Last week, I was talking to a friend who is has been struggling with some massive migraines lately. We were chatting about how her doctor had referred her to a chiropractor to see if that would help, and she confided in me that it made her super nervous.
And then I realized that I've never actually blogged about how awesome chiropractic care is. Where has my head been???
So we are going back in time with this post, but I find myself telling these stories pretty often anyway, so now I can just point people back here. Besides, YOU should know how awesome chiro care is too! Ready?
How I Ended Up at the Chiropractor's Office
While Sean and I were dating, I had a bad bout with back pain. Over the counter pain meds weren't helping, and finally, Sean announced that he was taking me to a chiropractor. What?!?! No way! I had no interest in being jumped on in the name of alternative medicine. So I struggled to walk for a couple more days, at which point, Sean said that I was going, and he was paying. I was in such pain, and I wanted to be an agreeable girlfriend, so we went. While it totally helped, the lady was a complete wacko! She was just too strange for me. I was a bit torn between being happy I felt better, and being totally weirded out by the whole thing.
After we got married, we tried another chiropractor who did NOT help us. I only went to him once and called it quits. Sean went 4-5 times, but he finally got tired of the cloud of smoke in the air as well. This chiro practiced out of his home, and let's just say that he could have kept the tobacco industry in business singlehandedly. Plus, he actually hurt me the one and only time I went. Not for me.
We went back to our insurance website and googled for the next closest chiropractor and ended up finding a really good one! Dr. Amy was extremely gentle and very personable so we decided to stick with her.
We became regulars at Dr. Amy's office since she was so close and helped us so much. It was awesome to feel so good all the time. I was totally sold on chiropractic care! Plus, she had one of those awesome roller/massage tables with heat. What do I want for Christmas? One of those! Holy moley!
And then I got pregnant. Super pregnant with quadruplets. I was told that I had maybe 8 weeks before I was put on bedrest. They were guessing I'd be on bedrest when I hit around 14-16 weeks gestation.
During Pregnancy
So I thought that being pregnant with quadruplets would quickly put the kibosh on chiropractic adjustments. Instead, I found out that with a few moderations, adjustments would actually help me carry the babies. Dr. Amy started doing my adjustments with me on my back or while I was sitting in a chair. The only unfortunate part was losing my roller table privileges. Oh the things we sacrifice for our babies!
By the time I hit 16 weeks, I was still on my feet, and averaging about three adjustments per week. With the babies growing so fast, she was constantly having to put my spine back in place. Those adjustments are what kept me working until 20 weeks, and off of bedrest until 24 weeks. Without her help, I would have been on bedrest a LOT earlier.
The first thing that I recommend to moms who are pregnant with multiples is to find a GOOD, GENTLE chiropractor. They can make all the difference in how long they are able to carry multiple babies. The benefits to those who are pregnant with singletons are huge as well!
Side note: If you are pregnant, while I highly recommend chiropractic care, make sure that your chiropractor has experience treating pregnant women and is gentle and conservative in their approach. They can be a huge asset to a successful pregnancy if you pick the right doctor!
And Then There Were Four
This is the part that I can't believe I never blogged about. Really? How did I TOTALLY skip this part of our story?
If you've been around since the beginning, you might remember how difficult Abby used to be to feed. We literally had to swaddle her from the neck down and force feed her bottles to her. We were given a choice: Either get the formula down her throat or they would put a g-tube in. We were really trying to avoid that. So instead, we had feeding session after feeding session with Abby screaming around the bottle's nipple, and me crying while trying to get food in her. It was so bad that the only two people who could feed her were me and a nurse friend who came to help once a week. We had her scoped at the local Children's Hospital, did a swallow dye test, had a biopsy...we even did an overnight hospital stay, looking for anything that could possibly be wrong with her. Everything came back fine. All of her anatomy were in the correct places, everything was functioning, she was just fine.
That is so NOT helpful when every feeding is a knock-down-drag-out fight.
