Well, Poke Me With A Needle, Again And Again And Again

Let's go back in time.

I was still living in Erie when I hurt my lower back in the early 1990s. I did the usual treatments for back problems from therapy to traction to praying. Nothing worked and back then there were NO stories of successful back surgeries so that option was off the table.

Fast forward five years or so and I am living in Houston Texas. I was to the point with my back that I literally could not walk. Someone suggested an acupuncturist to me and having nothing to lose (and still refusing surgery) I agreed. It was one of the best decision of my life.

Let me talk a moment about Dr. Huang. He was the real deal. He was direct from China, barely spoke English, and nothing in his office, including his medical degree, was written in English. His English was good enough to understand my pain though. I was practically carried in to his office on a Monday, I had additional appointments the following Wednesday and Friday and my last appointment was the next Monday. That made four appointments in a week. On that second Monday, I literally danced out of his office. He was my miracle worker! Every few months, I'd go back for a booster treatment. One treatment was generally enough and for years, that was my routine. Dr. Huang really kept me living my life.

I moved to Ohio in December 2001, and now no more Dr. Huang, and I quickly got to the point where I could barely walk and I definitely could not sit in a chair. Call me racist, but I did NOT want a western doctor coming at me with any needles. I wanted authentic and in the Cleveland Ohio area I had no hope of finding someone I would be comfortable with.

I did however, end up hitting the jackpot in picking a surgeon to finally take care of the problem in 2002. I'd suffered 10 years with this and enough was enough. Dr. Roberts was truly a miracle worker and even waking up in the recovery room, the first words out of my mouth were "oh my God, it doesn't hurt any more!". That was something. Recovery wasn't a cake walk, but in a few weeks I was back to work and back to living life. I have always called Dr. Roberts a miracle worker.

Then along comes my freakin' car accident. This time, it's not my lower back but my mid back. Once again, I've done everything they've asked. I did the therapy, I did the tests, I did the pain blocks, I did the prayer. Nothing worked. I ran out of patience, I wouldn't go through the pain of further treatment nor did I have to money to pay for further treatment. And, my old miracle worker, Dr. Roberts, doesn't feel I am a candidate for surgery so that is not an option. I was done. I figured all I needed was to rest and let my body heal itself in its own time.

Well, it's now a year later. Am I better than I was a year ago? You betcha. Am I back to where I was before? Not by a long shot. There is still daily pain that most days is at least manageable. But don't for a minute think that it's ever gone. So now what.

I've actually talked to Ron about going back to Houston to find Dr. Huang again. If he worked a miracle on me before he can do it again. Ok, that wasn't feasible since there is no way I could travel that far, or afford the dang trip! But, Ron did his research and suggested an acupuncturist in the area, maybe 20 minutes from me.

Now, I'm not going to give out his name yet, but by looking at his website, to me he doesn't even look old enough to shave yet! He is not Chinese as I'd been hoping for, but he is licenced in the state of Ohio and a nationally certified acupuncturist. He has also been to China several times for training. He's not authentic, but I guess he's as close as I can find in BFOhio.

I am biting the bullet and even though he is not covered by insurance, I am going to try a few appointments. My first one is on Monday. It's going to be a LOT less painful that those damn pain blocks. Or at least it had better be!

So, I'm going to give this new guy a try. What have I got to lose?