When I called the doctor’s office, they told me there was nothing stronger they could call in.

In January, I had test directed by a pulmonologist that found spots in my left lower lobe of my lung. I then saw a specialist for surgery, and it was determined that my left lower lobe would need to be removed. During my first visit with the surgeon, he did not explain what to expect if I required surgery. Trying to be optimistic, I did not ask. I had my surgery on 3/21/13.
Removal of the lobe of the lung was a success, but four days after surgery I started having pain in the middle and sides of my mid back. It progressively worsened. One week after being discharged from the hospital, I went to the surgeon because of the back pain and was told it was muscles spasms and was given pain medicine. After one week of the medicine not helping, I went back with the same complaints (only worse) and was given another pain medicine and told to come back in two weeks.
After a couple of days, the medicine was not helping and when I called the doctor’s office, they told me there was nothing stronger they could call in. Also, there was time waiting for the surgeons office to call back as he only has office visits one day a week. I simply could not deal with the pain. I called my primary care physician and was able to see him quickly. Along with continued medicine, he felt physical therapy could help. Having had success with my low back and shoulder at MidSouth Orthopaedic Rehab, I asked if I could go there.
After dealing with pain for now over a month, I was referred to physical therapy. My pain started at a 7/10 on initial evaluation with difficulty turning side to side due to pain. At first, I could not stand without extreme difficulty, bend or stoop without pain and my normal day to day activities were limited. After the initial evaluation, I found some immediate relief although pain did not go way. David explained that healing takes time, but we have to give the back a good environment to heal. He asked me to work on my posture and to perform just one movement every few hours during the day.
After a week and a half, my excruciating pain had gone down to an ache and throb. Then, it became intermittent symptoms produced with certain postures and movement. At that time, I could reduce the pain the movements and postural changes he showed me. After two weeks, my pain was a 2/10 or less and by the third week my thoracic pain was gone!
It was valuable to me to have a way not only in the clinic but also at home to change my pain and then keep it gone. This was something the medicine was not doing. It was also valuable to have the problem explained to me in a way I could understand so I could apply the movements David asked and know why I was doing them. It was not just random exercise. There was a purpose to every movement and the proof was in the change of symptoms, improvement of movement and my ability to return back to normal function!
–George