Chiropractor rec
MnMShaw
member
Can you rec your chiropractor that takes BCBS insurance, preferably north in Pflugerville/Round Rock, Cedar Park? Bonus if you could tell me how much you pay at the visits. Even bigger bonus if yours works with patients that have scoliosis.
DH has had surgery for scoliosis when he was 15 and now something is degenerating in his back and his back pain is really bad lately. To make matters worse muscle relaxers make him loopy so he can't take them at work and he is allergic to hydrocodone which pretty much means he can't take any pain meds. He had shots in his back this year and they kind of worked but it doesn't seem worth it for various reasons. He has basically been told he just needs another surgery and back surgery is way too intensive and I'm not buying it. I want him to try a chiropractor even if it doesn't do anything, at least we tried.
Thoughts? Advice? Recs? TIA!
TTC #1 since February 2011
BFP #1 1/14/12 EDD 9/24/12 m/c at 8w4d on 2/20/12
March 2012- Dx with PCOS, started metformin
July 2012- SA completely normal
Re: Chiropractor rec
OMG, really? That sounds like my story exactly. Does he have a fusion with rods? I also have degenerative disk disease... they said it was mechanical breakdown of the vertabrae around the fusion.
Before I got pregnant I took UltramER. By the end I was up to a very high dose (300mg) but it was the only pain med that provided relief. I also had the epidural steroid injections but they didn't do much for the pain at all.
I would try a chiro and maybe even yoga. You want to try to create space in the spine, which is hard if he has a fusion, but it can be done with the ones that aren't fused.
DH has had really good pain relief with Rock Chiro. Lyndsay has someone they LOVE and I really want to take the girls, especially Emily.
Back surgery frequently leads to more problems than it fixes so I too would avoid it like the plague. I've NEVER heard anyone say "I had back surgery a few years ago and I'm all better now". Hydrocodone is not the only pain medication available!! There's tons of other ones. If Chiro doesn't help, he needs to get in with pain managment who can help get him on a treatment plan of regular NSAID doses (Ibuprofen or Alieve etc),Tylenol and possibly add a different narcotic. They can start at a low level and then build up so he's not so "out of it". Combination drug therapy can be very helpful in getting the pain down to a manageable level.
What kind of allergic reaction did he have to the Hydrocodone?
Muscle relaxers don't help with deep chronic severe bone pain. Yes, the bone pain can make some of the muscles tense and sore, but relaxing them usually doesn't do jackshit for relieving the core part of the severe pain/problem.
How is the mattress situation at home? We had a nice soft comfy bed that I loved. We stayed at a Westin that had a fairly firm foamy kind mattress and although it felt stiff to me at first (and kind of uninviting), both DH and I slept better than we had in years. He woke up with a lot less back pain. None of the Sleep Number or Memory Foam beds were in our budget so we got a Sultan? from Ikea and for 1/3 of the price of other options we looked at, I couldn't be happier. I do still miss my squishy bed but my body doesn't.
"There is a fine line between a princess and a witch...thinking you're one does NOT give you the right to act like the other." my grandmother
I used to see Dr. Carter when he was at the Anderson location. Now that he's moved up to Cedar Park, I haven't been able to make it in. He did wonders for my neck pain.
https://www.atxrehab.com/
Thanks for the recs ladies and sorry I posted and ran!
LLCG- Dh doesn't actually have the rod. He actually has a series of hooks and screws instead of the rod. His doctor was one of only like 2 doctors that could do the surgery at the time he did it. It apparently gives him more range of motion than the rod does but was recommended because DH was only 14 when he had surgery.
Taytee- I don't want DH to have surgery. What I didn't add is that DH has marfan syndrome, so it is not only just back problems, the other major issue is heart problems. I know hydrocodone is not the only pain med but the whole category of pain meds hydrocodone is in- DH is allergic too. He breaks out in huge hives, runs a high fever, and feels like a Mack truck hit him when he has an allergic reaction. In addition, he is on medication for his heart (because of the marfans) and the other pain meds available interfere with his heart meds. He was able to take Darvocet and it worked miracles but the FDA removed it because it caused heart palpitations and given that DH has problems with his heart... obviously that doesn't help us.
He has been to the Se ton Spi ne and Scoliosis Center in Austin and saw Dr. Ge ck who basically said all he could do for him was surgery. He referred him to Dr. Pe na who did cortizone sight injection shots which kind of helped but it wasn't a significant enough relief.
The muscle relaxers help because DH gets so tense because of the pain that his lower back becomes rock hard with tension. I can put all my weight in to it to try and massage it and it does nothing for him so the muscle relaxers help with that so in turn helps some of the pain but not much.
We actually have a brand new mattress that DH picked out with a 4in memory foam topper. That was suggested to him about 6 years ago and made a world of difference at the time.
It seems like the doctors he has seen are all awesome doctors but they all basically shrug and say they can't help him and refer him to surgery, which I would like to avoid. DH doesn't think a chiropractor will help him but I really, really want him to try. I will do just about anything to avoid surgery for him. Thanks ladies!
TTC #1 since February 2011
BFP #1 1/14/12 EDD 9/24/12 m/c at 8w4d on 2/20/12
March 2012- Dx with PCOS, started metformin
July 2012- SA completely normal