chiropractor?

does anybody have any opinions of chiros? I've not gone to one before except 3 adjustments years ago after pulling a shoulder muscle. This guy is from Oregon, which means we don't have a language issue, a BIG plus, and he's not seeming too extreme about his plan of treatment. I've always been leery of them because people never seem to get well, they just go to be adjusted on a regular basis for the rest of their lives. I want to get this back pain treated and rid of it. Right now, I've started taking so many pills for the pain, Gabapentin, Vitamin B's, and even Soma, and it's almost like before WLS, a hole handful of pills twice a day again. Any good advice from my OH buddies? remember, I'm in Singapore, so some things just aren't available, and surprisingly, accupunture isn't being recommended by any of our local acquaintances. Massage just eases the pain for a few hours, and there's no way I'm having back surgery here. I've got until April to get this thing better so I can tolerate the 24 hour flight home. Please advise! 

 Have you looked at facet block injections?   A deep injection of steroids epdiurally in the affected area can reduce the inflammation of the injured tissues and bring pain relief that lasts a month or longer ..    You will need to find a pain doc or ortho specialist though, for this ..      I doubt even there a chiro can administer such treatment ..    

  When you get back to the U.S., you should see a similar specialist here and, if the injection gave you some pain relief, see about receiving 2-5 more as needed ..  There is a limitation on the # of these one can receive, due to the possibility of liver damage.  By that point, the pain has often resolved permanently.  If not, then you would be evaluated as a candidate for surgery.  

 Good luck ..

 Thanks, and Yes, I had epidural injections in Houston last year, they only wore off a few months ago, might have lasted even longer if I hadn't made so many trips back and forth over here, but maybe not. The cortizone is great, it worked from the get-go, and the doc was wonderful, but I'm not up for paying out of pocket for another $2000 if I don't have to, our insurance still double and triple checks any claims from me because I had WLS, although they didn't pay for my surgery, but Hubby's employer disapproves of any kind of weight loss treatments, and refuses to allow them. So, they check, just to be on the safe side. And not to worry, I've been heard to bring the savings they've gotten from my surgery, drop in medical charges and prescriptions, up at events like Annual Manager's Meetings, dinner with the new CEO, ect. It has made me a very popular wife at the company picnic, but Hubby and I don't care, the surgery was well worth every cent! 

I love my chiropractor.  All the years of being heavy really messed up my skeletal sysem, and I've had to go to a chiropractor to keep that in check.  I find that if I let myself get into a situation where I have alot of pain, then it takes alot of visits for a while to work it all out.  Once you are doing ok, it's good to go periodically to keep yourself aligned.  I get massages in his office too, and that really helps.  After loosing all of this weight, my muscles are pulling in ways that they never have.  Everything is aligned differently, and the weight stresses are distributed differently.  It's going to take a while for my body to get used to the new me.

 my problem seems to be related to years of hauling horse feed and hay plus heavy purses, always on the right shoulder. I bought a smaller, lighter purse over the weekend but it's not working out, not enough room for my eyeglass case and the strap is so narrow that it hurts my shoulder even with less weight. Doc says my problem is a residual of pain from a pinched disk and misaligned vertabra plus a pinched nerve that runs along the smallest ribs on my right side. I tend to slump to the right when sitting, driving, even just standing, my right shoulder is almost 3 inches lower than the left. I know this is a lot of stuff to fix, I just don't want to be going to a chiropractor every few weeks or months for the rest of my life like so many people I know.