I forgot to mention one thing from the conversation!!!

As I sat down I observed an x-ray on the wall of a seemingly curved spine!!

Now 3 years I was diagnosed with severe S shaped scoliosis. The only reason I went to my doctor for an x-ray was because ocasionally I would experience a sharp pain between my shoulder blades. The pain would knock me off my feet but it happened maybe twice a year and believe it or not, it hasn''t happened again.
So my doctor said "let's get you an x-ray of your upper back".

So I take the x-ray and the x-ray technician goes to me 'well, you do know you have scoliosis, don't you"??? I looked at the x-ray and there was a big S on the screen. I said "that's my back????" and he goes "oh, you didn't know you had scoliosis'.

So the report goes back to my doctor and he says "Melody, there's nothing you can do at your age, just keep as fit as you can." Honestly my scoliosis doesn't give me any problem, I'm not hunched, and by looked at me, I stand straight so I have no idea why there's a big S on the screen and on the report, where it says Interpretation, it reads. Severe S shaped Scoliosis!!!

So I'm sitting across from this doctor yesterday and I said "by the way, I'd like to ask a question before you begin with Alan and I go. "do you treat scoliosis?" and she goes "yes in some cases". I go "but if a person is 59 years old, you can't change the bone in the back, that's why they rarely operate on people over 14, I researched this'. She answered "well, we do help people in some cases".

I didn't believe her.


what do you think???? and people, please keep the comments coming, okay?

thanks,

Love, Mel

If they try to make money on Alan's misery I wouldnt trust them for a second. Find out if the machine and treatment is standard procedure in a quality hospital treating these health issues.

best wishes for Alan and you
Per, Norway

Mel,
This is what Aetna Insurance company considers their opinion of this machine, but I don't know anything about them. Just seems to me they are not proven to work yet.

http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0180.html

Billye

Want to know what Alan wants to purchase?

He saw on shopnbc.com a back reclining machine promoted by Tony Little. It's different than the Hang Ups upside down hanging thing that I saw on QVC.

Here's the link for that one.


http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default....*hf0007*807172

Anybody have any opinions on either this machine or the Hang Ups one!!

Here's a link to the hang ups machine:

http://www.teeterhangups.com/testimonials/index.html

We are seriously thinking about getting one of these!!!

melody

Thought I'ld share my experience on DRX-9000. I used it for 3 months 3 times a week along with massage, and tens unit. I do admit after the three months I did feel much better, the hook was to use it weekly and then monthly for maintenance. I was fortunate that my insurance picked up 80% of the cost and the Dr. wrote off quite a bit of the remainder. My neurologist gave me botox injections after this and the pain was tolerable for almost a year. It is back full force now though, so if a person can afford it, it does work but (this is only my personal opinion) it would probably be pretty much a life time commitment to be more than a temporary fix. Anyone with chronic pain knows that even short durations of manageable pain is a godsend and helps you refuel, only wish it was permanent.

Cathy

Mel, you may have mentioned this and I missed it, but did you and Alan discuss this treatment with Dr. Theirl?

I know you trust his opinions ... and he did help Alan tremendously, yes?

out of curiousity? I agree w/Dottye and the others about asking Dr. Theirle...The vagueness of this docs answers and 'webbing' a peek at the machine..well make me wonder if this is a 'cool sounding' BLACK HOLE.

I have in the past gone to chiro's, tho not lucky enuf to have found a chiro/neuro as you have...My reasons were muscle/tissue damage and not spinal tho.. For Alan to decide, you as well maybe, is if your conditions warrant the extra expense for what's sounding like some BIG FAT MAYBE's. AND NEVER covered by insurance!

IF Doc T says give it a whirl..I would, but cautiously. I'll see if I can find any NIH/trials on the thing...usually when those are posted...the actual equipment used is very, very vague-so's not to bias one machine over another. Why thats done with equipment and not drugs is another mystery. But, this is the way of the medical world..

Check out your area hospital's services for cancer patients tho..many offer reiki, various massages and other exercise programs...cheap. I don't think that they can legally exclude non-cancer folks..worth a shot! - Good thoughts! - j

Bulging disks? No wonder he has so much pain. If you look at a picture of the spine and all the disks and such, you'll see that on each side of the opening in a vertebrae is where all the nerve bundles come through. With a bulging disk it can put pressure on those nerve bundles. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this adequately so if someone could give me a hand I'd appreciate it.

What does his doc say about these bulging disks and treatment for them?

I'm glad (I read through the entire thread before posting) you decided against it. It seems to me there might be some very serious risk involved. What jumped out at me is what would happen to these bulging disks if the wrong kind of pressure was put on them? Among other concerns. Is there risk of damage? I mean in addition to the problems Alan already has? Was that discussed at all?

Barbara

Scam!!!!!!!

Yes, they consider the therapy "experimental" so they are off the hook!
In my area of the country this group, ncwbackpain
has an amazing number of videos of patients on their web site responding to the question as to how the therapy helped them. Includes a dentist. Long expensive therapy though and I am a physician and still non-believer. Likely same results as inversion therapy. eddiej9