Get Your Head On Straight

By Edna Peirce Dixon

Some 4 1/2 years have passed since that rainy Sunday morning in January when I stepped outside in my nightgown just to put some seeds in the bird feeder. Then came the sudden fall that left this just-turned-80-year-old alone and helpless with two broken arms. The immediate problem after help finally came was to deal with the fractures. The arms healed but I was left with another set of persistent symptoms: vertigo, imbalance, brain fog, ear fullness, tinnitus and a heavy head. This was eventually diagnosed as Meniere’s disease; I did all the therapy bit, learned to cope and resigned myself to just live with it.

I managed okay for a good while but over time most of these symptoms have grown steadily worse so I’ve now reached the point where the “quality of life” meter falls to near zero on far too many days. Part of this is the ever-increasing pain and stiffness in my neck with numbness and tingling in my arms and hands. Most surely this has been aggravated by the untold hours I spend sitting some which-a-way at my desk staring at the computer screen lost in doing what I love to do: writing, editing, genealogy, reading and communicating with friends. This is my world and my window on the world.

Even under normal circumstances, as we grow older and less able to get out, our world begins to shrink. But the many months of Covid lockdown brought all social interaction, exercise at the gym and the warm water yoga classes hubs and I had enjoyed for years to an abrupt halt. As a result I became even more dependent upon my computer and far less active physically. My dilemma is that almost everything that keeps me alive and motivated these days involves my computer.

One day recently I read an article posted on a Meniere’s support group site suggesting new chiropractic technology as a means to possibly relieve some Meniere’s symptoms. So I went on a search – on my computer of course – and found there is indeed such a specialist right here in my area. So with the encouragement of my husband and offspring, I made an appointment. Last week I went for a diagnostic workup which included various measurements of body alignment, Cone Beam Computed Tomography imaging, and ultrasound.

On the second visit my new chiropractic neck doc went over all the results with me. I was astonished to see the full extent of the mess inside my neck in 3-dimensional images from every angle. Fact is, no part of my entire head and neck is symmetrical and in balance with it’s opposite side, and neither is the rest of my body. Simply put as I understand it, this is all due to the brain’s effort to keep the head perfectly straight. The brain directs the body to compensate for the misalignment of the neck which is trying to support and balance this big head. So bottom line, in my case, my whole body is doing contortions while the flow of nerves and spinal fluid through the brain stem is about 55% blocked by the misaligned bones just below. No wonder my head feels so heavy and my brain so foggy and I walk like Otis on a Saturday night drunk!

It didn’t take a bit of persuasion for me to commit to the doc’s suggested 7-month plan of treatments that he believes will get me restored to at least 85 to 90% function. So the initial month of intensive care began immediately. I got down on my hands and knees and prayerfully laid my head on this specially designed padded platform for my first adjustment. He said to take a deep breath and then relax. Then POW! Actually, the adjustment was just a quick, strategic push, but the piercing sound of that bone being moved back into its proper position shot through my head like a bolt of electricity. Afterward, I felt a little dizzy at first but then came the gee-whiz moment when I discovered I could actually turn my head freely from side to side with no pain. To recover I got to sit and relax for a while in this big cushy chair that pretty much stood me on my head. Hey, I’m thinking I can do this!

When viewing the images, my doc explained to me how and why this misalignment has been developing gradually over many years of wear and tear and small injuries from everyday activities. Up to this point, my symptoms have been relatively minor and easily relieved by ice, heat and OTC pain meds. In my estimation, that freak accident I had in 2019 pushed this tired old neck over the edge, triggering the full-blown Meniere’s symptoms.

So just as this mess did not develop all of a sudden, it will not be healed with just a few adjustments. It will take time for CSR (the correction, strengthen and rehabilitation phase) to coax every part of this complex system to rest comfortably in its proper place with the strength to function as fully as possible. The system of nerves that travel from the brain through this narrow passage control the function, health and wellbeing of the entire body. Somebody had better be paying attention. We’re talking about many of the health issues that plague all of us sooner or later and you can’t take a pill to fix that! So even at my age I have renewed hope and trust that with this comprehensive treatment plan, this essential passageway can be restored substantially, and with it relief from some of my more annoying symptoms, overall better health and much better quality of life.

We’ll wait and see but I’m optimistic enough to go ahead and replace my drag-butt, antiquated old computer. Though I’m pushing 85 years I have no intention of giving up on pursuing the activities that give my life meaning, purpose and pleasure. The fast, new laptop I have coming will get my personal technology up to date. I’ll adjust, try to be more flexible and hopefully take some pressures off the old neck. Life goes on and I intend to participate however I can for as long as I can.

We’re never too old to get our head on straight.