So, I've started going to the chiropractor for infertility related care.
I don't really know how I feel about this. I am not entirely convinced that it will help me, however in recent months I had three friends recommend this chiropractor to me, one of whom had a recent almost miraculous fertility success story. I try to be sensitive to "spiritual promptings"and after the third friend told me about this guy, I decided to at least try it. You know, just in case those three recommendations are indeed a spiritual prompting.
In the course of my two visits, I had two scans and an x-ray and two adjustments. All three imaging techniques revealed misalignment in my neck and a rather severe "twisting" of my pelvis. "Top five most severe" my chiropractor had ever seen. This was not entirely surprising to me; I had a bone infection in my back and hips as a child and have walked with a slight limp on and off most of life, though since I stopped taking PE class 10+ years ago more "off" than "on." I'm convinced this is why I'm "crooked," but by chiropractor seems very uninterested in determining the cause. According to him it is much more important to restore my health and determine the cause of my misalignment.
Here are pictures of the two scans I had done:
Either one or both of these together are called a myovision scan. As I understand it, the image on the left has to do with heat and the image on the right has to do with electrical energy from my back muscles. If my muscles are working too hard or not hard enough, these tests reveal it. On the right, the blue lines should be mostly straight. See how they make a sharp left turn at my hips? Not good. For the image on the right, the green bars are good and the rest... not so much.
In summary, these two images reveal my formal diagnosis:
I am crooked.
Specifically, my pelvis is crooked. My pelvic crookedness was confirmed by x-ray measurements that show my right hip is 12mm higher than my left. I'm crooked!
I've had two subsequent adjustments. The chiropractor uses an instrument about the size of a permanent marker that I can only compare to a very small jack hammer; he puts the instrument up against various places on my spine and the instrument "hammers" for a few seconds and that's pretty much it.
John always laugh when I relay my conversations with the chiropractor at home.
Chiropractor: (after my first appointment) "Tomorrow you will wake up and feel like you got hit by a truck. That's totally normal and it will wear off through the day."
....
Chiro: (entering the room for my second appointment) "So did you feel like you got hit by a truck after your last adjustment?!?"
Me: "Oh. Actually... no. I felt normal."
Chiro: (after adjustment #1) "Walk across the room and pray attention to how you feel."
Me: (walk across the room)
Chiro: "And what did you notice?"
Me: "Ummm.... nothing? I felt normal?"
Chiro: "okay do it again and pay attention to your body."
Me: (does it again)
Chiro: "What did you notice?"
Me: "Nothing."
Chiro: (after adjustment #2) "Walk toward me."
Me: (walk toward him)
Chiro: "How did it feel? "
Me: "Still feels normal."
Chiro: "Okay do it again with your eyes closed."
Me: (does it with my eyes closed)
Chiro: "Now how did THAT feel?"
Me: "Like I was walking... with my eyes closed."
He must think I'm a jerk but honestly it feels exactly the same to me.
Yesterday he did something called a "wave test" where I stood with my eyes closed and he tapped my shoulders a bit and my body started slowly leaning back and forth, side to side. I almost felt like I was going to fall! I was all that was so cool! And I guess it was supposed to detox me or reset something in my body? I forget. But I stood up just now with my eyes closed just now and guess what happened? The exact same thing.
Am I healing or just really bad at balancing with my eyes closed?
Time will tell. Hopefully.
As I left that appointment yesterday the chiropractor told me I would probably be very thirsty and to drink lots of water right away if I felt dehydrated.
24 hours later, guess how I've felt?
Normal. And not thirsty.
I should admit that since I am not going for chiropractic care to relieve any physical symptoms (like headaches or back pain), the fact that I don't feel any different can't really be a reliable indicator of whether or not it's actually working. Moving forward, I have twice per week appointments booked for one month and once per week indefinitely after that. You can probably tell I'm fairly skeptical at this point, yet intrigued enough by my friends' success stories to keep going. According to my chiropractor, the goal of my care is not to cure my infertility directly, but to restore my body to optimum health so it can heal itself of whatever is causing my infertility. I think can get on board with that.
Also one of my "homework" assignments from the chiropractor is to talk epsom salt detox baths twice per week. Any doctor who prescribes baths is pretty okay in my book. ;-)
Have you ever seen a chiropractor? Fertility related or not? What was your experience like? Love to hear your stories!
xo
I don't really know how I feel about this. I am not entirely convinced that it will help me, however in recent months I had three friends recommend this chiropractor to me, one of whom had a recent almost miraculous fertility success story. I try to be sensitive to "spiritual promptings"and after the third friend told me about this guy, I decided to at least try it. You know, just in case those three recommendations are indeed a spiritual prompting.
