I'm getting a blamed MRI!

[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.

[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 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

[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.

[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.

[Seshat]

I can't afford chiro.

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

[teh_blumchenkinder]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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