What can you do when encumbered with a persistent backache problem? Pills? Patches? Acupuncture? Physical therapy? This is what thousands of people (myself included) are asking themselves every day.
Pills and transdermal patches offer only temporary relief, so what else could be done? Fringe medicine? Shamanism?
I struggled with this conundrum for quite a while.
The main question you should ask yourself before seeking any treatment is: what is causing the problem and what would be the best treatment. Personally I would be partial to osteopathy… or maybe a series of Nuru massages to alleviate the pain. What? It is a recognized therapy…
My doctor, unable to provide a clear diagnosis, suggested trying an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) procedure, a medium designed to show detailed pictures of the human body. It seemed to make sense. So after a little computer-driven investigation, I booked an appointment with my care provider.
There are 2 important things you should know about an MRI. It can be very expensive and if you are the least bit claustrophobic it could be a very stressful experience.
Upon my arrival to the hospital, I was asked to disrobe down to my skivvies and invited to put on a unisex patient gown. Two burly men then led me to the site of my execution.
I was ordered to lie down on my back on a narrow metallic bed, fitted with earplugs and given a handheld alarm switch to stop the treatment if I felt any discomfort or anguish. I was then stuffed into a narrow cylindrical tube that hardly seems large enough for a person and regaled for about 20 minutes to loud dissonant noises.
Fortunately I am not claustrophobic. I just closed my eyes and let my mind wander.
The session felt like a combination of a cannabis influenced episode and watching an old Frankenstein movie at the same time. What were these people doing to me? Would I wake up a different person after this experience? A Trumpist maybe… blistering barnacles!
After 20 minutes of this cacophonic symphony I was extricated from my narrow mineshaft and set free.
Now experts have to scrutinize the MRI images and tell me what could be done to restore my body to its prime condition.
I am breathlessly waiting for results. You will be the first to know.
Alain