Chiropractors / spinal specialists australia
Dr.
Hakan Bilal of St Albans in the state Victoria,
Australia
It all started with looking at myself in the mirror when
I got dressed. At the age of 14 I was growing up and finally,
I got to wear all the fashionable clothes. It really upset
me however when I realised my left hip swung up towards me
and my right side had no shape. I told my mother I was concerned
about it, so we made an appointment at our local medical
doctor. My doctor found it strange, thought it was part of
growing up, but he did send me for x-rays. When I received
them, my doctor told me I had been diagnosed with scoliosis,
a curve in my spine that caused my hips to shape in that
way. I was shocked, worried and frightened. How did it happen?
There wasn't really an explanation for how it occurred. The
doctor said it wasn't serious, so he referred me to a specialist
in the city. He had been specialising in that area for years,
so I assumed he could help me get better before it got worse.
When
it was time for my appointment, he ran a few tests for me,
such as testing my nerves, my flexibility, etc. He then had
a look at my x-rays that my doctor had taken. He measured
my curvature which at the time was 35 Degrees. The doctor
said if you noticed this earlier before your menstruation
cycle, or if you were younger than 16, apparently you stop
growing at that age. I couldn't believe it. He told my mother
and I the only solution for me to repair this curvature was
to have an operation. This operation consisted of removing
some discs that weren't necessary, inserting metal rods and
screws and on top and secure it with bone graft from my arm.
As my mother is a single parent, she was told the operation
would be costly, as he was private doctor.
He did however
also work at the Royal Children's Hospital and specialised
in the same field for parents with young children. I was
excited thinking I was going to get treated. The more I waited
for my appointment, the worse it got and the more pain it
produced. I couldn't sleep, eat or do physical education
at school. I always skipped those classes. When I attended
my appointment at the Royal Children's Hospital I wanted
to hear good news. Unfortunately, they measured a new set
of x-rays. I had taken that morning. I was told my spine
curvature was now 38 degrees. I then had a MRI scan to check
if I had anything else. Thank God I was in great condition,
but I wasn't happy about the increased change of 3 degrees
in my spine. I couldn't take it any more, so I decided to
put my name on the waiting list for surgery.
While waiting,
I wasn't really happy with my decision I had made. It got
worse each day, I could feel it. I had no hope. I thought
this was the end of everything because I was warned by Royal
Children's Hospital one in ten thousand could be paralysed
and in most cases, pain didn't end. Also, the curvature wouldn't
be 100% straight. Each day I became moody, I was always crying.
I blew things out of proportion if things went wrong.
There is however a good ending to this
anecdote. In January 2004 my sister was walking with my mum
in the shopping centre. She was attracted to posters regarding
back pain, scoliosis, headaches. After some discussion my
mother made an appointment for the following week. It wasn't
far to travel only 5 minutes away! They were Chiropractors.
I had no idea what a chiropractor was. A Chiropractor is
some one who is specialised in an area dealing with pains
and aches in the body the natural way. No surgery, No drugs!
How easy is that! After 3 months of treatments at Health
Wise Chiropractic, my x-rays showed that my 43 deg curvature
had gone down town 27 deg. I couldn't believe it.
A big thank-you to Dr.Hakan Bilal as he has made
me a happy, healthier person who looks at life in a more
positive way. I forgot to mention, when waiting for surgery
on the waiting list, I attended physiotherapy, natural therapy,
masseurs, but nothing worked. I hope I've changed a few people's
minds on having surgery because I have.
Thank-you
Sabrina