All About Your Child

“I have good news and bad news.” That was how the Chiropractor started the conversation on our second visit.

Before we talk about the results.
Take a look at WHAT Keatkeat claimed is his ‘COMFORTABLE posture’.

So this explains perfectly why his spine is twisted and why the Chiropractor said these on our first visit on Monday 14th may 2012:

1. His right ear is higher than his left.
2. His right shoulder is lower than his left.
3. His spine is in a slight S-Shape.
4. His left pelvic bone is rotated forward, while his right pelvic bone is rotated backward.

Ok, back to the clinic……..
In great details, he pointed out the misalignment in Keatkeat’s spine.

Indeed, his spine IS bent.
There are 3 separate bends in his spine, causing his spine to bend towards the right side.
That’s the bad news.

So what’s the good news?
Its NOT a proper Scoliosis.
So is it Scoliosis?
Nope!

There is an S-shape, but the top part was curved off at the neck area, which is a little hard to see because the jaws and the teeth are at the same angle too in the X-Ray.

But well, he is the PRO in this, so if he says so, then there must be it. Yet, like I had mentioned in my previous post “Scoliosis in Children“, he does not just say it, he PROVES it. He went over to Keatkeat and pressed onto ‘that curved part’ on his neck and Keatkeat frowned.

“Is it painful?” The young Chiropractor asked.

“Mm!” the 8 year old maintained his frown.

So he scheduled Keatkeat to go for TWICE A WEEK treatment for the first one month or so before he would conduct a review again.

With good posture habits and constant treatment from him, Keatkeat has a great chance of having his back re-aligned completely really quickly.

Well, to me. THAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM!

Since young, we had been nagging telling him constantly to sit properly, walk properly (because he does not land his feet on his heels when he walks, he lands on the side of his feet), stand properly.

Did it work? Yes. Immediately! He gets into position just like how soldiers would suddenly stiffen up when they see a high rank officer pass by, but it only last for a few seconds and he is back to his old improper posture.

Like I had said in the first post on this topic, habits die hard, BAD habits die harder!

So its going to be a BIG CHALLENGE for US as parents to keep that Primary 3 kid’s back straight. *twisted frown*

Next,
the money issue.

The Chiropractor did not give any estimates as to how long it will take before he would discharge Keatkeat.
So THAT’s another BIG PROBLEM.
Hhhmmmm….
*double twisted frown*

After all questions were answered, he gave Keatkeat the very first realignment/massage treatment. Keatkeat was SO TENSED UP!!!

I was surprised!

He was so happy when he was at the Chinese Chiropractor’s clinic, even on his very first visit there. He loved the whole session plus the ‘tui na’ (massage) treatment. See post “Child Chiropractor”

But not in this second Chiropractor Clinic. He was so tensed up, the Chiropractor dare not do it in fear of hurting him. It was after LOTS of persuasion, he managed to get one press done. Then he had to go into yet another round of coaxing “relax buddy” multiple by countless times BEFORE he can get another successful press on Keatkeat’s body.

Then the ultimate MOMENT came when the experienced Chiropractor twisted his whole body and “BOOoooop..!” *HUGE LAUGH*

Keatkeat farted in his face!!!!

*Huge Laugh*

The poor doctor moved away immediately with great pose!
I guessed its pretty common for him when the ‘right’ twist is done. *giggle*

In less than 4 mins, the treatment was over!
*jaws dropped*

The Female Chinese Chiropractor would massage for Keatkeat for at least 10-15mins!
What a Big Difference!

We saw the subsidised package before we left the clinic, hey! its not as pricey as we thought! It was $40 per visit, comparable to the first Chiropractor which we went to. We felt more relieved.

However, we did not commit because we wanted to seek feedback from the patient first.
We wanted to know if Keatkeat preferred the Female Chinese Chiropractor cum Physician or this second Chiropractor.

Here’s what my my boy said as we walked away from the Chiropractor Clinic: “This doctor press so little only and I am very scared when his press my back. The chinese doctor press very long and I feel very comfortable after that. Now after this doctor press, I already feel uncomfortable.”

Yes, the Chiropractor did mention that Keatkeat would feel uncomfortable after the re-alignment treatment, so we do not think that that is an issue.

But what we liked about the first Chiropractor is she has medication for Keatkeat’s tummy and other health issues, at the same time she could re-align his spine for him.

So we are torn between the first Chiropractor and this second one.

In the end, after much discussion. We chose BOTH!
Yes, you might think we are crazy.
But to us, both had Pros which the other does not have, and now that the price is comparable, there are indeed no Cons for either of them.

