I'm getting a blamed MRI!

[LewisLegion]

I'm so sick of this.

I have a twisted pelvis, according to my naturopath. He says its tilted down to the left as well as the right side twisted forward. Because of this, my right leg is about a half inch to an inch shorter than my left leg. This explains all my lower back pain, my hip pain, and the fact that even when I DON'T hurt (rare) I still limp. On my good days I walk funny. On my bad days I walk with a cane. Whenever I sit physically straight, I feel like I'm leaning to one side, turning to one side, and bent over. I also seriously need a breast reduction (I'm a DD).

My naturopath adjusts me once a week. It helps...right after the adjustment. There are some days I'll feel good for a couple hours after...most days I can literally feel my pelvis and lower back reshifting into its twist before I even get out to the car. He seems perfectly content with just letting me come in once or twice a week to adjust me. I, however, want an end to this.

I did have a set of xrays done years ago when I first started feeling pain in my hip. My doc at the time said my hips looked fine and that was that. Now I'm seriously ready to walk into my regular doc and demand an MRI. I don't really want to have surgery (part of the reason I haven't gotten a reduction before now) but I am so sick of the pain and walking like I'm ninety years old half the time when I'm only 35.

[BlaqueKatt]

I'm so sick of this.

I have a twisted pelvis, according to my naturopath. He says its tilted down to the left as well as the right side twisted forward. Because of this, my right leg is about a half inch to an inch shorter than my left leg.

My sister has a similar problem, and she got help from a chiropractor, not via adjustments but via insoles for her shoes-one is thicker than the other, and there is some kind of balance test she does to make sure they're correctly adjusted in her shoes(holds her fingers in the "a-ok" hand sign, and if you can't pul her index finger and thumb apart they're adjusted correctly)....just throwing that out there....

[Shalom]

insoles for her shoes-one is thicker than the other,

Sounds like Foot Levelers (http://www.footlevelers.com/products/solid_support.php). Highly recommended; been wearing them for years myself. My chiropractor prescribed them to keep my pelvis leveled (I also tended to get the one longer leg, although not to the extent that LL described), but I'm mostly wearing them because if I don't, the plantar fasciitis comes back. Ask your naturopath to check them out, although they might only be available through chiropractors.

[Sapphire Silk]

I have a twisted pelvis, according to my naturopath. He says its tilted down to the left as well as the right side twisted forward.<snip>

I did have a set of xrays done years ago when I first started feeling pain in my hip. My doc at the time said my hips looked fine and that was that. Now I'm seriously ready to walk into my regular doc and demand an MRI. I don't really want to have surgery (part of the reason I haven't gotten a reduction before now) but I am so sick of the pain and walking like I'm ninety years old half the time when I'm only 35.

I can sympathize. I've got some hip issues of my own. I got worked up for them on the recommendation of my pediatrician, but the orthopedist didn't think there was anything wrong. I probably have very mild hip dysplagia (my hip "clicks" when I rotate it certain ways).

Bear in mind, even if your naturopath is right (and I'm not saying he is wrong), there may not be anything surgically that can be done. There may however, be other treatment options to help with your pain. I certainly hope so.

If your GP doesn't want to do the MRI, ask for a referall to an orthopedist.

[LewisLegion]

If your GP doesn't want to do the MRI, ask for a referall to an orthopedist.


I will do so. Honestly I'm HOPING surgery won't help and something else can be done...like I said, I don't want surgery but this has to end somehow. Adjustments are not working. I will mention the insoles to both my docs and see their thoughts.

[LadyAndreca]

My mom's been wearing those insoles since I was in grade school. She was misdiagnosed as having one leg shorter than the other, when in fact she had scoliosis. So she was being given the right solution for the wrong problem and didn't find out the truth for years. (She wondered once, years later, if that wasn't intentional on the part of the first doctor, as a diagnosis of scoliosis would have had her medically discharged from the Army. But she had no proof and it didn't really matter at that point.)