In the course of my two visits, I had two scans and an x-ray and two adjustments. All three imaging techniques revealed misalignment in my neck and a rather severe "twisting" of my pelvis. "Top five most severe" my chiropractor had ever seen. This was not entirely surprising to me; I had a bone infection in my back and hips as a child and have walked with a slight limp on and off most of life, though since I stopped taking PE class 10+ years ago more "off" than "on." I'm convinced this is why I'm "crooked," but by chiropractor seems very uninterested in determining the cause. According to him it is much more important to restore my health and determine the cause of my misalignment.
Here are pictures of the two scans I had done:
Either one or both of these together are called a myovision scan. As I understand it, the image on the left has to do with heat and the image on the right has to do with electrical energy from my back muscles. If my muscles are working too hard or not hard enough, these tests reveal it. On the right, the blue lines should be mostly straight. See how they make a sharp left turn at my hips? Not good. For the image on the right, the green bars are good and the rest... not so much.
In summary, these two images reveal my formal diagnosis:
I am crooked.
Specifically, my pelvis is crooked. My pelvic crookedness was confirmed by x-ray measurements that show my right hip is 12mm higher than my left. I'm crooked!
I've had two subsequent adjustments. The chiropractor uses an instrument about the size of a permanent marker that I can only compare to a very small jack hammer; he puts the instrument up against various places on my spine and the instrument "hammers" for a few seconds and that's pretty much it.
John always laugh when I relay my conversations with the chiropractor at home.
Chiropractor: (after my first appointment) "Tomorrow you will wake up and feel like you got hit by a truck. That's totally normal and it will wear off through the day."
....
Chiro: (entering the room for my second appointment) "So did you feel like you got hit by a truck after your last adjustment?!?"
Me: "Oh. Actually... no. I felt normal."
Chiro: (after adjustment #1) "Walk across the room and pray attention to how you feel."
Me: (walk across the room)
Chiro: "And what did you notice?"
Me: "Ummm.... nothing? I felt normal?"
Chiro: "okay do it again and pay attention to your body."
Me: (does it again)
Chiro: "What did you notice?"
Me: "Nothing."
Chiro: (after adjustment #2) "Walk toward me."
Me: (walk toward him)
Chiro: "How did it feel? "
Me: "Still feels normal."
Chiro: "Okay do it again with your eyes closed."
Me: (does it with my eyes closed)
Chiro: "Now how did THAT feel?"
Me: "Like I was walking... with my eyes closed."
He must think I'm a jerk but honestly it feels exactly the same to me.
Yesterday he did something called a "wave test" where I stood with my eyes closed and he tapped my shoulders a bit and my body started slowly leaning back and forth, side to side. I almost felt like I was going to fall! I was all that was so cool! And I guess it was supposed to detox me or reset something in my body? I forget. But I stood up just now with my eyes closed just now and guess what happened? The exact same thing.
Am I healing or just really bad at balancing with my eyes closed?
Time will tell. Hopefully.
As I left that appointment yesterday the chiropractor told me I would probably be very thirsty and to drink lots of water right away if I felt dehydrated.
24 hours later, guess how I've felt?
Normal. And not thirsty.
I should admit that since I am not going for chiropractic care to relieve any physical symptoms (like headaches or back pain), the fact that I don't feel any different can't really be a reliable indicator of whether or not it's actually working. Moving forward, I have twice per week appointments booked for one month and once per week indefinitely after that. You can probably tell I'm fairly skeptical at this point, yet intrigued enough by my friends' success stories to keep going. According to my chiropractor, the goal of my care is not to cure my infertility directly, but to restore my body to optimum health so it can heal itself of whatever is causing my infertility. I think can get on board with that.