Our aim is very simple: To Get Keatkeat Back in Shape.

So that’s it.
X-ray report is out and decision is made.
*thumbs up*

I want to take this opportunity to thank my new found Facebook friend, Jennifer Lim for giving me the 50% voucher. With that, it helped me to decide which Chiropractor to go to in the sea of Chiropractors, to seek my second opinion from. *smile*
Thank You Jennifer. *hugs*

So was it Scoliosis?

I did not want to blog about this because I am emotionally unstable and mentally stressed after what happened on Monday 14th May 2012. I wanted to wait for the report to be out tomorrow before I blog about this.

However, after receiving so many questions from all over the place: Facebook, SMS, phone calls, emails, etc. I decided to post this up for all to read.

Monday 14th May 2012: We consulted the second child chiropractor. As mentioned in my “Child Chiropractor” post, we purely wanted to seek a second opinion, NOT that there was anything wrong with the first child chiropractor cum Chinese physician.

We swung from a simple down-to-earth Chinese Medical Clinic to a high end (in my view) professional, multi-branch-ed English Medical Clinic.

We swung from a consultation that cost $48 (with medication + massage) to a consultation that cost $100 WITHOUT anything else.

Even after presenting the 50% discount voucher and with a pre-arranged X-ray scheduled on Tuesday 15th May 2012, the total cost came up to be $214.00!

*jaws dropped*

So what did this second Child Chiropractor said about Keatkeat?

I only have one word to summarise the 15mins consultation :  Disheartening.

He did not just say it, he PROVED it.

Yes, we get to feel it with our own hands (with the doctor assistance)  and we saw it with our own eyes.

Let me list down Keatkeat’s issues: ~

1. His right ear is higher than his left. Meaning his head is tilted towards the left side.
2. His right shoulder is lower than his left. Thus there is always a strain on his neck because it is always in a flip-side-C position.
3. His spine is in a slight S-Shape. The X-ray will show how ‘serious‘ the S-shape is and to what degree.
4. His left pelvic bone is rotated forward, while his right pelvic bone is rotated backward. As a result, he has a shorter right leg, which will cause him to limp.

My first born came to this world with a beautifully perfect spine. So what happened???

This second Child Chiropractor’s verdict was, “Its likely Scoliosis.” Then he turned towards us and asked, “Anyone in the family have Scoliosis?”

Allan stepped forward and said, “I have.”

I went “HUH??!!!”

I know that Allan has a ‘MISSING PIECE’ in his lower spine but I did not know that his spine was S-Shaped!

Allan continued, “I was diagnosed with this when I was in Primary School, but soon after, the Health Promotion Board discharged me.”

With those words coming out from the patient’s father’s mouth, the doctor affirmed that it IS Scoliosis. He said that when someone in the family has Scoliosis, it increases the chance of the next generation to have Scoliosis by 30%.

However, he also said that it usually happens to female and pretty rare to happen to children of Keatkeat’s age, normally symptoms start to appear on older children.

The Child Chiropractor also mentioned that based on ‘his touch’, Keatkeat’s condition does not seem serious, however, because he is still growing, there is no guarantee that it would not get worse.

He talked about how scoliosis in children could worsen suddenly during puberty stage. It is an illness that needs long term close monitoring, at least until the age when he stops growing, 23 years old.

*faint*

He is only 8 years old now! That would be 15 years of close monitoring and endless reminders (or nagging) of, “Sit properly”, “Walk Upright”, “Put a Pillow Behind your back to support it”.

*My heart sank*

I walked out of the clinic with the ‘heavy’ receipt and a heavy heart….

Tuesday 15th May 2012: We went for the X-Ray at Camden Medical Centre. We were told that we could not go to our preferred X-Ray centres, we MUST go to this one. *sigh*

Watching him in the room from the see-through glass suddenly made me realised how big and matured my boy has become. The doctor told him to stay still and not move, he did as told. He dare not even move his lips, which he usually would when he is nervous! *giggle*

Anyway, my Keatkeat had fun in the X-Ray room. He said with his cartoon voice, “It was so Cool! The X-Ray machine can go up and down by itself!” when he came out.

After he had changed out of his X-ray shirt, we saw the result on the screen. I saw that his spine is indeed in a slight S-Shape. But all that my cheeky boy looked at was his ‘little elephant’, which was captured in the X-ray too. *laugh*

Tomorrow, 17th May 2012, we will be going back to the Child Chiropractor to find out what he has deduced from the X-Ray.

………

Scoliosis In Children