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Author Topic: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.  (Read 1199 times)

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Offline burnintheturns

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We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« on: October 09, 2008, 11:15:49 PM »
Sixteen years ago, I broke my neck and back.  On a horse, no less. . . .

The fractures weren't the kind that could be dealt with surgically, etc. . . . just time and therapy.  I went to physical therapy for quite some time and used a chiro on a regular basis until about five years later.  At that time, I no longer had insurance, etc. 

I put it off, and put it off.  I did go get new x-rays in 2003 because of the intense pain I was having and I had to work using my body.  I had not had x-rays since my accident but everything healed fine.  No real explanation for my chronic 'nerve pain'.  I would try to get exercise but various pain would eventually keep me from doing what I needed to in order to get and stay in better shape.  Turns out, according to what I was just told last week that my real problem was with my neuromuscular tranmissions and that I had to retrain them.  The mechanics of it make perfect sense.  It wasn't so much structural with the bones but lies within the fact that my muscles and nerve ending aren't communicating properly because somewhere over the last 16 years, the messages got mixed up and have stayed mixed up.  We are working on correcting that.  Makes sense to me.

In 2005, a colt I started for someone loped so trashy that he knocked my alignment out pretty bad and so I found a chiro that was close that of straightened me out.  I sent the colt home and went about my way. . . . good to go for a while. . . I thought.  Conformation does matter on colts, but some folks, you just can't convince.

So, I plod along doing what I can to 'adjust' what I can and to just deal with any issues I have had.  Always taking better care of others and other things and neglecting myself.  Things definitely weren't getting any better but what do you do?  It got to the point that I couldn't even clean the bottoms of my horses' feet without having to walk hunched over for a bit and the pain was intense.  So there was no question about me having to start paying someone to do what I was well capable of doing but frazzled so much physically that I couldn't.  Even just sitting would make me feel this bad at times.  And riding in a vehicle for long without getting out and walking.

Week before last, was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. . . I didn't have much choice.  That Wed., it was all I could do to walk, even though I was taking pain killers.  I forgot to take any meds to work with me but it wasn't too bad after lunch and a mega dose of Tylenol pretty much did the trick.   Thursday, I got up the same way.  However, I took my meds with me but the pain was still bleeding through the meds.  On my conference; I called the doc I had used in '05.  He was able to see me that evening.

Glad I went but it is terrible that I have to pay someone to hurt me just so I can feel better.  I just about bawled as he was adjusting me and he couldn't do much.  The muscles in my back were so taut they'd just about hold the Taj Mahal by themselves.  It hurt something fierce for him to do what he had me do.  Showed me some new p.t. exercises, told me to get after it and to continue riding horses as much as I could. 

I have been going twice a week and trying to do the exercises at home.  Every time, he has been able to adjust a little more and small improvements have been made along the way to my physical well being.  Every adjustment, I about bawl and nearly pee on myself due to the intense pain.  But everytime, I leave feeling just a little bit better than I did before. 

I think Tuesday and today were just about the worst of it all.  Tuesday, I did pee on myself (not bad) it hurt so bad.  Then he popped the bones in my feet.  I squealed like a little girl when he did that.  But I didn't realize just how badly I had been hurting until that point.

When I got home and got the old nag out; I went about my business as usual.  After picking Jose's feet; I was able to stand straight up without any pain.  I broke and the tears flowed.  I cannot remember when I was able to do that and not hurt.  Just being able to do what I love without any pain was enough to make my eyes well up. What a physically miserable person I had been.  And I'd just shoved it off on having 'broken' my back, getting older, working on my feet, and having become more sedentary than I'd ever been in my life due to my job.  At one point, I'd even felt the resignation that I might have to give up riding altogether just because I wasn't able to keep his feet clean like I like.  After I got on the nag, I even noticed a difference (for the better) in how I was sitting the saddle with my seat.  That was just too cool.

Today, I told the doc about it and how I was even noticing a difference in the way that I travel when I walk.  I am landing and breaking over like I should.  Now, maybe I can go back to walking, etc. and get in better shape.  This adjustment/visit has been my worst so far.  But the pay off will be worth it.  (Mind the fact that my back is hard to adjust and chiros HAVE to get rough with my midback to get the job done.) 

The pain was so bad in my mid back that the tears flowed freely and I had a hard time breathing.  I had to slide off the table and steel my lower body in order to deal with the pain.  The doc felt bad but I told him that it was a good hurt because I know what the end result will be.  I really didn't feel as tough as I made it sound at that point.  I felt like a real sissy.  But I suppose that the muscles are/were in shock because they had been doing what they'd been doing for a looooong time.  The pain finally lessened and he was able to finish the mid and lower back.

