Chiropractor... what to do now

[C.P.]

I live in Illinois. Here is my story....

I went to a seminar given by a Chiropractor about Fibromyalgia which I was concerned that I was suffering from. She took XRays and said that I had a lot of different places in my neck and back out of place and convinced me that besides those problems I did have Fibromyalgia and that if I sign on with her and committed a year of visits with her that she could definitely help me. She said that with Fibromyalgia it could take 12-18 months to get better. I had to pay over 3,000 in advance for this year of treatments, so I had to put it on a credit card. She has given me adjustments and suggested a LIST of different vitamins which I have been taking regularly. This is not helping me and now 4 months later at todays visit she tells me that she thinks that my problems are probably psycho-somatic and wants to schedule times with her without charge (or making it included in that first large payment), to basically be a therapist and get into my head and find out what is causing this psycho-somatic pain. So now I am stuck... I do not want to do this and this has kind of compromised my sense of comfort to continue just treatments with her because now she is going back on the idea that it may take 12-18 months to get better and I don't really trust her judgement but I have already paid a lump sum for treatments once a week until October. I need to know what my rights are.. I have a credit card bill now and have had no real benefits from this doctor. I know I made a big mistake paying for the treatments in advance.

What I need to know is what are my rights now that I am in this predicament.

Thanks

C.P.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

I live in Illinois. Here is my story....

I went to a seminar given by a Chiropractor about Fibromyalgia which I was concerned that I was suffering from. She took XRays and said that I had a lot of different places in my neck and back out of place and convinced me that besides those problems I did have Fibromyalgia and that if I sign on with her and committed a year of visits with her that she could definitely help me. She said that with Fibromyalgia it could take 12-18 months to get better. I had to pay over 3,000 in advance for this year of treatments, so I had to put it on a credit card. She has given me adjustments and suggested a LIST of different vitamins which I have been taking regularly. This is not helping me and now 4 months later at todays visit she tells me that she thinks that my problems are probably psycho-somatic and wants to schedule times with her without charge (or making it included in that first large payment), to basically be a therapist and get into my head and find out what is causing this psycho-somatic pain. So now I am stuck... I do not want to do this and this has kind of compromised my sense of comfort to continue just treatments with her because now she is going back on the idea that it may take 12-18 months to get better and I don't really trust her judgement but I have already paid a lump sum for treatments once a week until October. I need to know what my rights are.. I have a credit card bill now and have had no real benefits from this doctor. I know I made a big mistake paying for the treatments in advance.

What I need to know is what are my rights now that I am in this predicament.

Thanks

C.P.

FM is not diagnosed by Xrays!
That doesn't mean that you may not benefit by adjustments if appropriate or that psychotherapy may not be appropriate.

SCOPE OF PRACTICE:
In Illinois chiropractors are licensed under the Illinois Medical Practices Act which also includes Medical Doctors and Osteopaths. Illinois does not define chiropractic by statute except to state that Chiropractors are physicians licensed “to treat human ailments without the use of drugs and without the use of operative surgery”. I suggest you ocntact the state medical board to make a complaint. THen get yourself to a licensed medical doctor for appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

[loveumms]

What did the contract you signed state specifically?

It really sucks but it sounds like you got taken advantage of.

Fibro is a diagnosis based on clinical judgment only, after ruling out any physical cause. There are absolutely NO diagnostic tests that can determine if you suffer from the disease – no blood work or X-rays.

Don’t know if you have done much reading on fibro but, it is diagnosed by having a health professional put pressure on various “pressure points”. A patient has to have 11 positive pressure points that are tender on palpation in order to be considered for a diagnosis of fibro. Many clinicians do not think it is a real disease b/c the exact cause has not been determined.

Research has proved it’s not an inflammatory condition so anti-inflammatories (aka – ibuprofen, alleve, ect) will not give relief. There is some research that points to it possibly being an auto-immune disease b/c some patients have auto-antibodies but, not all patients diagnosed with the disease will have these. So … unfortunately those who suffer from this debilitating illness often are duped by alternative treatments by shady health professionals.

Did the chiropractor do any kind of physical exam – did they push on various parts of your body and ask if you felt discomfort? If this did occur then they would have documentation of diagnosing you properly. The X-ray might have just been taken to determine if you had any bony abnormalities that could add to the pain. She did mislead you in telling you it would take 12 – 18 months to “get better” b/c often patients don’t ever find a true cure so, you might be able to argue that this was misleading and get some money back. If you want to have some proof of this – do a pubmed search, read through the articles you find then present the evidence to the chiropractor. That way you will at least seem well informed and might have a better chance of getting your money back.

