd really love to hear any stories of miracles, of course!
4 comments:
Hi Judy,
There's a kinesologist in Evergreen I recommend, really helped with my disc stuff this past summer and fall.
love
Megan
My sister's mother-in-law Louise lived for years with tremendous leg and hip pains. Finally it got to the point that no pain meds would help, not even herbal supplements would help. She was spending more and more time not walking and that's not good as you age. More inmobility can lead to blood clots, pneumonia etc., so the Doctor tried some alternative treatments on her since she was against surgery too. He tried having her hand upside down five minutes for three times a day in a thing she bought that costed almost $700 and the insurance wouldn't pay for it. She would feel a little better for about an hour after using it, but still wasn't totally pain free. Yet, about six months after that, it stopped helping too. So the Doctor said he really felt it was time for surgery. They'd already tried cortisone shots, and alternative herbs and alternative treatments.
Well, she had the surgery and she was sore for about eight weeks, but she said it was nothing like the tremendous pain she had before.
She said now she's basically pain free in her hips and legs, except when the weather is very humid cold, and then it is still nothing like she experienced before. She's up walking and exercising and just to let you know she's no spring chicken. So, she did very well as far as back surgeries go.
Do you know if a nerve stays pinched for too long a period of time, that sometimes damage can happen to it where it never recovers, better to have it taken care of before it gets to that point is my view of it all.
I also think recovery is a mind-set too. If you go in with negative feelings I think your body releases chemicals that actually delay or impair your body's ability to heal correctly. So unless you can wrap your brain and emotions around the surgery as being a positive and fortunate thing, then I don't know if the body will feel much different after it or not. Just my feeling, not scientific or anything.
Sandy Barnett in Evergreen. Period. I saw her brother when I was in high school, and he totally straightened out my scoliosis problem. Loved him. Then I went to college and tried about 6 other chiropractors since then, and could never figure out what the hell was wrong with them. They kept hurting me! Then Glenn moved to Salida, and Sandy took most of his clients. If she is booked up (possible, since she's got all of her own, plus Glenn's clients...), search for chiropractors using the "non-force" technique. It's absolutely bizarre how it feels like they did NOTHING to you except wiggle their fingers over your joints, and it totally works. I am telling you - it saved me from 5 years in a brace.
As I said behind on your blogs only thing I can say is I just went to get my hip checked out yesterday I have a labrel tear and cyst on my hip joint about the size of golf ball so I had injection in the hip done yesterday and will be setting up some hip surgery myself orthoscopic surgery should fix me so not as major a you. Only thing with back surgery I have always heard from some it does good some it does not. So lot of help there right 50% is still beter than 0% I guess. I know with your active life style you will have to do something to stay active. I guess I would take a chance on the surgery is my opinion. Wish you well.
Cousin Joe
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