Letter from a Patient #1
Dear Dr. Hume
Thank you for giving me back my life! When I walked (hobbled, to be more precise) into your office for the first time in mid November of last year, I couldn't lift my leg over the riser without help. I had been in debilitating pain from my lower back for weeks. My right leg and foot were numb and I hadn't slept in a bed for over 6 weeks. I could only take a few steps at a time with the aid of a walker. I could sleep for only a few minutes at a time, in a straightback chair, before the pain would wake me. Vicodan did little to dull the pain, and my M.D. offered me nothing but possible surgery and a life of being narcotized.
In desperation, I "surfed the web" under back pain and found a web site from the Harvard School of Medicine. The site was more than 20 pages of research papers and clinical studies. The conclusion from all of this information was that 98% of all "herniated discs" responded best to conservative treatment, including chiropractic.
With a glimmer of hope, I made an appointment with a chiropractor who's treatment was torture. I nearly passed out from the added pain he caused. Still desperate for help, I read the yellow pages and found your ad. I called you on a Sunday afternoon and your kindness and concern buoyed me until the following day, my first appointment date. I will never forget your words. After my examination you explained everything that was causing my pain and said that as serious as it was, everything was treatable! You outlined what was ahead of me and told me how my family and I would be partners in the treatment. You explained to my husband what activities I absolutely could not do for awhile.
Your first treatment was an extraordinary contrast to what I had experienced from the other chiropractor. Your treatments were gentle and caused no added pain. Within a week I no longer needed pain medication and I could sleep for up to 4 hours at a time. I followed your exercise program, kept my appointments for treatment, and by Christmas, I was fully able to participate in the holidays with my family.
A few weeks ago, another patient of yours saw me
for the first time since that first day and was amazed at how well
I was doing. She said that she didn't believe anything could have
helped me from the extreme pain I had been in. Now, when I see
patients come into your office for the first time with that
desperate look in their eyes from unrelenting pain, I want to reach
out, touch them and say, "You are about to experience a miracle!"
With deepest gratitude,
MS