When she's not wearing the insoles, she has to have one shoe built up. It makes finding shoes hell for her, because it has to be a shoe where the cushioning can be cut apart (air/gel pockets = bad), but she's also got narrow feet so her selection is severely limited to begin with. One of the first things she looks for whenever she has to move is a shoe repair store that can modify shoes as well as repair them.

[ArcticChicken]

For the breast problems, have you tried different sorts of bras? My breasts are huge, I'm not sure exactly on the size, because my local bra place just brings me bras, but before I started loosing weight I was DD or DDD, and while I've lost band size, my breasts themselves haven't shrunk, stupid birth control pills.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is I went to my local bra specialist and said "I'm having shoulder and neck problems because of my boobs." and they went and grabbed a bra off the shelf that, frankly, works miracles. They're expensive, but I love them.

If you don't have a specialist place you can go, you might try a long-line bra, or a loosely laced corset, something to shift some of the weight from your shoulders and back to your hips.

[Shalom]

One of the first things she looks for whenever she has to move is a shoe repair store that can modify shoes as well as repair them.

You're in Joisey? Try Correct Shoe Fitters in Rutherford; they're mostly sales, but their repairman does that sort of thing as well. I saw a shoe there once with a 5" sole lift. I realise Rutherford isn't that close to the Shore, but if you happen to be up this way sometime, it's worth a shot.

[LewisLegion]

For the breast problems, have you tried different sorts of bras?

I have. Some work better than others but none take care of the problem. I've been seeing specialists since I developed (I literally went from completely flat to a DD within six months) and actually had to wear nursing bras for a while as nothing else would work! Do you know how humiliating it is for a kid in gym class in junior high to wear a nursing bra?

From the moment I developed doctors told me I would need a reduction but that I couldn't have one until I was in my early twenties and had stopped developing. I have since found excuses not to get one done (even though docs keep telling me I need one, even now) because I don't want to have surgery, and on me it's going to be a major surgery and some serious recovery time.

I have not, however, tried corsets. That's an interesting thought...I will check it out :D

[Der Cute]

I have. Some work better than others but none take care of the problem. I've been seeing specialists since I developed (I literally went from completely flat to a DD within six months) and actually had to wear nursing bras for a while as nothing else would work!

6 months? Holy boobage Batman! Ow. I gained 30 #s in a few months and that kind of hurt.

Honey, I'd bite the bullet and get 'er done. You need it - just think, wouldn't that give the hip issue a lot more leeway? If your center of gravity is boobland, that itself will mess up your back/hips/rest of body. Reduce the mass, change posture, possibly do a longer lasting hip reset.

Hugs...ow. Want my C+ or D- boobies?

[Food Lady]

D- :lol: I had a neighbor who had corsets made for her. Loved them.

[Sapphire Silk]

I have not, however, tried corsets. That's an interesting thought...I will check it out :D

Take care with the type of corset you try.

Victorian style and Edwardian style corsets are actually very unhealthy to wear on a regular basis because they restrict your ability to breathe properly. (Side note: I actually have research studies done by physicians in the late 19th century that prove a significant reduction in tidal volume, or the amount of air you can breathe in). This is due to the boning, or whale bone, used to make the corset, whose purpose is also to tighten the waist.

Medieval or Renaissance style corsets (stays) don't have that problem, and are more comfortable to wear on a regular basis. You might try a bustier (bustiere); you should be able to find them in lingerie stores. Modern ones are made with mesh, and some are designed to be outerwear rather than underwear.

[LewisLegion]

Noted. Thank you, Panacea :)

Der Cute, C would be nice. Honestly, I'm to the point I'd rather just have them completely removed and not even need a training bra, I'm so sick of the darned things.

[Blue Ginger]

LewisLegion, I have been going to a Chiropractor since I was four. My chiro is the only reason I can walk without being in pain.:bounce:

However, I have never heard of a naturopath doing bone/joint adjustments. My naturopath makes really good creams and shampoos for my super sensitive skin. But when my hips are out of whack, I go straight to my Chiro. Are you sure you shouldn't be seeing a Chiropractor?

