To crack or not to crack . . .

I went to a chiropractor.

For many of you, you're thinking "Whoopity-doo, lots of people go". For those that know me well, you know that I'm afraid of chiropractors. Terrified is probably a better word for it. So, for me to agree to go see a chiropractor is a HUGE deal.

As you may (or may not) know, I have a some serious tailbone issues. Six years ago, when I delivered my last baby, Banshee, I broke my tailbone in the process. It never healed properly, and then to add to it, I fell in the driveway when she was about 2 years old and likely broke it again. I never received medical treatment for any of it - let's face it, who has time for that kind of stuff with 3 kids and a heap of daycare kids hanging around. I just dealt with the pain. Compliments of my knee and hip issues (I never said I wasn't messed up - lol!), my pain tolerance is pretty significant, so I just dealt with it. Unfortunately, about 3 years ago, the pain that mostly remained at a certain level started getting worse. After almost a year of unbearable pain, I finally went in and saw the dr about it. At that point, they suggested all sorts of different things to try, which one by one, I exhausted to no avail. That basically left 2 options left to try. Chiropractor or surgery. At that point, the chiropractor was NOT an option for me. SO . . . the dr went off in search of a surgeon. Which is apparentely easier said than done. There are only a handful of surgeons in the entire province of Ontario that are willing to deal with the issue that I have. Finding those surgeons has been a difficult process (referral after referral was returned to them by other surgeons who wouldn't even consider touching me). Finally they found 2 specialists that DO focus on tailbone. For those that are in the know of the Ontario health care system know that will mean a MASSIVE wait time. Like an 18-24 month wait to get in for a CONSULT, then probably the same amount of time until the procedure itself. To make the math easier, we're basically talking about 4 more years of pain. Sometimes excruciating.

What a pain in the ass. Literally.

During my other half's Staff Christmas Party, I was speaking with one of the 'wives', who immediately noticed my pain (it's hard to miss) when I stood up. She works for a chiropractor. She raved about fantastic he was, etc. I admit, I wasn't buying it, but I may or may not have been 1/2 in the bag, so I allowed her to get me hopeful about it. During it all, we were talking about kids and the topic of Banshee's ailments arose. She said that adrenal glands were this guys specialty, and that she was sure that he could help her hout. I explained my fears, and she promised that he wasn't a traditional 'bone cracker', and somehow she convinced me to give her my number. The next morning, when I was a little 'clearer' in my thoughts, I was hopeful that she'd perhaps forgot and that would be the end of it.

No dice. She called a few days later saying that she'd talked to the dr and he was sure that he could help us. Next thing you know, we had appts for the next day.

We went to the appts, and I admit, I was terrified. But I was equally desperate. I was hoping that somehow this guy could perform magic and perhaps give me a glimmer of hope about some pain relief. I was having sweats and felt sick to my stomach. I was definitely having second thoughts. It was the holidays, so they were busy. VERY busy. Like 2 hours behind busy. I had PLENTY of time to stew about it all. By the time we got in there, I was convinced that the two of us were going to die right then and there. The chiro came in and he figured it was best to start with Banshee. How wrong is it that I was GLAD she went first?! I needed HER to prove to me that *I* could do it too. What he did was very non-invasive. A few clicks here and there with the activator and she was done. How they operate, I have no idea, but somehow, with her laying on her tummy, and him touching her back and looking at her heels, he could figure out that 'it worked'. I honestly had (and still have) no idea what "it" was nor how it "worked", but I just decided to take his word for it.

Then it was my turn. I walked my sweaty nervous self to the table and submitted to this process. If anything, I at least was going to get a 'fun' ride on his neat table (you stand on the platform and it moves you into a laying down position . . . that was a definite draw for Banshee - lol!). Without even touching anything, his first comment was "Wow! You've got a whole lot of stuff going on here". He questioned about headaches. Check - almost daily. He questioned about my mid back. Check - it aches and snaps and cracks with pretty much every move. He asked if I had problems with my hips and knees - particularly on the right side. Check, check, and CHECK!! Maybe this wasn't as hokey as I thought. Then he had me do some 'moves' and at that point he said that my tailbone failed. Miserably. He stated that my tailbone was a mess. Really?! I could have told him that for FREE!! He went right for the jugular (AKA the pain in my bum). I admit it, I screamed. It hurt. BAD. But he commented that it was back in place. Then he moved swiftly along 'shooting' me in various places. He went up the side of my spine and near my neck and shoulder and then on my butt cheek and pelvis (this hurt too!). Immediately the pain in my middle back and the tension in my shoulders was gone, as was the headache I'd walked in with. My tailbone still hurt like hell, but really, I didn't expect anything otherwise. He said that he wanted me back 3 more times and we'd see where that would put us.

And I did. Several more times. I was still desperate; looking for ANY sort of relief I might be able to find. It had become a battle of Dr vs tailbone. My tailbone kept popping back out, but then late last week it was IN, but my sacrum was out. Everything else was 'holding' fine. He had a hell of a time fixing the sacrum, but eventually did. He said that I probably would only need 2 appts this week, and that would be the end of it, save for visits every 4-6 weeks. I went in today. I knew that my tailbone was 'out' again because the pain all weekend has been intense. Almost more than usual. Sure enough, it was out. Right back to where it was when we started. And the chiropractor is all kinds of frustrated. REALLY frustrated. He 'fixed' it today, but by the time that bed had come back to a standing position, I could feel that it had returned to it's 'normal' out position. And he knew it too. And that bothered him. A LOT. He doesn't like failure, and I think that's what he's feeling. He admitted today, that he might have to accept failure on this and that I'm all kinds of messed up with my lower back, and that surgery likely IS the only option.

Fantastic.

While this is discouraging, and I'm facing a great deal of wait time, I DID face a fear. I might even be convinced to return at later dates to 'tweak' my spine and such. Yes folks . . . I'm a chiropractic reform!! Banshee, on the other hand, is done. He'd done all he could for her, and was happy with what he did accomplish. Honestly, I don't see anything different, although she IS a bit calmer (and since the adrenal glands are the "fight or flight" glands, I think it did do something). He said that he can't do anything about the chemical adrenal suppression that has been created over the years, but that hopefully there was enough stimulation to help them to start working better and to push that recovery quicker.

Imagine that . . . me, going to a chiropractor. Miracles DO happen.