4/30/13

Oh, My Aching Back

So I had my first visit to the Chiropractor last night. It was great… until about 3 hours later. Let me back up…..
About six week after I had Emma, right before my six week check-up, I’d be sitting on the couch nursing her, when all of a sudden I’d get this shooting pain up my back and I wouldn’t be able to move for about ten minutes. This would happen about five or six times a day. On the fourth day of having it I went in for my post-partum check.
I told my OB what was going on, and she said that my back was seizing. She had told me to stop nursing and start taking muscle relaxers. Well, I didn’t stop nursing, and I didn’t take the relaxers and it stopped seizing in its own about 3 days later. That was truly hell because when it would happen I couldn’t move. So if Emma was crying (which was all the time back then) I couldn’t pick her up or do anything about it until the pain stopped.
Fast-forward to around six months, post-partum. I made an appointment for my regular OB check-up.
I had told the doctor that I was still having tension in my back from holding Emma (she’s a BIG baby).  She checked me over, head-to-toe, and said that my whole body was tense. Okay folks, I don’t know about you, but I for sure thought I could tell if my whole body was tense, and it wasn’t. She prescribed me more muscle relaxers (three months worth).
After about two months of muscle relaxers, I noticed that my back no longer hurt, but my neck started hurting. I stopped the pills, and decided that if anything was going to help me, it would be a chiropractor.
Well, low and behold, I put it off so long that I can barely move my neck now. I finally went to the doctor last night, and here is what I found out: I am literally tight from my head to my toes. Literally. The OB was right.
I got 40 minutes of the electric shock stuff, 5 minutes of a massaging tool, and 5 agonizing minutes of him putting so much pressure at the top of the neck that I almost cried. After all that, he said that he still couldn’t adjust me because my body is in such bad shape. He told me to come back ASAP for the same treatment, and maybe after 5 or 6 more visits I can get an adjustment.
I had no idea that it was that bad. I mean, I know it hurts, but I just thought it was stiff neck… a normal thing.

So, around three hours after my appointmetn last night, after I was feeling on top of the world, the main areas started to swell and ache again. Burn even. And today they hurt again. They did warn me that this would happen, but ouchie!
Oh! I also found out that while Coventry is a crappy plan for medical coverage, it has AWESOME benefits for chiropractic; $20 copay per visit, no maximum number of visits. So, needless to say I’m going again on Wednesday, and then hopefully Friday, and then maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday of next week too! Haha. Can’t stop me now!
I should mention too that I am seeing Dr. Gene Bell off of Lindbergh in Florissant, MO. He is great! I highly recommend him. J
Here’s to health!
Jenni

2 comments:

  1. OMG!! You've dealt with this pain for so long? When I had my baby, I had terrible back pain because I never sat properly, no one told me how important it was to have good posture because to avoid back and neck injuries...

    I have tried just about everything and the only thing that actually worked was Tens Unit.. When I'm really stressed I use it and when something hurts I don't think about using it twice... I prefer that then medicine. Maybe on your next appointment you can ask your Chiropractor about it and he'll let you know if it is a good option for you!

    I hope you feel better and just relax, enjoy all you can with your baby...!

    Here is a link that you can check: http://bit.ly/10YXBtn

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  2. The chiropractor was a lifesaver when I was pregnant! My hips hurt so bad and she made it so I could sleep again! Amazing. I hope you get relief soon!

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