Found A New Chiropractor For My Wife's MS

If you haven't read my last blog post, you can read it here.  Over the last week my wife was having cold feet, strips of cold from her hip to her feet and was dragging her right leg.  She wasn't having pain really, more of a numb/cold feeling in strips and areas of her legs and feet.  Her left leg seemed to be having more issues than her right leg, but she has been dragging her right leg since she started to have issues.  So, she went Monday to a new Chiropractor that did something similar to what we've done before but she didn't respond as well to the adjustment as she had in the past.  On Wednesday, we decided to try a different Chiropractor.

After searching for a Pro Adjuster Chiropractor in the area, we found one not too far from where we live now.  So, we loaded up and went through a consult and some x-rays and then she had her first adjustment at the new Chiropractor.  It was a little unnerving to see the Dr. check her feet length and her right foot was literally an inch longer than her left foot.  The Dr. adjusted her including adjusting her hips, which was causing the issues with her foot length, and she was feeling better immediately after the appointment.  We drove home and she was fine for a few hours until her right leg started hurting. 

She took an Advil and within a few hours the pain went away.  We knew that she would be "feeling" the adjustment since her body was so out of whack.  What's so interesting is watching her fatigue go away and the feeling come back in her body after the adjustments.  Today she was much better.  She can still feel the issues in her hips but isn't dragging her leg and has had much more energy.  She will go back to visit the Dr. on Monday and we will see how far out of whack her body is by that point.  Just another day living with MS! :) 

Cold Toes and Legs With Multiple Sclerosis

OK, so it may sound a little odd but my wife has cold strips down her leg, and certain toes that will go cold from her MS.  The last few days she has had MS leg issues, meaning that they are hurting and she has numbness and a cold feeling.  The cold is a stripe down the side of her leg from her hip to her toes.  It's really strange and when this happens she struggles to stay warm.  She has to either take a hot bath or get under an electric blanket to warm up.

We've also noticed that when these MS attacks happen, she becomes very fatigued and very emotional.  We recently moved back to Texas so we don't have our normal treatments in place, and are currently looking for a Pro Adjuster Chiropractor in the area.  We found a Chiropractor that does something similar but not quite the same, and after being adjusted today she had improvement but not the level of improvement we are used to.  My wife commented earlier that she didn't feel like she normally would after an adjustment. 

We have wondered through the years what a different type of adjustment would do, but we have always found a Pro Adjuster and she has continued to have similar results with each new Chiropractor.  So, after talking with others that haven't had the same results we have had with Chiropractic it has made me wonder how effective different methods of Chiropractic are on MS.  We know what has worked for my wife, and for me and my daughter for other issues, and we will find the right kind of Chiropractor in our area.  My wife has an appt on Wednesday with a Pro Adjuster Chiro to see what she thinks, and we will get things in place for her treatment. 

Tingly Feeling All Over With MS

I couldn't help but write today about my wife's experience at the Chiropractor.  We have been using Chiropractic for years to help with my wife's MS, and have seen miraculous results using it.  Yesterday she was struggling with stomach issues which she has struggled with off and on for years.  What's hard is knowing whether it has something to do with Multiple Sclerosis or it's just bad food.  She can become violently sick from a meal she eats regularly so we feel like it has something to do with the digestive problems that seem to be associated with her MS.  I say all of this to share something that happened today after her Chiropractic visit.

During her adjustment she began to tingle all over her body.  It's not unusual for an arm or leg or part of her body to tingle, but this was much more than usual.  She also had burning in her stomach immediately after the adjustment.  We exclusively use Pro Adjuster Chiropractic because it's the best Chiropractic treatment we have found for my wife.  After the adjustment was over she continued to tingle and her stomach burned for a bit and then it quit.  Sometimes after a visit she feels tired and needs to sleep and other times she has a spurt of energy and feels great.  Today she felt wonderful after the adjustment and the tingling left her body not long after she left the office. 

The odd thing with the visit today was her stomach burning.  I don't remember that happening before, but it always amazes me how our bodies are made so that everything is interconnected.  By adjusting her spine and aligning her body, her stomach was affected along with nerves all over her body.  Today was confirmation once again that using Chiropractic is vitally important for my wife's health, and we feel it is one of the core treatments we can count on every time she has Multiple Sclerosis symptoms or issues.

Spinning Head With MS

Yesterday my wife woke up feeling pretty good, other than an unsettled stomach. She met me for lunch and right after she arrived home, her head started spinning and she began to vomit. She wasn't able to leave the bed for the rest of the day, with her head spinning. By mid afternoon her head hurt so bad that she wasn't able to sleep, and she was trying everything to relieve the pain and spinning. She wasn't able to sleep well through the night, and woke up feeling worse. From the time the spinning started, her body struggled to regulate her body temperature. She would become overheated easy which made the feelings of sickness even worse.

