Yuck! First Chiropractic Experience

[comfortzone]

The source of my orthostatic intolerance issues could be my hypermobility syndrome -- and this is a painful condition that is very challenging to deal with....

In a recent relocation to a new area I found a primary care doc who asked I go to a pain mgmt. doc for pain meds. So I did. He told me they strongly recommend PT, Chiropractic care and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) -- pretty expensive and lots of hoop hopping to get my basic tried and true pain medication. So I give it a try - insurance won't pay for the CBT -- PT might be aquatherapy -- but only if and when I get over my second chiropractic visit...

I've never had one before -- so the first visit she just put a back rub machine on my back and a laser on my back I guess. It was mild and I may have felt 10% better the next day.

The second visit was totally different. It started with a brief laser treatment thing to my back. Next all I remember is that I was nervous so I talked alot the whole time... She did a bunch of stuff with my neck while I was lying on my stomach -- and a bunch of stuff on my low back by moving the table side to side. She knows she has to be careful due to my eds - and she's seen my neck xrays.

As I got up to leave and reschedule for my next appt.... the scheduler says 3 times a week next week... I started to feel kinda sick -- really weird -- so I said - , 'no how about for me - just 2 times' -- I kept trying to deny I felt horrible -- but pretty soon - I told her I think I'm sick and I must sit down (or fall down) -- so I did - I was so scared because I didn't understand what was happening - I actually teared up a bit - but then got a grip -- finally after a few minutes I was handed my appt. card by the receptionist. Great I thought.

Well anyway - later that day I was super sore in my neck - like a stiff neck - but on both sides.... then my low back chimes in with worse pain -- I was pretty miserable -- and now tomorrow is the third day since the appt. and I'm thinking I better cancel my Tuesday appt. Dunno what happened - but I don't want to risk this happening again.

Have NO idea why I would feel so awful from something so simple as ?a massage? I don't get it - but I'm definitely not a fan -- was that vaso-vagal response? Why so sore still today?

Thanks everyone!

[MomtoGiuliana]

I'm personally not a fan of chiropractors. Maybe there are some helpful ones out there. I have too many friends with pretty bad experiences, misdiagnoses, etc. I stay away from them myself!

[Ashelton80]

I have had some of THE worst reactions from massages and especially ones that massage my neck. But I've also had an accupressure massage that sent me into a crash that lasted 2 months. My husband is a chiro, but can no longer work on me because of the POTS and how sensitive I am. I have to go see a specialized chiro called and atlas orthogonal chiro. They are more specific and use an instrument the size of an ink pen. It has given me a lot of relief from both pain and POTS stuff, but I have to drive a long way to see him.

[Noreen]

I am so sorry you had this experience. The tough part about this is whether the chiropractor is associated with the pain doc. In other words you have to cooperate in order to prove what you already know - you need pain meds and are totally responsible in their use.

If you can do it at all keep your Tuesday appt and tell the doc in no uncertain terms how badly you felt and that it appears you cannot take anyone touching your neck at the present time. My reasoning for this is things will be documented and perhaps you can get some relief for your lower back through a interferential unit.

wishing you the best,

noreen

[potsgirl]

I know that when I went for a massage, which I was highly anticipating and thought would make me feel better, I felt sick as soon as I sat up on the massage table. I had to sit for awhile, and then slowly get dressed and make it out of the place. Thankfully I had my boyfriend picking me up, because I felt very nauseous and certainly couldn't have driven. So, you definitely aren't alone. I tried two chiro appointments a few years back, and they made me feel pretty horrible, too. I felt better after a couple of days, so hopefully you will, too.

Has anyone tried acupuncture? A friend of mine with POTS/fibro gets relief from that. Feel better soon!

[BloodMage]

A while back I went out of my way to print out a HUGE stack of papers on Chinese Medicine diagnostics.Part of it was intellectual curiosity and the other part was experimentation.

I didn't want to jab myself with needles, so I started trying to correlate my symptoms with Chinese pulse diagnosis and everything I felt.Heart Blood deficiency and Heart Yin ( I think) deficiency as well as Kidney Qi deficiency fit pretty well.I picked out a few acupressure points to try.Two I remember quite clearly that seemed to help a little with my constant hair-trigger panic/sympathetic weirdness was Sp-6 (san yin jiao) and ht-7 (shen men).

You can massage these points for a few minutes and apply a little pressure to them.Sp-6 is about four finger widths from the inside of your ankle bone, and ht-7 is right on the inside crease of your wrist.If you draw a line from between your little finger and your ring finger to there, that's where it is.

No cure-alls and no miracles, though.I need to put a disclaimer here because I don't want people to get too carried away with what I say.Nevertheless, I found the "Heart Blood deficiency" pattern very interesting and VERY similiar to dysautonomia.You can read the description online.I wonder if the Chinese saw patients like us over the centuries..

[Sarah4444]

I also have a connective tissue disorder and have had lots of trouble after seeing chiropractors, and some massage therapists. After seeing one inexperienced chiropractor I had increased pain that never went back down to pre-treatment levels. Be careful. I have had more luck with an osteopath. Good luck.

