I feel you in my bones

Yes, I did just publish a blog post earlier today, and look at this...TWO posts!

            For the past two years, I have been experiencing an annoying and painful sensation in my upper back. The pain occurs every day. Every. Day. Typically it shows up by 7pm, but sometimes as early as 3pm. There is no position, other than lying on my back, that makes it feel any better. My primary care practitioner took me seriously (finally, after suggesting the pain is just a part of growing older) and placed a referral request for chiropractic care.

            Well, yesterday was my first visit. I was a little scared, as I had never been to a chiropractor and I didn’t know what to expect. For example, would I have to get naked? Do I need to shave? You know, the normal type of questions (LOL). I was also a little scared due to my history of back injuries (herniated two discs in my lower back in my previous life). Well, I worried, again, for nothing. My chiropractor is very nice and a prior military member himself.

            One thing that was a bit uncomfortable, but not necessarily attributed to the chiropractor himself was that I can be a little funny (not ha-ha) when it comes to my personal space and being touched, even by people in my family. In order for the chiropractor to adjust my spine and neck, he needed to “manhandle” me. I’m not sure if you know this, but manhandling requires being touched and for the chiropractor to basically use his body and leverage to twist my body into all different positions. This issue caused me to be a little more tense than normal, which prevented me from getting all of my vertebrae adjusted.

            There were a few pops in my neck to one side, then the other. Next up was my back and hips. Nothing really hurt during the procedure, which was nice. Next up was a wonderful massage, followed by the use of electric stim with heavy ice packs wrapped in a blanket, which was placed on top of the electrodes that were attached to various locations on my back. I also got additional x-rays done on my neck, as the ones I had done a few weeks ago, which revealed the presence of scoliosis in my upper back (thoracic region). I go back tomorrow, as well as Friday. Three times a week for as many weeks as the VA will authorize. Good thing I work from home and have a relatively flexible schedule!

            Stay tuned for future updates. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram as well. Remember, your health is important. Both emotionally and physically. Take time for yourself. Nurture your body and mind daily.