My hip joints are pretty messed up thanks to me coming out feet first and the doc pulling between contractions, not with them:rolleyes:. The hips were only slightly out of alignment, so it never showed up on x-rays. My grandfather's GP/Chiro/Naturopath was the one who saw what was wrong.

I now visit my Chiropractor about 3 times a year and wear orthotic (sp?) inserts in my shoes. The inserts basically (in the words of my chiro) push the arch in the right place, which makes the muscles in the knee stay in place and keeps the hips even. Which also helps my back. Tilted hips caused my spine to curve.

I second the corset idea too. I use a sleeping corset. It basically has soft plastic boning that is more concentrated on the back and stomach. Mine goes from my hips to just under my boobs. It has helped heaps with my spine. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about being top heavy. I was 18 before I was out of training bras.:devil:

[Dragon_Dreamer]

Mine are actually larger than those described above, but I have found a GREAT solution. First, I got some bras in my size from Bali. It was the largest size they had, but still fits, albeit with some sagging.

Then I found the Hollywood Fashions bra clips! Two of those, one hooked through the plastic rings where the straps meet the back, and the other through the straps themselves, slip the closed bra over my head, and boom!

They're finally in the *right* position, and after a month or two of uncomfortableness, I'm doing great. :) I found I *have* to use both clips, though, or the straps leave welts in my skin.

Still, it's nice to have a solution, since I can't/won't wear underwires anymore. Back when I wore underwires, one apparently had the wire break through the cloth and work its way a full inch deep into my breast. I still have the scar from where the doctor extracted it. The scary part was, I *never felt a thing.* I just looked down and noticed the blood. >.< I refuse to go through that ever again. :P

[Seshat]

Der Cute, C would be nice. Honestly, I'm to the point I'd rather just have them completely removed and not even need a training bra, I'm so sick of the darned things.

G cup here. And reductions are considered elective plastic surgery, and right now, electives aren't even put in the queue at the public hospitals. :(

[LewisLegion]

I thought reductions were only considered elective if they were not causing secondary medical issues? Once a doctor signs off that medical issues are being caused or exacerbated by the large breast size it is no longer considered elective? At least, that was always my understanding.

Blue Ginger, my naturopath also has a degree in Chiropractic medicine and was exclusively a chiropracter for years before he shifted to the naturopath side of things.

[Kirkygirl]

LewisLegion, I'm going to add my two cents.
Try and see if you can't book in and see a massage therapist (either LMT or RMT, depending on where you are). I'm a massage therapy student who deals with anterior and posteriorly rotated ilia (or pelvic bones) all the time when I'm in our school's student clinic. Any massage therapist worth their salt will also tell you to get an x-ray of your legs so that your doctor can measure the actual length of your femurs, your tibias and your fibulas. THAT is the real and determining factor as to whether you have a leg length discrepancy.

But keep in mind, I live in a different jurisdiction than you, and I'm not a Registered Massge Therapist yet. All the information I've given here was taught to me by chiropractors and other certified and licensed medical professionals. This is meant as advice and not a prescription.

/CYA
Mods, feel free to delete this if it contravenes any rules or regulations.

[Blue Ginger]

Lewis Legion, that makes more sense now. Your naturopath is a bit like my grandfathers GP. He learnt how to do everything and anything. He was a huge asset to large country area. You are definitely going to the right person then.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

I was told by my company's insurance that they'd pay for an enlargement, but not a reduction. I work for a PHARMACY. >.< And I'm the same size at Seshat.

[Kirkygirl]

I was told by my company's insurance that they'd pay for an enlargement, but not a reduction. I work for a PHARMACY. >.< And I'm the same size at Seshat.

Ouch ouch ouch ouch you poor thing! Very few men actually know what it's like to have breasts that big and how much they suck for low back problems. This includes men that are heads of insurance companies. :(

[Seshat]

I thought reductions were only considered elective if they were not causing secondary medical issues? Once a doctor signs off that medical issues are being caused or exacerbated by the large breast size it is no longer considered elective? At least, that was always my understanding.

