A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about being in constant pain. Well, I went to the chiropractor, and after seeing my x-rays she said she would try to help me, but wasn’t sure it would work. Apparently my cervical spine and upper thoracic spine are curved pretty severely to one side, and my thoracic spine is starting to fuse together on one side as well. She says it’s because my spine has been trying to correct for something else (she phrased it better than I can).

To my surprise, a chiropractic adjustment takes ten minutes or fewer. I really thought they took longer than that — I booked half an hour on my calendar for each appointment. She’s trying a one-month course of treatment, and if it doesn’t work, then I have to go to the orthopedist for shots, although the shots might not provide much relief and they’ll end up doing surgery, which will severely restrict my range of motion and cause quality of life issues.

Fortunately, it seems to be helping. The first appointment was April 21, and she warned me that I would be uncomfortable afterward. The next morning I sat up in bed and my back hurt so much that I couldn’t move for about five minutes. But it got better after that, and within a few days I could lie on my right side again. Not for a long time, and it still hurts like hell to go through the process of turning over, but I’d call that an improvement.

Now if only my chiropractor didn’t have Christian rock playing through the speakers the entire time. But if it’s helping, I’ll put up with it.