This morning I offered to take her to our Pro Adjuster Chiropractor and she felt like she would get better as the day went on. Around lunch time she showed up at my office struggling to stay on her feet, dizzier than the day before. We immediately contacted the Chiropractor and headed the 2 hours to see him. He adjusted her in about 10 minutes and she began to feel the rush of blood flow and feeling spread through her body and head. After about 10 minutes her headache had subsided to a dull pain and her dizziness was almost gone. After another 30 minutes we were sitting in a restaurant eating, with her continuing to feel better, laughing and talking like nothing was wrong. It still amazes me that a simple adjustment can radically change her well being.

While at the Chiropractor's office I spoke with him about the CCSVI research I have been studying. I explained the lack of blood flow due to twisted veins, especially the jugular veins, and asked him how the adjustments might affect this issue. As we talked about my wife's specific issues he adjusted each time she visited, he pointed out that the C1 and C2 vertebrae were always an issue for her. He explained to me that the jugular vein can easily be affected by these two vertebrae and that today was no exception. He also explained that a Chiropractor adjusts to affect nerves, but an Osteopath adjusts for blood flow. We talked for some time about how both of these issues, nerves and blood flow, are affected by adjustment and how my wife can see such drastic results from the adjustments time and time again. I am definitely not a doctor, and I am only passing along what this particular Chiropractor spoke to me about, but it sure does seem to make sense after he explained how the adjustments could be affecting the blood flow and potentially a CCSVI issue. We will continue to work with Chiropractic care until we decide whether we are going to pursue the Liberation treatment. I can honestly say that we are very excited about the future and my wife's health, and am very pleased with the current treatments we have found to help along the journey.

Never Ceases To Amaze My Wife And I

Ok, so my wife wasn't able to hold any food down for days and was having some tingling and other issues, and she was becoming very frustrated. The first opportunity we had, we called our Chiropractor and setup an appointment. We drove 2 hours to see this specific Chiropractor and he adjusted our whole family with the Pro Adjuster tool. Even on the drive to see him my wife's stomach burned and she was worried about not being able to make it without bladder or stomach issues. Within minutes of being adjusted my wife started to feel better. After an hour or so she started to have more energy and was able to eat without issue. Since the adjustment she has not had anymore bladder issues or stomach issues. It continues to amaze both of us that with the right adjustment techniques her symptoms go away, and that they go away quickly. I am so glad that we didn't give up trying to find a natural treatment that would help with these issues.

Not All Chiropractic Is Equal

A few weeks ago a friend of ours tried chiropractic for the first time. She was manually adjusted due to some issues she was having with her neck. She had such a horrible experience getting adjusted that I don't think she will ever try Chiropractic again. I shared this experience with our Chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Atchley, and we discussed how not all Chiropractors are equal. Dr. Atchley has been our Chiropractor for the last year in Albuquerque and uses the Pro Adjuster to make any adjustments to our body. He and I talked about the fact that some people will try a particular chiropractor once and then write off all chiropractic based on that one experience. It would be the same as not taking any other medication if one did not work.

After talking with Dr. Atchley I wanted to make sure and explain our position on Chiropractic and how we have used it to affect my wife's MS. I have been using Chiropractic since I was a young teen due to a bad dive into the swimming pool. For years I would be adjusted to help with a stiff back and breathing issues. All of my adjustments were manual adjustments, meaning that the Chiropractor physically popped and cracked me to adjust me. I continued to use Chiropractic to help with headaches, back issues and other issues as I grew older. When I met my wife I had read and learned everything that I could about Multiple Sclerosis and I never even thought about using Chiropractic to help with her MS.

In 2000, my wife had never been to a Chiropractor and didn't know how it would affect her physically. When we began to see a Naturopath after my wife was numb for a month, he recommended her see a Chiropractor to help allow her body to heal. She first saw a Chiropractor in Del Rio, Texas and he was great. He helped her with digestion issues she was having and with the numbness. He manually adjusted her neck and back a few times while we were in town then we returned to San Angelo and setup an appointment with Dr. Darci Stotts. Dr. Stotts took x-rays and did an initial consult with us about the Atlas Orthogonal adjustment that she used for all treatments.

When my wife was adjusted in Del Rio, she was adjusted using the Diversified technique. The first time her neck was popped, she cried and hurt from the adjustment. Her back adjustment caused some pain but wasn't too bad. She was not crazy about how this felt and didn't want to see another Chiropractor that used this technique. We were not completely informed at the time and didn't understand that there were other methods of adjustment that weren't so physical. That's what we learned from Dr. Stotts. The Atlas Orthogonal method she used didn't hurt at all and my wife saw immediate results from the adjustments. I also saw Dr. Stotts and had great results with back issues that had plagued me for years.

Since the first adjustments, my wife and I have become more informed and now understand that not all Chiropractors are equal. There are many techniques and methods with some involving separate tools used to adjust and some using physical pressure. With my wife, we have found that some work better than others. Dr. Stotts also introduced us to the Pro Adjuster machine which is what we use now. The adjustments are painless and have provided help for everything from numbness to vertigo. Dr. Atchley used the Pro Adjuster to adjust my wife and I today. My wife and I both feel that Chiropractic is a key component that allows my wife to live a more normal life.

