DRX 9000 SPINAL REPAIR

I'm going to try to do something about my back. I have always had back problems even as far back as when I was only 16 years old. (And that was way back in 1952!!) Sometimes it's worse, sometimes it's better. I marvel at the fact that I did make it through my entire Navy enlistment. I didn't have any trouble in boot camp which is where you would expect something like this to act up. I did have a few serious bouts in my last year of service but I was in a position then where I could stay in bed for two or three days if I needed to. I can't say that my back is really bad but I can't say that it's really good, either. It does seem to drain my battery a bit most days. Anyway, I'm going to try this new DRX 9000 magic machine. You can see a picture of it and get some idea of what it's all about at http://www.vitalityhealthcare.com/page.asp?page=spinaldecompression. I'm going to get an MRI today (30 JAN 2006) and may get started on the actual program by next week at the latest. They do have a machine conveniently located in Oxnard but the machine that I need is in their Simi Valley office. So, I guess I'll be trekking to Simi Valley. The program is three times a week for six weeks. I can quit any time I don't think it's doing any good. I'll let you know how it turns out. It's not cheap, of course, but if you have some fairly good medical insurance that will pay some or all of it, it's worth a try.
30 JAN 2006, 3:56 P.M.: MRI completed! Nothing to it!
7 FEB 2006: First treatment today. 17 more to go. Rating: Well....maybe. Too early to tell anything.
Here's a picture of what the machine looks like. "Click" on it once to enlarge it.



12 FEB 06: Three treatments done now. Fifteen more to go! I think that I do feel some improvement but still can't be sure. There are six cervical disks. Four of mine have "severe disk space narrowing". That's the medical term for flattened, dried out and worthless! There are other smaller problems also noted. Given the objective state of my cervical structure, I have to stop and give thanks that I still feel as well as I do and that I can still function as well as I do. BUT the MRI also noted a 13 millimeter tumor growing on my right lower thyroid gland and they recommended a thyroid ultrasound examination. So I am waiting to hear from my doctor about what I should be doing and when. I'm hoping that it is not going to amount to anything much but, if you pray, say a few for me. The neck problem I can live with with painkillers, etc. But the thyroid problem may be something else.
13 FEB 06: Fourth treatment today. All's well. Ultrasound examination of thyroid gland on the fifteenth.
21 FEB 06: Ultrasound done and interpreted. Nothing to worry about. Just some grouped but unconnected nodules that are fairly common in thyroid glands! Will be watching blood tests and other indicators over the next several years to see if anything further is needed. Also going to see a endocrinologist on April 6th for a second opinion. Thanks for the prayers.
2 MAR 06: Eleven treatments done. Seven more to go. I do feel better. I have less pain, more energy, and I'm sleeping much better. It's still too early to really evaluate the program but the results, so far, are good. I'm looking forward to reporting overall very good results and lasting improvement. These machines and treatment centers are franchised so there is probably more than one in your area. It might pay to shop around a bit for the best price. I didn't and I still haven't made a price comparison. I just saw the ad, was impressed with the picture of the machine, made the call, and made an appointment to get started.
8 MAR 06: Four more treatments to go. There's no question but that the treatment works well. I feel much better, have more energy and am sleeping very well. I have little or no pain during the day. I'll post again after the last treatment on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. Now the interesting question will be: "How long will the good results last?".
17 MAR 2006: Last treatment today. Eighteen in all. I don't really feel significantly better or different than I did after about the fifteenth treatment. Now, to see how well I hold up. I'll post about a month later with an update.
26 MAR 2006: It's still too soon to evaluate the lasting effect of this treatment but my results may not be helpful in your case. My main problem was cervical. I do have lumbar and thoracic problems as well, but it was my cervical area that was giving me the most trouble. The other problem areas are, so far, rather minimal. And my prolem was degenerative disk disease and arthritic spurs rather than a ruptured disk with material protruding that is pressing on a nerve. Degenerative disk disease is, I think, "just" a drying out and shrinking of the disk. Given a choice, I think I would rather have that and arthritic spurs than a herniated disk. I went down to my local pharmacy that has a lot of orthopaedic stuff and got a neck traction device. It has a harness that goes around your head attached to a rope that run up to pulleys that hang on a rack that fits over the top of a door and is hooked on to a water bag that weighs about twenty pounds when full. This seems to help but I haven't been using the water bag. I had been tying the rope to one leg of a heavy couch and then "scooting" down to try to get more pressure on my neck. I don't think this particular traction device would be enough help for herniated disks at the lumbar or thoracic levels.
6 APRIL 2006: Saw the endocronologist today. She recommends a thyroid biopsy. No way! Will wait six months, get another sonagram, then decide what to do if it appears that these nodules are growing.
21 APRIL 2006: Alas, the news is not good. There are little or no lasting effects from my treatment. While I was getting stretched three times a week I was feeling better but four or five weeks after the last treatment, I'm back to pretty much where I was to begin with. So: A waste of time and money. But one has to try some of these things and I'm glad that I tried it. I am going to go back for one or more "tuneup" treatments but I'm not expecting anything lasting to come of that either. And I did learn, indirectly, that the leading orthopaedic surgeon in our area does not think the treatment is worthwhile. How did I learn that? Some of his patients were there getting stretched at the same time that I was.
23 OCT 06: I did one follow-up treatment in April or May but it just wasn't worth the effort in continuing.
11 APR 08: Have been to chiropractors, pain clinics and the like. Even tried Celebrex. That's a scary drug. Read the warnings on it. But I figured that if it was all that powerful, it would at least take away the pain. Did it? Nope. But it did make my stomach queasy/uneasy so I quit it. What's coming up next? May get facet injections with cortisone and then, if that is successful, a rhizotomy which destroys nerves and nerve endings and leaves you with some numbness. Well, I can handle some numbness if I have to. In the meantime I take vicoprophen every six hours. I don't have too much trouble with that and it does seem to help with the pain considerably. I don't usually have to take four a day but I do always take one a day. My usual dose is two or three a day. I've got to make it until 2036 because that's the date I have on my tombstone and I don't want to have to spend money to change it!
21 APR 08: Eureka! I found my problem. Not the doctors, but me! It's that blasted Boniva that I have been on for about eight months. Beware! I'm quitting it. I hope that its side effects will wear off quickly and that I have not caused any permanent damage. Check it out on this great site and check your other meds also. You may be "stuck" with whatever you are using, whether you like it or not, but this site will make you far more knowledgable! This URL is the Boniva part of the site but you can easily search for most any other medication. Copy and paste it in your browser. Good Luck! http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug
=21455&name=BONIVA
And watch for my new book out soon. The title is "How Sally Fields Tried to Kill Me and I Didn't Do Nothin' To Her". My publisher wants me to shorten the title and correct the grammar but I said "No Way".
14 OCT 09: Man, have I neglected this narrative! In between here and last time a lot of water has flowed. All in all I have had four CAT scans, four MRI's, a bone scan, two trips to Cedars-Sinai and a whole lot more that I can no longer remember. Guess that I'm going to get on Twitter or Facebook one of these days. Guess that if Elizabeth Taylor can do it, so can I. Do you think that she really does it herself? Anyway, the pain and vicodin have continued all this time and the cause and solution for my problem has continued to elude all the experts. BUT tomorrow morning I go in for surgery for gall bladder removal. Between friends, anecdotes, internet searching and prayer I think that the local medical people are now convinced that the pain is caused by gall bladder problems. Had a sonogram of the bladder on 5 OCT that showed stones, cysts and then some. I hope they are right but, in any event, it has to come out before I really get hit with one of those awful gall bladder attacks. Here goes. Bye for now.