Regent Healthcare of Scottsdale

After enduring pain in my left upper arm that started around four weeks ago that just kept getting worse and worse, now radiating up my shoulder and neck, terminating above and behind my left ear, I decided to ask the benefits rep yesterday for a name of an acupuncturist he knew that worked with our medical insurance. I called and booked an appointment to see Victoria Mogilner, who sees Dr. Shawn Meyer’s clients at Regent Healthcare, at 8 am on Wednesday, since she was fully booked on Tuesday. I’d decided last night that I was going to call out of work today, as I just knew I wouldn’t be able to be of great service to my colleagues and our employer’s guests. After discussing my plans for tomorrow to see an acupuncturist and massage therapist with Mom, she asked if maybe I should try to see the chiropractor, too, and since our insurance covered chiropractic treatments, I thought I’d give the modality another go– I’ve seen a couple of chiropractors since the 90’s, but found I really enjoyed the massage sessions of chiropractic care most. I called Dr. Meyer’s office and was happy to hear that I could see him at 1 pm– he sees patients here Tuesdays & Thursdays between 1& 6 pm.
The receptionist was either new to the office, or wasn’t familiar with this clinic (perhaps filling for someone today?), and it was around 1:20 pm when she finally gave me paperwork to fill out– Meyer had already welcomed me to his clinic and was greeting patients and directing them to different rooms and stations. I don’t know if it was the state of my sitting down and hunched over filling out and signing ten to twelve pages, or my being so close to getting the help I needed, or maybe both, but my pain was getting worse. It was both a blessing and a curse that the temperature in the clinic was chilly*– I was so cold that I may have napped for a few seconds. Thank goodness that the doctor was finally able to see me!
I went into a room that had a chaise lounge that had a slat on one end where presumably the face (and nose) would rest on when the doctor asks the patient to lay with stomach side down. After reading my list of complaints I’d written amongst the paperwork I’d just filled out earlier, he first had me sit up straight to assess the strength of my arms. He then gave me a short neck and shoulder massage session, which felt great, and mentioned that I did feel very tense. He then asked me to follow him through a hallway to a room where others were laying prone on beds receiving heat lamp treatments, grabbed a stability ball, and showed me how to do a couple of stretch maneuvers. After verifying that I was following his instructions accurately, he left me to tend to his other patients. I didn’t have to wait long for him to check up on me and take me back to the first room, this time to lay on my stomach– so glad he had placed a disposable liner where my face was going to touch the bed. After quickly massaging my shoulder area and hitting a couple of trigger points on my neck, he placed his hands on my back and moving his hands around for a few seconds, and just when it dawned on me that he was about to manipulate my spine, I felt and heard the cracks! Oh. My. Goodness! Like I said before, I’ve had adjustments, but none of them were this loud, nor had gone for so long, or so it seemed, and none made me feel so much better instantly!** He then asked me to turn around and sit down, moving the bed to a reclining position as I did so, and asked if I was feeling better already, and I agreed that I was, and soon he was cracking my neck on each side… I swear it was like 90 minutes of massage therapy in one minute of spinal manipulation, without the soreness. (That would come later.)
After the adjustments, Meyer said he’d try to see if Victoria could see me today, as she was seeing other clients here today. I had to wait fifteen minutes, but she was able to squeeze me in. She actually used both electric shock treatment and acupuncture on me, along with a muscle pain ointment, and even applied four acu-​magnets on my left ear, whereby I could do self-​acupressure as needed until I could see her again. (These, I’m told by another receptionist when I called back when I saw my reflection back in my car, will fall off on their own, as I hadn’t realized they were pellets when she first applied them– I thought she was using traditional needles.)
I will return next week for more treatment. Here’s hoping to feeling long-​term relief soon!
*The ointment’s pain relief has wore off, and I’m feeling soreness, but still better than earlier. **Bring a sweater/​coat!