Friday, May 30, 2008

Better?

Well, maybe. Somewhat. A little.

To be really candid: not much.

The MD was fairly pleased by my blood test results and other numbers. He did some tests and said he saw no particular medical cause for either the back pain or my sense that the ol' brain isn't working well enough.

I suppose I should feel reassured. Of course the feeling that only a full descent into gibbering idiothood would convince him that I was truly suffering some leftover results from my recent E.R. visit was not encouraging.

It's not so much that I want to convince him, you know. I simply want to find something I can do to make things better.

Since I have only been alive for three months -- as of yesterday -- this time around, I guess it's mainly a matter of waiting to see what happens in the way of improvement, stabilization or deterioration. I hate to wait.

He gave me some mild pain meds for the back and sent me on my way.

The chiropractor took a more active role, of course. His running commentary as he checked me out basically made me feel hideously deformed -- some ex-girlfriends might agree, but let's not discuss that -- and tight, twisted and generally all stove-in.

After that, he twisted, cracked and tugged.

End result: maybe a 30% reduction in the pain. Worthwhile, but far short of miracle status. I'll try as long a walk as I can manage later on.

Once the pain pill kicks in, that is.

PARENTHETICAL NOSTALGIC NO-PAIN-NO-GAIN THOUGHT: I wish circumstances were such as to let me "cure" my back ailment the way I did when it flared up some 20 years ago. At the time I was afflicted, I found myself at a race track in Wisconsin on a 100-plus-degree, intensely humid summer day. After a half-hour's high-speed driving -- in a car without air conditioning -- I emerged sweat-drenched but in no pain at all. I made some money, had some fun and healed my back all at once. It doesn't get much better than that....

Don't have to see the MD again for another month. I'll be back at the chiropractor's office on Tuesday.

Grrrr.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Scribbs,

If you are "tight, twisted and generally all stove-in," try a massage. There are eager students in most cities who need the practice and are pretty cheap.

Good Luck.

Jacki

Doug said...

I've had back and leg pain, and painkillers didn't work much unless I took them an hour or two before the pain started.

John0 Juanderlust said...

30% is significant.
My chiro experience ha been that I leave sill in some pain, or sore and it gets better within a day or so. Maybe some residual for awhile, but not the bad stuff.
I hope your experience proves similar.

Dorrie said...

hope you're feeling better today

Anonymous said...

I've never been to a chiroproctolo...bone cruncher, but I've heard good things about them, oddly enough. If one visit made you feel 30% better, try going back to him 2.333 more times and see if that doesn't make you feel 100% better. Actually the massage sounds like more fun. Hope you feel better soon, friend.

S

Charlestonjoan said...

30 % better is definately on the way to improvement. Hope you stay on that path.

Anonymous said...

I hope you're feeling better Scribs. And old back injury came back to haunt me last year and I felt practically crippled. Nothing worse than back pain.

-Puma

Kimmywoo said...

LOL with the chiro comment! I get that too with comments such as:

"Your left leg is lower than your right by two inches" etc

But it helps so much. I have scoliosis and a sway back, and I walk out of the chiros much straighter than when I go in!