Back completely ruined after chiro adjustments

[DAVE DEWY]

Hi, I am new to this site,went to a chiro for the first time in my life for minor lower back pain,he adjusted me three time in a week, since that time I had liquid fire running through my spine and it felt like a cigarette was burning into the small of my back 24/7 and in my lower back region it felt like 4 infected wisdom teeth,I HAD TO HAVE A L5/S1 BILATERAL DISKETOMY,MY L4L5 DISC has a annular tear,before I went to the chiro I didnt even need tylenol for my pain,I am now on percocet.morhpine shots at the emergency ward,tylenol 3 anti inflammatories,my mom and sister checked me into the psyhciatric ward bacause the pain was so crazy,mind numbing pain,I made a huge mistake in my life,before my visit to the chiro my life was excellent now I dont know if I could live another day ,this is a absolutly true story I wish it were not true,I am a christian and suicide is not an option but how can I go on living. I would appreciate any advice,since the surgery my pain has dropped down to a level between 3 and 4 out of ten,could anyone explain my experience with this chiro doing just lumbar rolls, thanks my life is very sad,I am on disability from a great job and also on medical leave as an auxilliary firefighter I am so angry at letting myself get conned by this quack.iS THERE ANY HOPE FOR ME

[MJ110445]

Dave, I can honestly say that your post brought tears to my eyes. This year has been the worst year of my life and I have had a wonderful and very healthful life. I started experiencing lower back problems in my thirties..... and back then, not understanding anything I went to chiropractors...... and thought I was doing the right thing. This happened to be maybe 5 or 6 times and always with time I got better.

This year was different, I never had pain like I had this year. I too thought about just swallowing every pain pill on my night table. My husband did not know how to cope. He was beside himself with worry.

I had a microdisectomy on L3-L4 and thought after the surgery the pain, like magic would disappear from my left side and left leg. It did not.
I sunk into an even worse depression, so much so that my kids were ready to fly 2000 miles to visit me. I cried every day. I lost over 15 pounds. I did not want to live if I had to live with this pain. The worse part was the sciatica pain.

Dave, do not give up. I have learned that it takes a long time to heal nerves......far longer than bones, or muscles. I am now smiling again for I found this website, downloaded Dean's e-books and am doing the basic exercises every morning, every evening, and sometimes if I start getting the feeling of a muscle spasm I do them again in between. I have gone from a high level of pain to a level that I can deal with. I no longer take codeine drugs, I only take Aleve and sometimes nothing. I can sleep again, and I am now regaining the weight I lost. I am about to go on a long trip to visit my kids out west and I am enthusiastic about life.

I used to have a quote and it was one I lived by. The quote was "if you want to be happy it requires only three things..... someone to love, something to do and something to look forward to". Now, I know that that quote needs to include good health because if you are in pain your mind cannot allow you to love, work, or be optimistic.

After your doctor approves of these exercises, please download the books and read them cover to cover. Read them again. Then take a lot of deep breaths and know that many of us here will help you, like they have already helped me. I found this webite on 8/28/06 and I already feel so much better. I think that I found this website by accident but maybe not really. I needed to find this webiste. I say a prayer every day expressing my appreciation to Dean for caring about others and wanting us all to know there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Keep in touch, Dave. We'll be here if you need us.

MJ

[randolph]

Hello Dave

Thanks for coming here and asking for help. I first read your post shortly before going to bed, and like MJ, was greatly moved, but felt too sleepy to respond coherently. But I've been unable to sleep, thinking about you ... and a few things came to mind. I'm really glad MJ wrote so many good things ... hopefully you'll find at least a bit more here to add to her many helpful words.

Yes, there is hope for you. In fact, it appears from your post, that in spite of this overwhelming and painful (but temporary) difficulty, you have much to be thankful for already. Family who care enough to be trying to help you. A successful operation, which is reducing your pain and helping you heal. Enough inner strength and character to realize that your thoughts of suicide, (though unpleasant to experience) are stupid to seriously consider. Disability insurance to carry you through financially, so you can rest and recuperate without the added burden of trying to work while you heal. Your good heart that fervently desires to help other people as a firefighter. Man, do you have a lot to live for!