Also one of my "homework" assignments from the chiropractor is to talk epsom salt detox baths twice per week. Any doctor who prescribes baths is pretty okay in my book. ;-)
Have you ever seen a chiropractor? Fertility related or not? What was your experience like? Love to hear your stories!
xo
I've been going to a chiropractor for the past 6 years. After having Migraine Headaches almost weekly for several years, the chiropractor was my last resort. I'm now down to a Migraine every month or so, which I do attribute mainly to the regular chiropractic care I get (I go once a month now and have been for 5.5 years). There are many times that I don't feel like it's doing anything and, on some occasions, I'll leave the chiro office in more pain than when I went in. Even though I don't "feel" it working in the short-term, the long-term results do show that it has been.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great testimony. I went through a period in time when I had migraines and they are debilitating. So glad you have been able to reduce them with care!! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteRyan, at age 7, was still a nightly bedwetter. He would soak a pull up every night and leak more often than not. It was affecting his confidence and feeling of self-worth. We heard about chiropractic for bedwetting, and figured it was worth a try. 3 months after starting his care, he is usually dry 4 out of 5 nights, and getting progressively better! We have also found that it is helping with his attitude, paying attention in school, and Brad is convinced it has made him a better skater this season! I've suffered from headaches since highschool, and had been relieving them more recently with massage therapy. I started going to the same chiropractor, and have only had maybe 2 headaches in the last 2 months! Brad is now setting up an appointment to see if his repetitive strain issues in his shoulder and elbow can be fixed up (which the chiro said he certainly can!)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to see you are trying out chiropractic care in your journey to healing (and baby!). Praying it will be a big part of future success!
Wow what a great story! Such a positive experience. I hope Brad can be helped as well once he starts going as well! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteHilarious. You and that canadian bluntness - love it! I can easily get addicted to the chiropractor - if only it were cheaper and more like a drive through oil change. I totally love the adjustments and detest all the "extra" info they shove at you. Just crack my back, give me a heated massage, and let me be on my way.No herbal supplements. No scoliosis diagnosis (I mean who isn't a little crooked?!). No waiting room small talk. Also, since I called you blunt, and Canadian, I'll tell you that I first saw a chiropractor after a marching band injury. You're welcome.
ReplyDeleteRemind me to ask you who you see next time we're together!
DeleteAlso, that's a super lame way to get injured. Just saying. ;-)
I'm from a Chiro family and grew up with only Chiro care for any and all of my ailments (mostly that I was a clumsy kid and got hurt a lot). I love it! Over time you'll develop the sense of when things are on and off. I've been adjusted since birth and I can tell you when a specific vertebrae went out, which one it is, and which direction it's out. Since Chiropractic care eliminates irritation to the spinal cord, the entire body works better because the signals from the brain are delivered more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteWow that is amazing that you can tell with such precision! I look forward to being able to feel the difference more than I do!
DeleteI saw a chiro for neck pain shortly after our first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The loss came up in my medical history and he mentioned often patient get pregnant shortly after adjustments do to everything being aligned. I don't know if I buy that but I did get pregnant the next month. Granted I didn't have infertility but it sure was quicker than I anticipated. I continued going during my pregnancy as well and I felt it was good. I stopped after the baby because I no longer had time for it. I miss it!
ReplyDeleteLove that story! Gives me hope. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI saw a chiro for neck pain shortly after our first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The loss came up in my medical history and he mentioned often patient get pregnant shortly after adjustments do to everything being aligned. I don't know if I buy that but I did get pregnant the next month. Granted I didn't have infertility but it sure was quicker than I anticipated. I continued going during my pregnancy as well and I felt it was good. I stopped after the baby because I no longer had time for it. I miss it!
ReplyDeleteI've gone to the chiropractor for about 12 years now. Not for infertility, but for neck and shoulder issues. I love it! Honestly if I didn't go I have a feeling I would be in pain almost all the time, so I'm grateful for it. :)
ReplyDeleteI just heard a show on NPR about chronic pain; I'm so glad you have been able to side step it with chiropractic care. A huge blessing! Thanks for sharing your story!