Meanwhile, our chiropractor had offered several times over the months to adjust our 6-month-old, and in spite of how much she helped me while pregnant, I just wasn't comfortable with it. At that point, Dr. Amy had become a good friend, but....adjusting my super premature daughter who was still on oxygen just made me nervous.
Then one day, we hit a point where there was nothing else that we could do for Abby. She had major eating issues, and that was that. It was really defeating to know that there was no end in sight to the screaming matches.
And Dr. Amy gently offered once again to adjust her. I went home and talked to Sean and since that was the only thing we hadn't tried, we decided to do it.
Once.
I took Abby in the next day, and saw how the doctor was planning to help her. Instead of manually adjusting her with her hands, she used a little tool called an activator to gently manipulate her spine. I actually held her the whole time, and Abby was all smiles. Not exactly what I expected! In fact, it was so gentle, that I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to do anything at all. (No offense if you read this, Dr. Amy!)
I took Abby back home, prepared to say, "hey, at least we tried!", but instead, 24 hours later, Abby was eating. Without screaming. Wait, what?! After MONTHS of screaming around her bottle, she was eating. I went over and over it and the only thing that had changed was that adjustment.
So we made another appointment, took her in to be adjusted again, and within 3-4 days of that first adjustment, we had a different baby. It ranked as a miracle at our house!
These Days...
These days, Sean and I still see our chiropractor regularly. She left us for a couple of years *sniff* but moved back at the beginning of the year. We are thrilled she is back because we didn't want anyone else to adjust our kids. We take the kids in as much as we can because she is so good with children. Ellie is a particular fan of visiting Dr. Amy because, "she is the best fixer EVER!"
Ellie getting a manual adjustment
Children grow so fast that getting them adjusted is actually a really good idea! Especially when they hit growth spurts, chiropractic care can help relieve the aches and pains that kids deal with. AND it's awesome for overall general health and immune support. When the body is fully functioning, it's better able to fight off germs.
John, who works there, helping Elijah check out the heated roller/massage table...which he doesn't get to use yet. Oh Buddy, wait until you get to use that for the first time!
I can't believe I've never publically thanked Dr. Amy for all that she's done to help our family. She has gone out of her way to treat us through some of the most difficult moments of our lives and make them better. So if you see this, Dr. Amy, you have our undying gratitude!! :)
Abby...still getting chiropractic care and loving it!
Caleb is significantly more reserved about the idea, but he is slowly allowing Dr. Amy to help him more. We aren't rushing it since change in routine is very difficult for him.
All that to say, if you've been thinking about chiropractic care but haven't gone because it sounds scary, it really isn't. They treat back pain, but also neck, hip, and leg pain, headaches and migraines, digestion and feeding issues, and adjustments will even help you get over illnesses faster. True story! Just find someone who is gentle, knows how to treat your situation....and preferably has a heat and roller table (because they are the bomb!). If you try a chiro and it doesn't seem like a good fit, try another one. We are very grateful to have an excellent chiropractor less than 10 minutes from our house who knows how to treat our family gently and effectively. With everything that we've seen chiropractic care do, we now consider it a necessity for our family. Seriously, go give it a try.
And shameless plug for my awesome chiropractor who I owe so much to! If you live in Kansas City or the metro Kansas City Area, I highly recommend seeing
Dr. Amy Lundin-Jordin at One Source Wellness. No, she didn't pay me for this post. In fact, she doesn't even know I'm writing it. This is just a good old fashioned, word of mouth referral to a doctor who we love!
Last week, I was talking to a friend who is has been struggling with some massive migraines lately. We were chatting about how her doctor had referred her to a chiropractor to see if that would help, and she confided in me that it made her super nervous.
And then I realized that I've never actually blogged about how awesome chiropractic care is. Where has my head been???
So we are going back in time with this post, but I find myself telling these stories pretty often anyway, so now I can just point people back here. Besides, YOU should know how awesome chiro care is too! Ready?