Now, just one thing for you to do: have you tried doing Dean's beginning back rebuilding exercises? If not, you're in for even more hope and reason to live. And if you have started them, then hang in there. As your body heals and as the pain subsides, in spite of how hopeless your feelings, your body will be sending your brain the message, that ... hey, there is hope here ... or as MJ writes, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

As for the damage that the chiro may or may not have done to you; it's really difficult to say how much damage the chiro did (unless you had MRIs done before and after the adjustments). A herniated disc (like you experienced) generally takes years of daily abuse to develop. Dean outlines some of those abuses in his books: all the sitting we do and lack of compensatory stretching and exercise gradually ruin a back over the years.

Like you, my sciatica symptoms coincidentally exploded into my life right after receiving 3 adjustments from a chiro for a relatively minor back problem. I was ready to kill the chiro ... and may have, if I could have walked into his office. But the truth is (and this may be hard to hear, it was for me), I did most of the damage to my ruptured disc by not caring for my back very well. Yes, the chiro was a crumb to take my money for doing mostly nothing. But thankfully, with the help of RYB, we are learning to prevent further back problems, and won't have to keep giving money for mostly useless chiropractic "care".

Again, please focus on doing the beginning RYB exercises, in spite of how hopeless you might be feeling now. Yes, it's dark now. But a lot of us were where you are, and have walked out into the sunshine using the RYB program.

Randolph

[DAVE DEWY]

Hello Dave

Thanks for coming here and asking for help. I first read your post shortly before going to bed, and like MJ, was greatly moved, but felt too sleepy to respond coherently. But I've been unable to sleep, thinking about you ... and a few things came to mind. I'm really glad MJ wrote so many good things ... hopefully you'll find at least a bit more here to add to her many helpful words.

Yes, there is hope for you. In fact, it appears from your post, that in spite of this overwhelming and painful (but temporary) difficulty, you have much to be thankful for already. Family who care enough to be trying to help you. A successful operation, which is reducing your pain and helping you heal. Enough inner strength and character to realize that your thoughts of suicide, (though unpleasant to experience) are stupid to seriously consider. Disability insurance to carry you through financially, so you can rest and recuperate without the added burden of trying to work while you heal. Your good heart that fervently desires to help other people as a firefighter. Man, do you have a lot to live for!

Now, just one thing for you to do: have you tried doing Dean's beginning back rebuilding exercises? If not, you're in for even more hope and reason to live. And if you have started them, then hang in there. As your body heals and as the pain subsides, in spite of how hopeless your feelings, your body will be sending your brain the message, that ... hey, there is hope here ... or as MJ writes, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

As for the damage that the chiro may or may not have done to you; it's really difficult to say how much damage the chiro did (unless you had MRIs done before and after the adjustments). A herniated disc (like you experienced) generally takes years of daily abuse to develop. Dean outlines some of those abuses in his books: all the sitting we do and lack of compensatory stretching and exercise gradually ruin a back over the years.

Like you, my sciatica symptoms coincidentally exploded into my life right after receiving 3 adjustments from a chiro for a relatively minor back problem. I was ready to kill the chiro ... and may have, if I could have walked into his office. But the truth is (and this may be hard to hear, it was for me), I did most of the damage to my ruptured disc by not caring for my back very well. Yes, the chiro was a crumb to take my money for doing mostly nothing. But thankfully, with the help of RYB, we are learning to prevent further back problems, and won't have to keep giving money for mostly useless chiropractic "care".

Again, please focus on doing the beginning RYB exercises, in spite of how hopeless you might be feeling now. Yes, it's dark now. But a lot of us were where you are, and have walked out into the sunshine using the RYB program.

Randolph