[janiedelite]

I don't tolerate any chiropractic adjustments to my neck. I get horrible POTS flares, mostly with a bad migraine and nausea, that will last for weeks after my neck was adjusted. I tolerate my thoracic and lumbar spine adjustments fairly well, along with accupuncture. But they don't help me in the long-run.

[firewatcher]

I know that when I went for a massage, which I was highly anticipating and thought would make me feel better, I felt sick as soon as I sat up on the massage table. I had to sit for awhile, and then slowly get dressed and make it out of the place. Thankfully I had my boyfriend picking me up, because I felt very nauseous and certainly couldn't have driven. So, you definitely aren't alone. I tried two chiro appointments a few years back, and they made me feel pretty horrible, too. I felt better after a couple of days, so hopefully you will, too.

Has anyone tried acupuncture? A friend of mine with POTS/fibro gets relief from that. Feel better soon!

I see an acupuncturist/TCM doc once a week now. On my first appointment with me he flat out told me that he would NEVER insert a needle into me, that it would spark the sympathetic NS. He uses only the Japanese non-invasive needling techniques and moxibustion. I have started the traditional Chinese herbs/medicines very carefully and would not ever self medicate with this stuff! They are drugs like any other and we both have to watch for strange side effects with the Western drugs that I am already taking. I am happy overall with my experience so far since I've come down on my Klonopin and not had the usual increase in headache. As with every other drug, it is careful trial and error. I have had to stop the Chinese medicines twice due to unusual side effects. The whole Eastern concept is VERY different from Western medicine, for one thing, they don't want you on anything longer than a few weeks and never the same thing for an extended period...this is not a "pill to fix it" type of healing. However, POTS fits a lot better into the Eastern theories of illness than the Western medical view.

[comfortzone]

AHA! Just as I suspected -- I am far from alone in this experience. Thank you all so much for the well wishes and for the information. Well I am still feeling like my head is too wobbly on my neck and it's so bizarre - and it's sore today on both sides - but not as sore......mid back threatens spasms - but really doesn't go into them - just sore too. Dang --- what a trip that was! But I don't think any permanent damage was done - gosh I hope not!

Today was rather miserable - well the day was good - I was miserable lol.... I had to try to find a PT to get active in some fashion so I called a whole list looking for one that had a wellness program or rehab program attached in some way - so I could keep working out after my PT. The aqua therapy sounded good at first - but heck I can pool walk etc. on my own - and well I have to save something for the wings down the road. I did find a place - who told me they really wish I'd bring them a script from a 'real' doc (to them meaning an ortho doc) and not a pain mgmnt. doc.

Well that's okay because I found an ortho doc who'll see me tomorrow - he accepted me after looking at my medical records - brave man I thought haha! So when I see him tomorrow at 8 a.m. - I'll ask for a PT script probably for core strengthening again - or for my right knee (which always buckles ever since it was put in a couple years ago) - that should get the ball rolling. I might mention the whole chiro thing to him and share my experience with the pain doc as well.

I don't know what I'd do without you guys - seriously I'm indebted to you -- I may not have 'true' POTS --- but I'm being treated as if I do. I'm on the beta blocker and soon probably trying the Clonidine as it is known to help with pain too. I'm also going to see a new pain doc too - to see if he's any gentler than this guy I saw that wanted the chiro etc...I was silly to think I'd get a good fit on the first try I suppose.

My body responds with the hyperadrenergic responses, surges, orthostatic intolerance - etc. but my heart rate never changes that drastically with position change....dunno if there's a name for peeps like me or not - other than stressed to the max.....but y'all know about that all too well...

THANK YOU ;-)

Arizona Pots people - if you want to get together I'm so game - we could meet for lunch maybe? I see Dr. Goodman in follow up the first week in November -- I know some of you see him also...... I'm residing in Scottsdale now - feel free to message me ... and sry if I didn't return messages...this move has been taxing!

[potsgirl]

As soon as I figure out how to PM you on this new system, I will. What part of AZ are you in? I'm in Tucson and would love to meet. Will get a PM to you hopefully soon....

[houswoea]

Why the CBT? What is that supposed to do for you?

[comfortzone]

Why the CBT? What is that supposed to do for you?

I had training in it as a nurse back in 2002 I think it was - so my best guess is that if they can't get rid of the pain and issues causing the pain that are physiological -- they can at least teach you techniques so that you learn to 'perceive' things in the best possible light or healthiest light. So if you are saying, 'this always happens when I do this' and you are kind of negative.... CBT would have you go to the triggering event - say calling someone - and then have you examine you response to that event .... They point out 'falsities' in the way you think.

So if I say this always happens - that would be an instance of all or nothing thinking -- or black or white thinking....where in reality it might no absolutely always happen....

If I say, 'if I walk a mile I will have a miserable rest of the day' -- I am in essence predicting the future... which of course we can't do.

Don't quote me on this LOL - been quite awhile - but CBT helps to restructure and get out of the automatic loops we find our thinking. Helps get rid of our knee jerk responses to certain triggers.

I'm going to get out of that practice of p.m. docs because I just don't care for the whole 'family' taking your money system and the 'greeness' or youth showing it's inexperience by having a know it all attitude for the most part.