I am currently trying the chiropractic care as well. I have been doing it since around the 1st part of April. I am hoping I can taper down on my meds soon and see if it really has helped. He wasn't in a hurry for me to try to taper down, which I am grateful for. If I keep not having pain by next weekend, I think I will start tapering down. I will know within a week if I can keep tapering down or if I have to go back up. I have my fingers crossed that this will work for me! Good luck to you too!
Hi tiger4nikki,
Hope you are successful in your endeavor to get off the medications! Healing from anything is always a process. Hope you are out of pain very soon!
Best,
Adele :)
I saw Dr. Vita yesterday and am going to begin treatment with Dr. Colavita next month when I return from a trip to Florida. I'm very hopeful this will help! Adele, is is still going well for you?
At the same time I went on meds I was also having upper cervical therapy and cold laser therapy as well. I feel it helped me greatly as I’m not on one of the typical meds as I wanted to get pregnant. I highly recommend seeing a chiro experienced with TN and who utilizes the laser. A cold laser can help the nerve repair itself. I’m not saying it makes it 100% better but it sure helped me.
Anybody know a NUCCA certified ORTHOGONAL UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTOR anywhere in New England? One that is very skilled and successful? I live in RI but am an hour from Boston with it’s many many specialists.
I see an uper cervical chiro in Los Angeles that I swear by. I have TN since July 4th last year. He got me at 100% pain free with no meds until I was stupid enough to go to Universal Studios and ride the rides and screwed up the adjustment. Now I'm on gabapentin, 1000 mg per day and seeing the chiro twice a week. If I can get back to holding the correction I will SLOWLY decrease the meds. I read about him on this web site and thought I had nothing to lose as the meds had stopped working.
Hi Adele, I am really glad I found your discussion as I too have been seeing an upper cervical for 2 months. As you say, I have also been coming out of adjustment every couple of days and only once have I felt no pain for nearly a week. This made me think it definitely works for me. I am taking your advice and I am changing my upper cervical. I was reluctant to as she is really nice and extremely concerned but I have to consider myself. I have a diagnosis of Atypical facial pain but didn’t pursue it anymore from neurologist as I wanted to find an alternative. Also they scare the hell out of me with the nightmare stories I hear. I have the horrible burning and tingling pain in my teeth mainly the right side and also sharp pain in my temple and scalp. Not as bad as most, thank God. John Hopkins offered me Rhizotomy but only for the sharp pain, What’s the point! The burning intense pain is the worst. The week my adjustment held was the best.
I have been seeing Dr Hall in Los Angeles for a year now. Was doing really well and went on rides at Universal Studios and knocked my self off. Still kicking myself because I was doing so well and off meds. Now I'm on 1800 Gabapentin and seeing the Upper Cervical doctor every week.
Hi Pris, Dr Hall is the elite in upper cervical, if only I lived your way he would be the first on my list. Unfortunately I am in Maryland were they are few and far between. Good luck getting off the meds although you won’t need it. I heard of a lady who was cured from TN coming off a ride so maybe it jolted hers back in. It’s definitely made me think twice about going on rides. I was in Universal last year in Nov 2013 and started with tooth pain after that, it makes you think what trauma we put ourselves under. Don’t think our bodies were made for things like that.
Hi Bless and Pris,
I have been totally off the TN medication (Trileptal) as of July 3rd, thanks to upper cervical care. I felt the pain become less and less during the first 4 weeks of care with Dr.Colavita and I have to say that I was extremely nervous to wean myself off the Trileptal, so I did so very slowly, over one month. The neurosurgeon at Hopkins also offered me glycerol rhizotomy, but I too wanted to find a natural form of relief. Other complimentary therapies I began many months ago, and continue with, are a whole foods diet, vitamin B 12 sublingually, super B complex, vitamin D 3, high dose vitamin C and selenium for the Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I was diagnosed with a vitamin B 12 insufficiency, vitamin D 3 insufficiency and Hashimoto's in March. Vitamin b12 insufficiency can cause nerve irritation and although Hashimoto's cannot cause TN, it can make the pain worse, according to my doctor. Hope everyone finds their way to a pain free life!!! Hope my pain is gone for good! God Bless!
Adele, I am soooo pleased for you. I love, love, love to hear these stories. It gives so much hope. James Tomasi says 'he believes everyone would benefit if they give it a chance. He also says if one technique doesn’t work try another. I hope I will be where you are in the not so distant future. Congratulations, pain free will continue. One testimonial a lady has not had an episode for eight years due to upper cervical. I suppose it’s hard to know the evidence as upper cervical has been around forever but only arose again in the last 10 years. Let the evidence carry on so more chiropractic schools include this in there curriculum.