How I Ended Up at the Chiropractor's Office
While Sean and I were dating, I had a bad bout with back pain. Over the counter pain meds weren't helping, and finally, Sean announced that he was taking me to a chiropractor. What?!?! No way! I had no interest in being jumped on in the name of alternative medicine. So I struggled to walk for a couple more days, at which point, Sean said that I was going, and he was paying. I was in such pain, and I wanted to be an agreeable girlfriend, so we went. While it totally helped, the lady was a complete wacko! She was just too strange for me. I was a bit torn between being happy I felt better, and being totally weirded out by the whole thing.
After we got married, we tried another chiropractor who did NOT help us. I only went to him once and called it quits. Sean went 4-5 times, but he finally got tired of the cloud of smoke in the air as well. This chiro practiced out of his home, and let's just say that he could have kept the tobacco industry in business singlehandedly. Plus, he actually hurt me the one and only time I went. Not for me.
We went back to our insurance website and googled for the next closest chiropractor and ended up finding a really good one! Dr. Amy was extremely gentle and very personable so we decided to stick with her.
We became regulars at Dr. Amy's office since she was so close and helped us so much. It was awesome to feel so good all the time. I was totally sold on chiropractic care! Plus, she had one of those awesome roller/massage tables with heat. What do I want for Christmas? One of those! Holy moley!
And then I got pregnant. Super pregnant with quadruplets. I was told that I had maybe 8 weeks before I was put on bedrest. They were guessing I'd be on bedrest when I hit around 14-16 weeks gestation.
During Pregnancy
So I thought that being pregnant with quadruplets would quickly put the kibosh on chiropractic adjustments. Instead, I found out that with a few moderations, adjustments would actually help me carry the babies. Dr. Amy started doing my adjustments with me on my back or while I was sitting in a chair. The only unfortunate part was losing my roller table privileges. Oh the things we sacrifice for our babies!
By the time I hit 16 weeks, I was still on my feet, and averaging about three adjustments per week. With the babies growing so fast, she was constantly having to put my spine back in place. Those adjustments are what kept me working until 20 weeks, and off of bedrest until 24 weeks. Without her help, I would have been on bedrest a LOT earlier.
The first thing that I recommend to moms who are pregnant with multiples is to find a GOOD, GENTLE chiropractor. They can make all the difference in how long they are able to carry multiple babies. The benefits to those who are pregnant with singletons are huge as well!
Side note: If you are pregnant, while I highly recommend chiropractic care, make sure that your chiropractor has experience treating pregnant women and is gentle and conservative in their approach. They can be a huge asset to a successful pregnancy if you pick the right doctor!
And Then There Were Four
This is the part that I can't believe I never blogged about. Really? How did I TOTALLY skip this part of our story?
If you've been around since the beginning, you might remember how difficult Abby used to be to feed. We literally had to swaddle her from the neck down and force feed her bottles to her. We were given a choice: Either get the formula down her throat or they would put a g-tube in. We were really trying to avoid that. So instead, we had feeding session after feeding session with Abby screaming around the bottle's nipple, and me crying while trying to get food in her. It was so bad that the only two people who could feed her were me and a nurse friend who came to help once a week. We had her scoped at the local Children's Hospital, did a swallow dye test, had a biopsy...we even did an overnight hospital stay, looking for anything that could possibly be wrong with her. Everything came back fine. All of her anatomy were in the correct places, everything was functioning, she was just fine.
That is so NOT helpful when every feeding is a knock-down-drag-out fight.
Meanwhile, our chiropractor had offered several times over the months to adjust our 6-month-old, and in spite of how much she helped me while pregnant, I just wasn't comfortable with it. At that point, Dr. Amy had become a good friend, but....adjusting my super premature daughter who was still on oxygen just made me nervous.
Then one day, we hit a point where there was nothing else that we could do for Abby. She had major eating issues, and that was that. It was really defeating to know that there was no end in sight to the screaming matches.
