“How are you today?” Fine? Okay?
I’m never quite sure how to respond. Some days are mildly better, some are mildly worse. I’m consistently better on Mondays and significantly worse on Fridays. I’m just living my life, knowing I will get better eventually.
Growing up, my parents regularly went to the chiropractor. I have early memories of being in the office while my mom got adjusted. My first trip to the chiropractor for myself was in high school. I injured my low back lifting a riser in 8th grade. I remember the sudden pain and knowledge that something was very wrong. I think I mentioned it to my parents, but it never went further than that.
Every night for 3 years I would wait for my low back to ease into the bed after I laid down. That’s just how it was, I dealt with it. For reasons unclear to me, my parents one day decided we (the kids) would all get a chiropractic adjustment. Upon inspection, the chiropractor could immediately tell something was wrong. A quick adjustment and three years of pain was relieved in an instant. After a few followup appointments, my low back pain was eased until about 8 years later when I broke my tailbone.
As an adult I used a chiropractor to help heal from a car accident. Later it became a means of survival when pregnant, nursing, or managing toddlers. Nursing and even just holding a baby, ruins (RUINS!) your neck and upper back.
The problem with chiropractors is that there is a certain amount of quackery and woo-woo. Please don’t sue me. My last chiropractor told me vaccines were not necessary and that when baby Linus refused to sleep I should just do what he does with his cat and keep Linus up late (if you are unfamiliar with babies and sleep, this flies in the face of all sleep research). I could put up with hearing the same bad jokes every visits, but telling me that chiropractic care was the cure for obesity was a bit much for me to handle. When we moved, I slowly drifted away since the chiropractor was no longer close.
Dave has always been a bit skeptical of chiropractors so I knew Dave was concerned when he suggested a schedule an appointment with a chiropractor. The body tremors and jerking was causing me significant pain in my neck and upper back, interrupting sleep and my ability to function. I agreed and took a deep breath. Seeking chiropractic care would be a commitment.
You can’t just go in to a new chiropractor and get an adjustment. First they are going to do an initial assessment and take x-rays. There won’t be adjustment so you stay in pain. Then you will come back and they will go over everything and their care plan (which will be 6 weeks long) and there is still no adjustment. Then you need to alter your life plan to go to the chiropractor 3-4 times a week for 6 weeks. They will probably make you go to a special meeting for new patients. It’s just how it is. I have had two different chiropractors as an adult and it was the same with both.
Pain can be a great motivator. I looked up a chiropractor that was conveniently located near work, next to both a Starbucks and a Menchi’s Frozen Yogurt. Online reviews were positive so I took the plunge and picked up the phone. I had an appointment for a few days later.
The intake and care plan was just as I expected. Unexpectedly, the two chiropractors in the practice are both younger and neither gave off total quack vibes. The owner of the practice, Dr. Spiny (not his real name), is tall, slender, not ugly, and gives off good listener vibes. It’s his associate (who did most of my intake) that a week later, still is on my mind. We will call him Dr. Green-Lashes. I have not uncomfortably stared at anyone’s eyes since 20 years ago, when this 8 year boy walked in the camp kitchen. Dr. Green-Lashes has unexpectedly very large green eyes that sparkle like crystal. They seriously gleam. Accompanied by thick dark lashes, they are a wonder to behold. These eyes would be show stoppers on any man, woman, or child.
These days, every time I go into a new situation I have to take a deep breath. I can’t help but feel self-conscious about my tremors, facial tics, and stutters. It gets easier after the initial hurdle. Meeting Dr. Spiny and Dr. Green-Lashes is no exception. I try to inject humor and be sociable. See? I’m still normal and not weird. I’m an awesome patient. I have no idea if I was successful.
Eventually, I get to the point in my chiropractic care where I finally get an adjustment. Ahhhhhh. Relief at long last. As I go through a round of adjustments, I marvel at the weirdness of chiropractic care. Hello person I just met and barely know. Go ahead and hold your body closely against mine. I wonder at how chiropractors get through their day, up close with body odor and bad breath. What about smokers and stale cigarette smoke on the clothes? Hats off to all the chiropractors of the world. I couldn’t do it.
Back to me. After one adjustment, my tremors are better, I’m stuttering less. After 3 adjustments in the span of a week, my coworkers are marveling at my improved speech. The only change is adding chiropractic care. All I can think is that the adjustments reduced strain on my nervous system, especially the neck adjustments.
Am I better? Yes and no. Thursday I forgot to take my midday pill because I was so busy helping kids during my lunch and recess. As I was walking down the hall in the afternoon by hand suddenly started tremoring violently. Suddenly my face is overcome by strong twitches. I’m blinking wildly, my mouth is doing the chimpanzee thing. I go to my partner teacher. I can barely speak the stuttering is so bad. “Austin, I think I forgot to take my pill.” I have to hold my eyes closed in order to even attempt to speak.
I go and retrieve my pill. After about 20 minutes, things have calmed. It’s a reminder that while I AM improving, the gabapentin masks the symptoms. Recovery is slow and will happen on its own timeline, not mine.