If it was totally elective, Medicare (Australia's 'universal medical access' system) wouldn't cover it at all. But by comparison to other forms of 'plastic surgery' such as cleft palates, severe burn victims, etc, it's quasi-elective.

Apparently the queue for 'essential' is long enough that they're not putting folks like me in it.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

:( Poor Seshat. Maybe you could persuade them by giving them aaaaall your chiro bills? Money talks, yo.

[Seshat]

I can't afford chiro. :(

I've been getting massages, though. From my loves. :D

[LewisLegion]

Kirkygirl, I appreciate the suggestion, but I actually cannot tolerate massage therapy. Due to the nature of my chronic pain syndrome massage therapy actually equates to torture. Seriously it feels like I'm being stabbed repeatedly and that huge vibrating device they use might as well be covered in razors or barbed wire.

My muscles are so reactive, as well, that putting any amount of pressure on certain points will start a chain reaction of cramps and spasms. Seriously, my therapist at first thought I was faking it when he pressed on my upper back and my right arm started flailing. Until he held my arm in one hand and pressed the same spot again and could feel the muscles jumping and rippling (believe it or not, there is a difference in how the muscles feel when they are moved on purpose versus involuntarily).

I could barely move that arm for the rest of the day.

When my naturopath does adjustments he does do a small amount of massage therapy and it is horrible every time. I do feel a little better afterward but it fades quickly and then I just feel like I got beaten with a sack of oranges.

[Primer]

. <snip>...massage therapy and it is horrible every time. I do feel a little better afterward but it fades quickly and then I just feel like I got beaten with a sack of oranges.
My ex bf and a few other friends swear by getting massages. I tried it a few times, but I always hurt worse coming out than I did going in. :cry:

[LewisLegion]

I used to LOVE massages (and I give a mean massage, myself). I just can't tolerate them any more. You might as well be ripping my skin off. It's sad :(

[Kirkygirl]

Kirkygirl, I appreciate the suggestion, but I actually cannot tolerate massage therapy. Due to the nature of my chronic pain syndrome massage therapy actually equates to torture. Seriously it feels like I'm being stabbed repeatedly and that huge vibrating device they use might as well be covered in razors or barbed wire.

Awww you poor thing! Yeah pain syndromes suck the big one. I am very thankful that I don't have one, and I'm very sorry that you do. In the same token, it's really cool hearing about experiences from patients that have disorders like that.
Huge vibrating device?? I've never even heard of those. I think you might be talking about an ultrasound machine. Here in BC, it's waaaay outside our scope of practice, because we aren't allowed to play with anything that has to do with electricity. We just aren't trained in it.

My muscles are so reactive, as well, that putting any amount of pressure on certain points will start a chain reaction of cramps and spasms. Seriously, my therapist at first thought I was faking it when he pressed on my upper back and my right arm started flailing.
Bad therapist! Bad! Never assume a patient is faking it unless your patient has a VERY good reason to do it. Just because you're not feeling anything doesn't mean that your patient doesn't!
/soapbox
Until he held my arm in one hand and pressed the same spot again and could feel the muscles jumping and rippling (believe it or not, there is a difference in how the muscles feel when they are moved on purpose versus involuntarily).

I could barely move that arm for the rest of the day.

When my naturopath does adjustments he does do a small amount of massage therapy and it is horrible every time. I do feel a little better afterward but it fades quickly and then I just feel like I got beaten with a sack of oranges.

:( I'm honestly sorry to hear about how painful your treatments are but I am very happy to hear how well versed your naturopath is in practices that aren't necessarily used by Western Medicine, but are proven to work nonetheless.

I still think it would be a good idea to go and get those x-rays done to see if a leg-length discrepancy really is the cause of your problems.

Again, I am not a fully licensed/registered massage therapist, and just a student. I can't properly give my opinions on what is wrong unless I see you in person, so the preceding are just ideas that you should bring up with your GP.

