[mischievousbrat]

I have 2 issues I need some advice on.


1. I was told that my "sacro-iliac" joint is broken and has healed improperly. I was told by a chiropractor that there is nothing that can be done except pain management. It has never been x-rayed but I live in severe pain daily. {Pain that radiates across the back of my hips.



2. I have COPD, which has produced some odd medical facts in my case. I am a cigarette smoker, menthols. I have documented medical records that when I have tried to quit, gone weeks without a cig my oxygen saturation is 94 or less.

Now when I'm smoking at least 10 per day... my oxygen saturation is 99 - 100%. ODD!

I was told that because I smoke menthol I pull harder on the cig thus pushing more air into my lungs which is why my O2 saturation remains so good. It was implied (not spoken out loud) that if I quit smoking I would pass within 5 years. If I kept smoking at least 10 per day the COPD will be slowed down, inhibited from worsening.


Any advice from a nurse or a doc OR someone who has these conditions or has a family member with them?

[joypulv]

I have scarring around my sacro-iliac, according to a good chiropractor, after many medical doctors and scans came up with nothing. My pain is in the front of my abdomen and downward. I take ibuprofin and try not to overdo strenuous labor, which always makes the pain worse. The chiropractor helped a lot with the pain that ran down my inside thigh, knee, and calf to my big toe, but the abdominal pain remains. I wish I could have the major nerve killed at the source but have never looked into that. Generally any such surgery isn't advised because surgery inevitably causes more scarring which leads to more pressure and pinching of nerves.
As for the smoking! I'm not buying the idea that deep inhaling of a menthol cigarette is your ticket to a longer life, and think you heard what you wanted to hear. Deep BREATHING is what you need. If you can't take brisk walks because of the SA pain, try swimming at the Y to get exercise and air into your lungs. Or just stand up once an hour and take 20 deep breaths. Read Dr. Weil, a big fan of breathing.