Chronic Pain

It feels good to feel good again! On July 11, 2004, while riding as a passenger in a car, I fell asleep for about 30 minutes and woke up with a very sore, stiff neck. In the next few days, pain spread from my neck across my shoulder, down my right arm and into my right thumb. Along with the pain, I experienced a "pins and needles" sensation up and down the inside of my right arm that came and went all the time. Sleeping was most difficult.

My internist prescribed a muscle relaxer and 800 mg. of Motrin, taken 4 times a day "as needed". The Motrin took the edge off, but never completely relieved the pain. Sleep was only attainable by taking a whole "Unisom" tablet. (I�m currently continuing a 3 year habit of taking 1/2 Unisom at night. I hope to kick this habit in the near future).

By mid-August, I was still in pain. My prescription ran out, so I decided to just take 4 Motrins (equals 800 mg.) about every 4-6 hours, just to take the edge off the pain, while continuing a whole tablet of Unisom at night. Sometimes I�d take 2 extra strength Bayer aspirin a few hours after the Motrin. No medication made the pain cease; even large doses did not end the pain.

Since my husband teaches History at Life University, we can receive "free" Chiropractic care. I had last seen a chiropractor 30 years ago for a "stiff neck" from sleeping the wrong way. That was in Tennessee. I was trying to decide who I should see at Life, when an old friend of mine called me from Florida.

My friend, Barbara, called me to ask me to pray for her husband, who suffers from an enlarged heart. After we talked for while, she asked me how I was doing. She got an earful! After listening to me, Barbara said-most emphatically- "You need to see Dr. Russell Friedman. When my regular chiropractor couldn�t help me after a car accident, he sent me to Dr. Friedman. I felt relief from the pain after the very first adjustment!" When I mentioned I�s been thinking of seeing a chiropractor, Barbara interjected, "Not just ANY chiropractor, Michele; you NEED to see Dr. Friedman!"

I took her advice, and I�m very glad I did. After my first adjustment, I was not pain-free, but the pain lessoned considerably. I felt hopeful that the pain would eventually cease. Within 24 hours of my first adjustment by Dr. Friedman, I began taking only 2 Motrin, about twice a day. By the time I saw Dr. Friedman for my second adjustment 4 days later I was taking Motrin only occasionally.

My first adjustment was 8/26/04. Now, after 4 adjustments, I am free of pain from the injury. I still have occasional "pins and needles" in my right arm, but they aren't painful - just annoying. I believe they will cease eventually.

My husband and I just took a deep breath and decided to pay "out-of-pocket" to see Dr. Friedman since his care is not covered under Life's current insurance carrier. We have two children (6 1/2 yrs & 4 yrs.) who really need a mother who feels her best. After more than 6 weeks of living with me in my pain-altered state (read: short-tempered), they are all relieved to have me back with my regular, even-tempered (usually) disposition. I expect to feel even better as I complete my treatment program and continue to heal. It makes sense to me that my twisted neck needed some hands-on manipulation to "untwist" it.

-Michele,
Kennesaw GA