Pat Limbrick

Age 45 & Sport Crazy

Father of Two

"I suffered from severe migraines and headaches, waking with one of them most days of the week . This severely affected my quality of life but I thought that that this was something which I would just have to live with."

I started having problems with my back when I was a teenager. This followed an accident in which I fell out of a tree. This resulted in me suffering pains down one of my legs and across my lower back.

I had numerous x-rays, but these did not show any damage and I was told to rest in bed for a week! Unfortunately my back did not improve and I just learnt to live with it.

However, ten years ago I had an industrial accident which resulted in me being off work for four years. During this time I saw various doctors and spinal specialists at both Hastings and Canterbury Hospitals. I had to have x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, epidurals and spinal probes. I was told after this that two of my discs were almost non-existent and that this was due to long term degeneration. They said that there was nothing that they could do apart from "spinal fusion" as a last resort. I was informed that this only had a 60/40 chance of success and that I might end up in a wheelchair. I decided that I could not take this risk.

Incidentally, at the same time that I was having all of my tests, a customer of mine was undergoing tests for a similar condition. She was also told that fusion was all that they could do for her. Unlike myself, she decided to follow that route.

Since then I have suffered severe pain in my right leg and lower back with my legs occasionally giving way. I also suffered from neck pain, severe migraines and headaches, waking with one of them most days of the week. This severely affected my quality of life but I thought that that this was something which I would just have to live with.

However, my partner began spinal adjustments with Doctor Farthing and she persuaded me to have an examination. This showed five differing degrees of vertebral subluxation. The good news was that this could be improved. Not long after my spinal correction programme began, the amount of migraines reduced drastically and if I did get one, it was not as severe. My neck pain has reduced and I have significantly more movement. My other symptoms are improving all the time.

Unfortunately, my customer who I mentioned previously has now undergone four operations, each one trying to correct the previous one. Consequently she now walks with two sticks and uses a wheelchair.

It does not bear thinking about what things would have been like if I had gone ahead with the operation previously recommended to me by the doctor and consultant.

I am so pleased that I did not go down the surgery route or that could have been me.

 

"It now makes sense to take care of my body as much as I take care of my machinery."

 

 

"It doesn't take much to realise what could have caused Vertebral Subluxation in my life - sports, recreational activities, hobbies, work
and even life itself, to mention but a few."

"They said that there was nothing that they could do apart from "spinal fusion" as a last resort. I was informed that this only had a 60/40 chance of success and that I might end up in a wheelchair.

I am so pleased that I did not go down the surgery route."