Post radiation/treatment scar tissue redux

agness

Several weeks ago my back started going into spasm out of the blue, I've had whiplash twice and occasionally it acts up but there wasn't a trigger that I could figure out.

First I saw my chiropractor and my spine was a mess like we had never seen it before. I also had a massage already scheduled a few days later and she could barely get my back to release at all. Visits to another massage practitioner I go to who does myo-fascial release work and she saw my right leg was hiked up an inch. My physical therapist couldn't figure it out either. Through this time my arm started feeling numb and my axilla was starting to swell more. I was feeling like a mess.

The woman I see who does lymphatic massage saw me and I mentioned my whiplash injuries to my back and shoulder and suddenly it all started making sense. The radiation to my left front (completed 12/9/14) had started really pulling a lot on the damaged tissues, contracting as my body tried to heal. This destabilized my entire body as my whiplash injuries reactivated as my body was getting pulled out of alignment. The back spasms blocked the flow of lymph from my arm and axilla which caused the swelling and pain.

My chiropractor was able to put me in a machine that does spinal traction to gradually open up my back which alleviated a lot of swelling and discomfort.

I had a second traction treatment this week and the next day my right leg was numb though and my low back felt painful. The therapist who does my lymphatic work correctly identified that past abdominal adhesions from fibroid surgery ten years ago were the problem and she did some abdominal fascial/viscera work and a couple minutes later all the pain had completely resolved.

In addition to radition causing pulling on our skeletal muscles in new ways which can reactivate old injuries, residual chemo damage also might be contributing. Taxols push potassium out of our bodies, it is part of the action that makes it so effective. Low potassium (hypokalemia) is really hard on cartilage and scar tissue based on their particular structure. Most of us have residual stiffness post chemo in part because of this action of the taxol derived drugs we were on.

I just wanted to share so that others might seek broader care if they are having back pain or issues with old injuries. If you ever had abdominal surgery then you too almost absolutely have abdominal adhesions. There is help to be found. Don't give up.

Ann