Stand by Your Man

My hat's off to my patient and long suffering Lizzy who has stuck with me through a thin part of my life. I think I can finally write about it once again because I believe this episode of my life is coming to a close.

I am talking about my year long battle with the pain in my hip. Eleven months ago the nagging ache I was experiencing became chronic. Driving was increasingly difficult and sleep was only happening on my left side. In January I began seeking help. I was encouraged by many to see a doctor and get an x-ray. I knew where this would lead and considered it a waste of time. The pain was not in the joint so would not show up on an x-ray and the solution would only be pain management.

I started with the treatments, that relieved me of 5 years of worsening neck pain about three years ago, called NST (Neurostructural integration therapy). The muscles were locked and inflamed, I thought, and had forgotten how to relax. It worked once for me so I pursued it for several months, but to no avail.

I then went to my regular chiropractor who does what I call impact manipulation together with exercise. I got temporary relief, but my pelvis, which he said was twisted, kept popping out of alignment. I then went to his partner who used a gentle form of massage together with manipulation. In the end he was baffled that my pain was actually getting worse. I asked him if he thought I should see a NUCCA (National Upper Cervical Chiropractor's Association)practitioner. He smiled and said he would not tell me what to do but he thought I would be wasting my time.

I was getting desperate and made an appointment with an acupuncturist. It was during the BC Lions training camp and I had heard that all the professional football players went to him. I had treatments there for more than a month and the pain got worse. Toward the end of his treatments, he talked me into getting a deep massage just before his acupuncture session and it would help me. His explanation and theory sounded good. I did this combo three times at $200 a pop and found that any good the massage did was nullified by the needles minutes later.

I was desperate by now. I made an appointment with my son's NUCCA specialist, with great reluctance, because I suspected I would be put onto a never never plan, going back to him forever and never getting full relief. He could find something wrong with me that would take years to fix. I was now desperate for a quick fix and was popping pain relievers like candy, just to take the edge off and so I could drive to work and back.

Like I thought, the first session was very pricey, almost $200, and yes, the x-rays showed that my neck was way out of line. Even I could see that on the picture. He then showed me the calcification and bone spurs on the fourth and fifth vertebrae that should not be there and were causing the grinding in my neck. He told me that the size of the spurs indicated that I had been out of alignment for about 30 years! But the crooked neck was being compensated for by one of my shoulders dropping 6 degrees. This caused a slight curve in my spine as my back tried to keep my shoulders square. My hips were tilted to keep the back straight and that caused my right leg to be one inch shorter than the left. And THAT is what was causing my pelvis to twist and THAT was causing the strain on the muscles that meet on the outside of my hip joint, right between the front and back pocket of my jeans.

In late July I began the treatments to straighten my atlas, the top bone of the spinal column. It is shaped like a saucer and its function is to keep the head straight. It was tilted 6 degrees and could not be moved all at once, but in increments. It was three steps forward and two steps back until about early October. I noticed one day that I had driven for 15 minutes and felt totally normal. I was overjoyed, but cautiously optimistic. Then, over the weeks, there were slight indications that things were improving. I cut back on the meds and knew that things were changing. I began to sleep better at night and soon I was rolling out of bed without crying out in pain.

Today, I can report that I am straight as an arrow, from top to bottom, and the inflammation in the muscles is definitely healing. On Sunday, we drove to Bellingham, the first real test for me as driving was always the indicator as to where I was with my condition. I drove there and back and suffered almost no discomfort. I am no longer on pain meds and I sleep like a baby, right through the night.

I can still feel the spot and at times there is a twinge or two, but I am miles from where I was. The underlying problem was discovered, was addressed, was treated and will now be watched closely as I will continue to go to Dr. Dan to maintain my 'straightness' but only as need arises. I have spent a horrendous amount of money getting to the bottom of this, but am relieved that I did not have to resort to Cortisone, which I am sure my Doctor would have prescribed.

Our bodies experience pain for specific reasons and there is always an underlying cause. Treating the pain is tempting as it brings relief from the debilitating quagmire that pain can become. But, I am writing this mainly to encourage anyone with chronic pain to seek solutions that address the underlying problem. Our Health Care system seems not to be set up for this tactic as it can be costly, but the long term consequences end up costing even more.

Thanks to all of my friends and family who have been praying for me, for a solution and for my ability to cope with the situation. And thanks to Lis especially. I have not been fun to be with for the last year. But things are changing.

Now, if only I could do something about this 'trick' knee of mine.