Oh, My Aching Back!

For quite a long time now I've had pain in my lower back. It started out just a small twinge when I was walking on the beach with my friend Deb a few years ago. Than it grew into a bigger twinge. I didn't bother to mention it to my chiropractor until about a year and a half ago. Sometimes an adjustment helps, sometimes it doesn't.

In March I decided to make an appointment with my primary doctor to see if he had any answers. I also had a small bump under my arm and wanted to see what he thought of that as well. No worries on the bump. Sebaceous cyst. He was more concerned about my back. Sent me for an x-ray. Tuesday afternoon he told me I had a couple of degenerating discs that looked moderate, and another that looked very bad. Wanted me to see a specialist and maybe get an MRI. My health care coverage does not cover this. I have very basic coverage. So I called the chiropractor's office and hoped he could take a look at the x-rays. He did.

The chiropractor was not near as concerned about the degeneration as my primary care doctor. "It's normal wear for people our age," he told me. "It's not that bad." He hooked me up to the tens unit, put some heat on my back, and gave me an adjustment, and ya know, I walked out of there feeling better. I was still sore and achy last night, but I wasn't limping. "Martha, don't worry about your back," he told me as I left. I will be careful, but I won't be worrying. I'm not sure why the other doctor sounded so alarmed, but since I can't afford all the other tests and appointments, I'm very thankful to have someone tell me it's going to be okay.