I have been steadily improving with Dr. Colavita as well, just wanted to update. I have held since my first adjustment on June 24. I'm not pain-free yet, but after 3 weeks I had several days last week where I felt almost normal. I am hopeful.
That’s great news Jennifer, hopefully it’s the start of the healing process. I have also been improving. I have only just begun to hold my adjustment. It’s been a week since I held and like you I am seeing a gradual improvement. I have a few twinges on my temple and scalp and I am getting less and less burning pain inside my cheek and teeth. Keep praying the pain will be gone soon.
What’s the difference between upper cervical and just regular chiropractor? Or is the same? Thanks
Upper cervical focuses on precise, gentle alignment of the top three vertebrae. I'd had some success defeating TN pain with a regular chiropractor and his "neck-cracking" methods, but one severe bout around 5 years ago, he tried, and finally said he wasn't able to help me. As a last-ditch effort before meds or surgery, decided to try upper cervical. When I first went to my upper cervical chiropractor, the TN pain was so bad I couldn't speak or chew. By the time I left his office, the pain subsided enough that I could do both. Within 1 week it was 90% gone. Within 3 weeks, gone completely. A year or so later, was in an auto accident that knocked my neck out, and the shocks came back. After adjustments, and about 2 weeks, gone again completely. That was a several years ago now, not a shock since. Highly recommend all patients try upper cervical. Tips from my experience:
1) Find a very experienced upper cervical doctor...it's a very specialized art. If one can't get it, try another.
2) Go 3 times the first week, and then once a week for a month. It took my neck a while to "hold". Once it begins to be trained in the right position, it pops back to the right place automatically.
3) When you leave the doc's office, be careful not to wrench it. I found that after those first few adjustments, my neck could pop back to the wrong spot within minutes
4) Learn how your body feels when it's out. With observation, it's very detectable. Get it straightened immediately.
5) Don't let a regular chiropractor "crack" your neck...it stretches your neck ligaments beyond their normal limits, and actually makes your neck less likely to stay in place during normal life stresses that are placed on it.
6) You won't need to go all your life - I go just to check up about 4-5 times a year, but my neck is now trained in the right spot, and tends to stay there.
Blessings,
George
When I went into the upper cervical chiropractor's office, the pain was so bad I literally couldn't speak, or chew. My dear wife explained what was going on. When I left his office, the pain had subsided enough I could do both. Within three weeks, it was completely gone. That was around 5 years ago. I'm completely pain free, drug free, surgery free today.Upper cervical is definitely worth pursuing if you have TN.
George
Hi all!
I know this discussion is almost a year old, but was wondering if anyone still sees Dr. Colavita. It looks like he no longer practices with Dr. Vita (DDS), and I know someone previously said that they consulted with Dr. Vita first, so I'm wondering if things have changed.
I recently went to a traditional chiro and definitely had some relief, but the cracking and adjusting made me a bit nervous.
Thanks so much!
Hi
I did see Dr Colavita over a year ago whilst he worked with Dr Vita and I would not be surprised to hear they have split. Whilst AO is a more natural approach I saw both and they both advised me I would need Botox injections. This completely put me off Dr Colavita as I felt he was just lining his pocket with Vita. I now have jaw and cranial alignment and am seeing huge results. If you live in NJ (presuming you are due to you mentioning Colavita) you could consider Dr Gerald Smith who is in PA http://www.dentalwholebodyconnection.com/ or further down coast again is Dr Sambataro http://www.juliandentist.com. I am now in the UK and see Dr Amir. I felt a link between my adjustments and sense of relief but kept coming out of adjustment. This was due to my jaw out of alignment which was discovered by a fantastic AO chiro in the UK. Do not think your jaw is perfectly positioned even if you have a perfect set of teeth.
Hope this helps
Thank you so much for your reply Bess! I am actually in NYC, so while I could probably figure out a way to make the trip to PA, ultimately, I'd love to find someone in New York (I work full time and have a young child, so it's hard to make that kind of trip). I'm actually surprised that I am having so much trouble finding a recommendation in my area!
I totally understand. I too have children and they would have to make the trip with me sometimes. I was in MD and had to travel weekly to Sambataro in Ellicott City which is an hr away. My only suggestion if you wanted to go down the root of jaw alignment would be to contact the office of Dr Gerald smith and ask for recommendations closest to you, he himself is not cheap, in fact you have to pay him to even speak over the phone. Ludicrous. Here is another website which may have a upper cervical chiro closer to you, I beleive Greg who runs the site updates it whenever he can. http://www.upcspine.com/
Best of luck! Here’s to a pain free life!