[LewisLegion]

I'm going to my regular practitioner tonight for various reasons, and I'm going to tell her what my naturopath has said and get a reference to an orthopedist. Right now it's to the point that even if I have minimal pain, I absolutely cannot walk straight without limping. Even if I move very carefully and concentrate very hard my steps hitch and it almost feels like I can feel the seperate pelvic bones just grinding and moving loose against each other. So, we'll see what my PCP says tonight and go from there.

I have also been instructed by my BFF to ask for a hearing test. Apparently I turn my head to one side when I'm listening to someone or watching tv, which I honestly hadn't really noticed. Apparently her father does the same thing and he has severe hearing issues in one ear. So, I'll be doing that too.

[Seshat]

Even if I move very carefully and concentrate very hard my steps hitch and it almost feels like I can feel the seperate pelvic bones just grinding and moving loose against each other.

I have days where I simply cannot walk without limping, and days when I can't stand straight.

But ... separate pelvic bones? Your pelvis is supposed to be a single, fused piece. There's one cartilage joint in the perineal area, the rest should be solid bone. And that one cartilage joint should only ever soften in the late stages of pregnancy (it's there to make childbirth easier).


Edit to add: I'm not saying 'that's impossible'. If there's one thing my own life has taught me, it's that medically, NOTHING is impossible. I'm just saying 'that's not supposed to happen'.

I have also been instructed by my BFF to ask for a hearing test. Apparently I turn my head to one side when I'm listening to someone or watching tv, which I honestly hadn't really noticed. Apparently her father does the same thing and he has severe hearing issues in one ear. So, I'll be doing that too.

Yup - I do that. And yes, I have hearing issues.

[LewisLegion]

I wrote it badly, I guess. I didn't mean to suggest there are actual seperate pelvic bones...that's just how it FEELS when I try and walk 'normally'...like there's all these broken or loose pieces just shifting and moving and grinding loosely around each other ;)

Bleh...hearing problem. Just one more thing I really don't need.

[Food Lady]

I'm sorry to Seshat, DragonDreamer, and LL. All your issues make mine seem minor. My pain can usually be resolved with anti-inflammatories. If those don't work, a dose of alcohol will (which I do rarely). And I want to add that breast size isn't necessarily always the problem. I had my back problems for 10 years before the "girls" showed up.

[Seshat]

I wrote it badly, I guess. I didn't mean to suggest there are actual seperate pelvic bones...that's just how it FEELS when I try and walk 'normally'...like there's all these broken or loose pieces just shifting and moving and grinding loosely around each other ;)

Bleh...hearing problem. Just one more thing I really don't need.

Ahhhh. Yes, I'm familiar with that feeling (the bones).

Also very familiar with the 'one more thing I don't need' feeling. :rolleyes:


I'm sorry to Seshat, DragonDreamer, and LL. All your issues make mine seem minor. My pain can usually be resolved with anti-inflammatories. If those don't work, a dose of alcohol will (which I do rarely). And I want to add that breast size isn't necessarily always the problem. I had my back problems for 10 years before the "girls" showed up.


LL and I have fibromyalgia, which is a poorly-understood (but there are people working on it) pain disorder. At present, the only treatments are to treat the symptoms.

[AccountingDrone]

I have days where I simply cannot walk without limping, and days when I can't stand straight.

But ... separate pelvic bones? Your pelvis is supposed to be a single, fused piece. There's one cartilage joint in the perineal area, the rest should be solid bone. And that one cartilage joint should only ever soften in the late stages of pregnancy (it's there to make childbirth easier).


Edit to add: I'm not saying 'that's impossible'. If there's one thing my own life has taught me, it's that medically, NOTHING is impossible. I'm just saying 'that's not supposed to happen'.



Yup - I do that. And yes, I have hearing issues.

Actually there are a number of nonfused joints in the pelvis, a pair in the sacrum, one in the iliac crest and one at the pubic synthesys - they are cartillagenous joints which separate when women get hit up with whatever that hormone is and then they waddle.. Oh frabdgous joy, I have bone spurs in both sides of my sacrum. The hormones of the menstrual cycle do actually also make the cartillage soften to a lesser degree which always made any period I had extra special.