DeleteI was on the rowing team at GV during my college years. Chiro was my saving grace- and I was often amazed at the increase in my athletic performance and ability when I was aligned and my body was not being plagued with nerve pain/pressure from being out of whack.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started seeing my chiro, my pelvis was more tilted than yours is, and I was also severely rotated. I can't even begin to explain the difference afterwards
I started going to a chiropractor off and on in late HS and through college for headaches, and it did seem to help the headaches, but the chiropractor was a weirdo! This may sound rude and judgmental, but so be it: If a person could look like they were going to drop dead of a heart attack at any moment, it was this guy. Big, beefy, thick-necked, his dress shirts always looked like they were so tight they were making his eyes bulge out, he pretty much looked like a 50 year old ex-football player. And he was loud!! In my head, I think of chiropractors as being calm, relaxed people appearing in good health and look like they take a natural approach to health. I couldn't handle the contradiction, or the obnoxious amount of vitamins/supplements that got pushed at me every time I went, and I definitely had that "hit by a truck" feeling after every visit, so I only went a few times and decided that motrin worked just as well to cure my problems. Then, when I was pregnant, I would get terrible hip pain, especially when I was at work. A couple hours into the shift and I would be limping down the hallway, and if I sat down it would take a bit to be able to stand up again. It was so annoying, and so painful but it would get better when I got home and laid down for a while. My doctor suggested going to a chiropractor, and at first I was pretty resistant because of the crazy guy I had seen before, but lots of people told me great things about their chiropractors, and it just kept getting worse and there was really nothing else I could do about it, so I found a different chiro and started going. Now, I am a believer! This guy used the little "jackhammer" thing you mentioned and he told me that one of the greatest things about it, is that it makes for less painful adjustments because all of the pressure is delivered precisely where it is supposed to be. No more "hit by a truck" feeling! I also never noticed an immediate difference leaving the office. I don't think I was ever in any pain when I went there, the adjustments were quick and painless, and I would leave feeling just as normal as I came. I also never felt particularly thirsty, like they always said I would. But, I would notice a huge difference at work! I would still be a little sore at the end of the shift, but no more limping, and no more feeling like a decrepit old woman trying to move from a sitting to standing position. Does your insurance cover chiropractic care? Mine was partially covered, so that was very helpful. Some really cool plans even cover massage :) Also, just as a matter of curiosity, where does your skepticism of chiropractic come from? You've mentioned being open to other more natural types of things in past posts, so I was surprised to read that you are feeling skeptical of this. You are in my prayers daily, and I will be especially praying that this is the breakthrough for you!!!
ReplyDeletewhoa, that was an excessively long comment! Sorry :/
DeleteI saw a chiropractor for a whole year and it was the best thing I ever did. I only stopped going because there aren't any in Africa. Seriously though, I was convinced I needed it after the initial X-rays and scans, and I was convinced it was working when 9 months later he did another X-ray and I was straightening out. It also cured my migraines, made my pregnancy go super smoothly with no pack pain, despite carrying a 9.5lb baby 10 days past his due date and teaching 2nd graders the entire time, full time on concrete floors. I will swear by chiropractic - at least a good one that is! Ours always said it's not about how you feel - you can be sick before you 'feel' sick and your spine can be misaligned before you 'feel' anything. But since the spine is the core (what everything is attached to) it makes since that if it's out of whack somewhere, whatever attaches to that part will be out of whack too. Anyway, all that to say, keep trying it, don't rely on feelings! Praying for you!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI want to start by saying that I love your blog. I have been reading a long time but I am a crappy commenter, sorry! You have such a beautiful family.
I started going to a chiropractor about 3 weeks ago. After falling down some stairs months ago my back has been pretty jacked up and was even causing tons of knee pain. I'm a nurse and on my feet for 12 hours so I was desperate for some relief. I have always been very skeptical of chiropractors. The neurologists at work always warn us not to go because of one mistake can leave you with a stroke. Lovely thought. But, I took my chances and went and things are actually improving, slowly but surely. My chiro is old as dirt but seems to know what he is doing. To me it seems that I lay down on the table he pushes a bunch of times on me and then makes me walk around and repeat. I'll give him another couple weeks and I want to be better. Patience isn't my strong suit. Wishing you best of luck!
I went to the chiropractor for awhile for lower back issues. I just found that it didn't really do much for me. When I was pregnant with Livvy, I had severe back and hip issues that made it difficult to walk/sit/stand without serious pain. My OB/GYN referred me to a physical therapist and she was a miracle worker. I, too, had a pelvis out of alignment and the work she did helped me to make it through pregnancy and beyond. She is also an expert at woman's issues (pelvic floor problems, etc).
ReplyDeleteI just started seeing a chiropractor 2 months ago for infertility myself. We've been struggling for over 3 years now, 2 miscarriages and we've tried seeing a doctor for infertility and gone through the drugs, daily monitoring, etc. Only thing we never tried was IVF due to the cost. I've tried acupuncture with no success and they were the one to suggest a chiropractor. I'm still sceptical at this point 2 months in. I haven't ovulated properly either month (35 and 39 day cycles which suggests I didn't ovulate at all). Now, I'm willing to possibly believe its because my body is healing, but I don't think things are suppose to get worse before they get better.
ReplyDelete