Then, he took a towel, put it under my head and adjusted it in a way I'd never had done and I have used chiropractic since I was about the age of twelve and am now almost 40.  (Did I say that?)  Anyway, he yanked my head straight away from my body while I was lying flat on the adjustment table.  No kidding!  I felt everything from my head to between my shoulder blades line up.  It hurt in the process but now, I feel better than ever.

He told me to keep up with the p.t. exercises and riding, try to incorporate walking into my day, everyday, and to not come back in for another week and we will re-evaluate.

Folks, we have got to quit neglecting ourselves.  If we dont' take care of us, who will?  We take good care of those around us, including our animals.  But we so often forget about ourselves for what ever reasons we may have and those we take care of, often don't take care of us.

I am not trying to push non-believers into it but I know a lot of us believe in chiro for our animals.  Just wanted you to know that I feel like I have been given new life cause I am walking and tracking better.  I move more feely than I think I ever have.  I am sleeping better becaus I am not in pain all the time.  It doesn't hurt to lay down and it doesn't hurt to get up.  Yeah, I still hurt but I am more aware of what it is now and that I can fix it.

Thanks for reading cause I just want shout from the mountain tops because I feel soooooo good.

I better go to bed. . . I am sleepy and rambling.
Still a squeeky wheel. . .

Offline Jamee Johnson

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2008, 12:00:08 AM »
Thats awesome that you feel better  :()& I cannot imagine how bad you must have felt but it's good that you took care of yourself!

Offline DEB BARNES

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2008, 04:32:44 AM »
that is wonderful news for you, i sooo know what you are talking about...
HAVE FAITH GOD WILL SEE YOU THRU...

Offline barn goddess

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2008, 06:08:52 AM »
Isn't it amazing that we don't always know how bad of shape we are in until we start to feel better???!!! Thanks for the reminder that we need to take of ourselves first.

Offline Gabe's Babe

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2008, 08:13:50 AM »
Now....I want to be able to say that!!!! My Chiro is very upset that i am still in pain..... <(::)> <(::)> But, he wont let me ride...the massage I get today will let me ride... <(' ')> <(' ')> <(' ')>

Offline Nell

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2008, 08:38:46 AM »
Thanks for sharing your story...its not very often we get to hear a story of success about a patient and chriopractor usually
all we hear are the "bad" and the "quack stories" and dont get me wrong I know there are some out there...but I'm
glad yours was one of success congrats to you...and keep up the good work  <(' ')>

Offline Txsweetie

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2008, 08:52:44 AM »
 Yea so glad that you are getting some relief.  I know to well about pain in the back from neglect.  I have been kicking up the idea of going to a chiro seeing how I get bucked off  on a regular basis and have a constant catch in my get along! :cheeze:
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.  -Dr. Suess

Offline SKYBOO

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2008, 11:43:02 AM »
glad you are getting some releif. That must have been horrible for you in the beginning.

Offline burnintheturns

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2008, 11:22:47 PM »
Thanks folks.  I just wanted to share with all of you because I know that barrel racers are notorious for taking care of everybody and everything else but themselves.  Part of that is because of our gender but part of it is that we are busy and tend to put things like that on the back burner.

Gabe, I hope that you can find somebody to help you.  Chiros are a lot like vets, you get a bad apple or two in every bunch.  Course, I know you have a lot more going on than what I do.  Mom uses a chiro out of Rusk for her firbro/lyme's disease.  Hers really helps her but there could be something else underlying your condition, too.  I do know that a good chiropractor will tell you when he can no longer help you.  That was my dad's case. . . . Dr. Smith out of Jacksonville worked on Dad and worked on Dad.  Finally, he told Daddy that he was going to have to go have surgery and get two vertebrae in his lower back fused.  He did, and that was that but he still continued to use a chiro for maintenance.
Still a squeeky wheel. . .

Offline txmom

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2008, 08:15:28 AM »
I'm glad you are feeling better....you have certainly been thru some rough times!  A good chiropractor can be a godsend 

Offline Gabe's Babe

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2008, 12:22:02 PM »
Well, i feel better now!! I think my thing is that Massage has to keep up with Chiro. I get a massage and I feel better, but only if I get chiro with it. Makes sense, you get the adjust ment, but if the muscles are stuck, you just go back to your crooked ways....

Offline CaughtYawl

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2008, 08:11:29 PM »
Glad you're feeling better!

Offline burnintheturns

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Re: We all take too much for granted. . . I know I do.
« Reply #12 on: October 12, 2008, 09:10:41 PM »
Makes sense, you get the adjust ment, but if the muscles are stuck, you just go back to your crooked ways....
Exactly.  And it takes constant trips to the dr. to get the muscles lined back out until they get used to being back to normal and are willing ot stay put. . . . we have to retrain them.  He has cut me back to once a week for now and we will re-evaluate.  Mind, I am still in pain but it is different than before.  But I am better now, than I had been in a long, long time.

Hope you are better soon. 
Still a squeeky wheel. . .