soreIt had gotten to the point that, after this post on the 9th of May, I felt that I needed to do something since the back and hip/leg problems were getting worse, and to be honest, I was reacting very poorly (or should that be badly?) to the PMS-hydromorphone (a very powerful narcotic) that was prescribed by the doctor in the hospital the week before. My mother suggested that I go see her chiropractor, as she had spoken to the lady, who was willing to help me out, at least doing an assessment and then letting me know if she could do something for me. So mom and I hopped in a taxi on the Wednesday afternoon, me still pretty much unable to walk because of the pain, and headed down to the chiropractor's offices.
The offices are pretty tastefully decorated, very nice and somewhat soothing, something that I appreciated right off the bat. After waiting for about 10 minutes (sitting in their relatively firm chairs was a goddess-send), the chiropractor took me into the room, had me lie down as best I could, and started her assessment. She told me that my area around the hip and near my spine was so swollen and enflamed that I was lucky to be standing. After prodding and poking around, she told me that her assessment is that I've slipped a disc and that's what is causing the problem with my sciatic nerve. She said that she could help me, but warned that the process would be slow; chiropracty doesn't work miracles overnight, and that she could potentially get me back on my feet relatively pain-free.
After assessing me, she told me that would start with some medical acupuncture. She put the needles in me in the spinal and hip area, and attached electrodes to stimulate or do whatever they do to the muscles, and applied a heat pack on my upper back and cold compresses to the area with the electrodes (I guess; I was still pretty out of it from the hydromorphone) that were being stimulated/whatever. I think I lay like that for a good half hour or more. I have to say that it felt as if I was being jolted on the muscles to the point where they spasmed almost without end. After the medical acupuncture, it was a walk up and down the office corridor for almost ten minutes, and this was followed by some back adjustment on what, at the time, felt to me like a torture rack. <weak g> Then it was back to the medical acupuncture for another ten minutes and rinse and repeat.
Suffice it to say, by the end of the first treatment I was able to get up and actually walk, still in pain, but it wasn't as severe as it had been when I entered the office. The chiropractor told me to take a muscle relaxant/analgesic like Robaxacet, preferably with a pain killer, to get a little bit of relief from the muscle pain and general backaches that accompany sciatica, and to try and go about doing my regular stuff as best I can. Just can't sit back and lie down and wait for it to go away. At the time, there was this feeling that I was wasting away, that the sciatica would not go away, and that...well, let's just say that I was convinced at the time that things weren't going to get better any time soon.
I've seen the chiropractor now for just over a week, and the change is miraculous. I'm still in a modicum of pain, but it seems that the Robaxacet (soon to be replaced by Tylenol Back Pain) is keeping the situation under control, and hopefully the inflammation/swelling of the hip will continue to go down. Between the long Victoria Day weekend, the clinic hours, and CanGames, I won't see the chiropractor until Wednesday of next week again. Hopefully, things will...stay the course.