There are many individuals that search the web for information on Multiple Sclerosis and Chiropractic that find this blog. I would be curious to know how many MS patients actually go on to try Chiropractic and what results they have. Many of the treatment books I have read include Chiropractic as a main part of their MS treatment. We have suggested many times that our MS friends go to a Chiropractor but I can't think of one example where one actually went and was treated. I guess my wife and I look at this process differently than our MS friends and have taken the initiative to explore alternative treatments. Some of those treatments have worked and others have shown few if little results, but Chiropractic has had almost miraculous results when MS attacks my wife.

Going Back To School With MS For MS

My wife and I spent 42 hours on the road this week looking at schools for our future. Over the last few years it has become clear to us that we both want to go back to school to help MS patients. Because of the doctors we have encountered and the research we have done, my wife feels like it would be best for her to become more educated on nutrition and the affects it has on the body. We have learned so much from other nutritionists and doctors, but feel like we can do so much more with the right knowledge. So, after years of trying to go back to school part-time, we have both decided to go back full-time.

While my wife is working on her nutrition degree, I am going back to chiropractic school. Chiropractic is the one thing we have found that helps my wife's MS more than anything else. And since I will be going into the doctorate program with previous knowledge of the disease, I am so excited to see how chiropractic works through the lens of MS. The first two years of the doctorate program follows the same track that medical school does, which should really help me understand the body and the affects of MS. Our ultimate goal would be to have a MS clinic where we could treat the whole person with MS. I have looked for a clinic like this, and haven't found anything quite like what we want to do. So, life is going to take a huge shift for us soon and we are excited about the possibilities. How great it will be to work with MS patients directly and be able to use our experiences and knowledge to help others.

Multiple Sclerosis Attacks Fast

Within an hour my wife's right side had gone tingley and numb. She awoke to a normal Sunday and showered and dressed as usual. There was nothing out of the norm happening to her body that morning. She did have a slight headache when she woke up, but it was gone after she was awake for awhile. We drove to church as usual and sat in our normal seats. About half way through the service, my wife said she felt an odd feeling in her back along the right side. By the end of the church service, her right ear tingled, her right leg was numb, her right arm ached and the right side of her back was tingling, aching and some parts were already numb.

We were set to leave out of town the next day so we had to figure something out fast. Her right side became worse as the day went on and her arm ached badly. We felt like a chiropractic visit would reverse the issue, but it was not a day our chiropractor was open. We called him anyway, and he felt like it was urgent enough to meet us at the office and adjust her on Sunday. When we met him at his office, the chiropractor checked her alignment and adjusted her spine using his Pro Adjuster equipment. Her neck was way out of alignment and her lower back needed adjustment and some muscle work. While being adjusted, she could feel the feeling come back into her right side. Within minutes, her right side began to return to normal and she could feel the difference.

We left the chiropracter's office and my wife was quite sore. Her lower back ached for a few days but all symptoms were gone by the next day. She had all feeling back and there was no aching in her arm. We drove for 8 hours the next day and she had no problems. It is amazing to me how her body can react so quickly to something when it seems like things are only going to get worse. Just 7 years ago, we would have let the attack run it's course and she probably would have been completely numb from the chest down. I am so glad we chose to learn and search out our own treatment path. She is doing fine now and was great all through the Christmas week. We owe a HUGE thanks to Dr. Kevin Atchley in Albuquerque for coming to his office on his day off to help my wife. THANKS!!!

Multiple Sclerosis and Chiropractic

After our move to Albuquerque, my wife's health continually improved. She was bike riding, walking, working with rambunctious kiddos and all the while just enjoying her new found energy. A few weeks ago we travelled to a College to promote our children's home and found ourselves staying up late, getting up early and working all day long. Once we arrived back home, we had a few days to rest, then our children's home kids came home. The first few days were rough, and my wife knew she was out of alignment. We immediately went to see the chiropractor and sure enough she was way out bad. She had started to feel numbness creeping up her neck to the side of her face, and also some numbness in her toes. This wasn't anything new, and we knew we had pushed it too far and were paying for those long days.

After the chiropractor adjusted her with his Pro Adjuster machine, we left the office to go eat. At first, we weren't sure if the adjustment worked, but within an hour, all feeling was back in her neck and face. Overnight, she started getting the feeling back in her toes, and by the next day all numbness was gone. If this would have been 5 or 6 years ago, we would have weathered the numbness hoping that there wouldn't be any residual effects. Who knows how long the numbness would have lasted, or how many days my wife would have been sleeping to try to counter the tingling. Now, we immediately go to the chiropractor and usually see results within minutes if not hours after the visit.

I truly believe that chiropractic can help Multiple Sclerosis, and it is sad that more of our MS friends won't try it. She went back to the chiropractor two more times that week to make sure everything took, and she hasn't had anymore numbness since. We have made it a habit to schedule a chiropractic appointment regularly and also to schedule a massage regularly. We have learned that specific types of massage seem to compliment the chiropractic and that my wife's MS can be controlled better with the regular visits. We are still looking for the type of massage therapist we want in ABQ, but we know there is one that will be perfect for our wants and needs. Multiple Sclerosis and chiropractic can be a great team when you find the right Chiropractor with the right skills and knowledge.