And Dr. Amy gently offered once again to adjust her. I went home and talked to Sean and since that was the only thing we hadn't tried, we decided to do it.
Once.
I took Abby in the next day, and saw how the doctor was planning to help her. Instead of manually adjusting her with her hands, she used a little tool called an activator to gently manipulate her spine. I actually held her the whole time, and Abby was all smiles. Not exactly what I expected! In fact, it was so gentle, that I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to do anything at all. (No offense if you read this, Dr. Amy!)
I took Abby back home, prepared to say, "hey, at least we tried!", but instead, 24 hours later, Abby was eating. Without screaming. Wait, what?! After MONTHS of screaming around her bottle, she was eating. I went over and over it and the only thing that had changed was that adjustment.
So we made another appointment, took her in to be adjusted again, and within 3-4 days of that first adjustment, we had a different baby. It ranked as a miracle at our house!
These Days...
These days, Sean and I still see our chiropractor regularly. She left us for a couple of years *sniff* but moved back at the beginning of the year. We are thrilled she is back because we didn't want anyone else to adjust our kids. We take the kids in as much as we can because she is so good with children. Ellie is a particular fan of visiting Dr. Amy because, "she is the best fixer EVER!"
Ellie getting a manual adjustment
Children grow so fast that getting them adjusted is actually a really good idea! Especially when they hit growth spurts, chiropractic care can help relieve the aches and pains that kids deal with. AND it's awesome for overall general health and immune support. When the body is fully functioning, it's better able to fight off germs.
John, who works there, helping Elijah check out the heated roller/massage table...which he doesn't get to use yet. Oh Buddy, wait until you get to use that for the first time!
I can't believe I've never publically thanked Dr. Amy for all that she's done to help our family. She has gone out of her way to treat us through some of the most difficult moments of our lives and make them better. So if you see this, Dr. Amy, you have our undying gratitude!! :)
Abby...still getting chiropractic care and loving it!
Caleb is significantly more reserved about the idea, but he is slowly allowing Dr. Amy to help him more. We aren't rushing it since change in routine is very difficult for him.
All that to say, if you've been thinking about chiropractic care but haven't gone because it sounds scary, it really isn't. They treat back pain, but also neck, hip, and leg pain, headaches and migraines, digestion and feeding issues, and adjustments will even help you get over illnesses faster. True story! Just find someone who is gentle, knows how to treat your situation....and preferably has a heat and roller table (because they are the bomb!). If you try a chiro and it doesn't seem like a good fit, try another one. We are very grateful to have an excellent chiropractor less than 10 minutes from our house who knows how to treat our family gently and effectively. With everything that we've seen chiropractic care do, we now consider it a necessity for our family. Seriously, go give it a try.
And shameless plug for my awesome chiropractor who I owe so much to! If you live in Kansas City or the metro Kansas City Area, I highly recommend seeing
Dr. Amy Lundin-Jordin at One Source Wellness. No, she didn't pay me for this post. In fact, she doesn't even know I'm writing it. This is just a good old fashioned, word of mouth referral to a doctor who we love!
That was very interesting to read. I have never considered chiropractic and am actually quite nervous about it as I have heard bad stories! ACK! But I will keep it in mind. My kiddo gets headaches, wonder if it would help. I wish very much we were near to Dr. Amy cuz it sounds like she'd be great :) Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI'm sold! I've actually tossed the idea around for the past year or so but haven't made the plunge yet. I suffer from severe neck pain and headaches due to a car accident I had several years back. I fractured my neck and it still causes me tons of grief. Thank you so much for this information, very helpful :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I was pregnant, my back went out completely. (this was before we even knew we were having twins) Couldn't get out of bed, nothing. I managed to get to the chiropractor and it was AMAZING. After just one visit, I felt so much better! I could go to the bathroom without getting stuck on the toilet. ha! I was also a little hesitant, but they reassured me that it was okay and he said that pregnant women make up most of his patients. I can see why! They're definitely miracle workers :)
ReplyDelete