During my 10+ years of practice, I've had a chance to treat many different patients with many different conditions. A vexing part of practice is when you have a patient who doesn't respond as expected. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Part of the process with patients is trying to convey, to the best of your ability, what kind of results a particular patient can expect. Some factors that patients may not realize that affect the outcome is what kind of condition THEY are in. Factors that affect success at relieving pain are the same things that make anyone better able to get over illnesses. Conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, substance abuse or history of it, advanced age, lupus, fibromyalgia, and even depression can slow down the healing process. On the flip side, patients who are "super athletes" push their bodies so hard that the bodies ability to heal is being used to repair muscles and ligaments damaged with hard workouts or games.
People who are stressed out, overworked, sleep deprived, eating a fast food diet in their car, and unwinding every night with a couple of drinks and sleep meds, suffering from acid reflux and popping ibuprofen for pain aren't going to get over sinus infection very well, much less a complex spinal condition. Getting healthy is a vital part of getting well. If you are under care, realize that it doesn't mean you aren't going to get well, but it may take much longer than other people with the same type of problem. As I've told many patients, I'm not a miracle worker, I'm doing my best with what skills I've been given. But, I also have to do my best with what you as a patient have brought me to work with. Being patient while being a patient is the most important thing to do. Remember, most problems didn't get that way in 1 day and they rarely resolve in 1 day of treatment.
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