[Food Lady]

^ Oh, THAT must be why it's said women get clumsier during PMS! I heard it had something to do with hormones.

[PepperElf]

Mom has had something similar for most of her life - she always thought one leg was just longer than the other.


When she had knee surgery done one of the doctors that was checking her legs noticed it (not all of mom's docs noticed it) ...

Doc: hmm... let's try this to see if it works. If it works, then you can fix it without surgery.

He had her sit in the chair and pull one knee up to her chest and hold it there for a few seconds, and then the other one. Afterwards he checked her legs and saw they were now the same length.


According to the doctor, her hips had a slight twist to them which had been putting her legs out of alignment enough to make one longer than the other. It wasn't exactly "fixable" but... she could realign them herself every day with that exercise.

So now, every day after breakfast or so mom sits in her chair, pulls her knees up one at a time, and has a bit less leg pain i think ;)

[AccountingDrone]

^ Oh, THAT must be why it's said women get clumsier during PMS! I heard it had something to do with hormones.

Pretty much.

God is obviously not a woman, she wouldn't abuse us so badly.

Really, the response to those jackasses who preach intelligent design ...

Hm, male genitalia on the outside, prone to physical damage.

female physical changes during pregnancy that can screw the body up permanently.

infants being so helpless for the first several years of life and not popping out housebroken and coherent.

[LewisLegion]

Back from the doc's! I am getting my MRI :)

We talked for quite a while, she did a physical examination of my back and confirmed it was much worse than it has been. She touched one point on it and I about came off the exam table. She told me there was nerve involvement given my symptoms and we did x-rays right away, which came back showing nothing amiss.

Right now she's leaning strongly on it being Sacroilliac Joint Dysfunction, possibly a herniated disc, but there are other possibilities on the board. I'm getting the MRI sometime in the next week or two, and depending on the results of that she will either send me to an orthopedist or a rheumatologist, and depending on THEIR findings she may end up sending me to a neurologist. She says there are some other faint neurologic symptoms that may point to it being MS, but right now she doesn't think so (she's pretty convinced it's SJD).

So, at least that's done. Ever forward.

[dragon_wings]

Yay for progress, right?

[LadyAndreca]

If you're anything like me, any step that accomplishes something feels really good, especially a step that focuses choices or possibilites. Good luck!

[Seshat]

LL,

My fingers are crossed for your sake that it's something readily diagnosable: and readily curable. If not curable, easily treatable.

[LewisLegion]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm glad something's going to be done. My worst fear right now is that the MRI will show nothing, the orthopedist or rheumatologist will find nothing, and the neurologist will find nothing, and I'll basically be cast off to deal with it on my own...again.

[Misanthropical]

LewisLegion Wow! I thought it was bad when I went from nothing to a size D. It's only recently they started making cute bras in that size. My insurance will cover a reduction if it is causing back problems, but my pain has nothing to do with my breasts. They will cover enlargements only if a breast is cut off due to a cancer.

My insurance keeps sending me questionnaires that want to put the blame for the pain I have on someone else so they won't have to pay for it. I keep sending it back saying it's still a problem that has nothing to do with any accident or someone else. :rolleyes:

My physical therapist used that device type thing on me and I had to be nearly peeled off the ceiling. My back muscles were spasming at the time and that did not help.

[LewisLegion]

I got some weird letters too a while back regarding my insurance. They kept saying that I had been admitted due to injuries that could be work related or the fault of someone else, and wanted me to submit information regarding the 'injury incident' so they could pursue anyone else that may have been at fault and liable.

Thing is, the date they gave me for this 'injury admittance' was the date I went and had a heart holter monitor put on. Yeah, that's right...my 'injury' was heart palpitations that turned out to be extremely mild, non-threatening tachychardia. I wasn't admitted, I was in the hospital less than ten minutes, and I sure as heck wasn't injured.

Yet it took months for me to convince them of that, for some reason. Bleh.

On the upside, I'm getting my MRI tomorrow after work :D