I hate to say it but, you should have looked into the disease a little more before signing on to spend thousands of dollars. Have you been to a rheumatologist? They are typically the specialists that are most knowledgeable about fibro. I’m not trying to imply that chiropractors are not vital to holistic medicine but, I not many people would spend $3000 without knowing for sure what the diagnostic criteria and treatments for fibromyalgia are before signing a contract with a chiropractor. Did the contract state specifically that you would see/feel results in a specific time period (even though I doubt this) or did it outline exactly what the treatments would entail?

Best of luck and I hope that you can find some relief from your pain.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

What did the contract you signed state specifically?

It really sucks but it sounds like you got taken advantage of.

Fibro is a diagnosis based on clinical judgment only, after ruling out any physical cause. There are absolutely NO diagnostic tests that can determine if you suffer from the disease – no blood work or X-rays.

< >

Best of luck and I hope that you can find some relief from your pain.

Please edit your post to delete the portions saying how the diagnosis is made, giving the patient such information makes it impossible for a subsequent examiner to obtain any objective clinical signs for diagnosis, that is why I responded as I did, not because I didn't know. Please understand a part of the wisdom you must use here is to know when to maintain the intergirty of the diagnostic process as opposed to showing off your knowledge.

 

[loveumms]

Please edit your post to delete the portions saying how the diagnosis is made, giving the patient such information makes it impossible for a subsequent examiner to obtain any objective clinical signs for diagnosis, that is why I responded as I did, not because I didn't know. Please understand a part of the wisdom you must use here is to know when to maintain the intergirty of the diagnostic process as opposed to showing off your knowledge.

Anyone can do an internet search to find this information and as a patient she should know it. It may make it easier for her to "fake" having the diagnosis but, if thats the case she could do that without my help.

 

[ellencee]

I live in Illinois. Here is my story....

I went to a seminar given by a Chiropractor about Fibromyalgia which I was concerned that I was suffering from. She took XRays and said that I had a lot of different places in my neck and back out of place and convinced me that besides those problems I did have Fibromyalgia and that if I sign on with her and committed a year of visits with her that she could definitely help me. She said that with Fibromyalgia it could take 12-18 months to get better. I had to pay over 3,000 in advance for this year of treatments, so I had to put it on a credit card. She has given me adjustments and suggested a LIST of different vitamins which I have been taking regularly. This is not helping me and now 4 months later at todays visit she tells me that she thinks that my problems are probably psycho-somatic and wants to schedule times with her without charge (or making it included in that first large payment), to basically be a therapist and get into my head and find out what is causing this psycho-somatic pain. So now I am stuck... I do not want to do this and this has kind of compromised my sense of comfort to continue just treatments with her because now she is going back on the idea that it may take 12-18 months to get better and I don't really trust her judgement but I have already paid a lump sum for treatments once a week until October. I need to know what my rights are.. I have a credit card bill now and have had no real benefits from this doctor. I know I made a big mistake paying for the treatments in advance.

What I need to know is what are my rights now that I am in this predicament.

Thanks

C.P.

Read the contract that you signed with the chiropractor. The contract should include a statement of your financial liability should you stop receiving treatment. After reading your contract with the chiropractor, if you still have questions about your rights, post your questions in the contract law section of the forum. Your above-quoted post has nothing to do with medical malpractice.
EC

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Anyone can do an internet search to find this information and as a patient she should know it. It may make it easier for her to "fake" having the diagnosis but, if thats the case she could do that without my help.

You missed the "wisdom" part

 

[C.P.]

Thanks

Thank you both for your replies...

I didn't really have much experience with doctors except for a ****ty one that my parents have kept forever. Yes, you can find the Fibromyalgia information she gave just about anywhere. I had throughly researched the illness for 2 years before I went but was so concerned with my doctor not taking me seriously that I was looking for anyone who would listen at that point. This I know NOW was a big mistake because she knew how desperate I was. I went today and had a very short conversation with her. I told her I didn't want to continue treatment and she was very curt but said ok thats fine, and told her receptionist to cut me a check for the remainder of what i haven't used. I think she realized that I finally was wise to her ways and she made a big mistake with the psycho-somatic bull****. There really was no treatment "plan" and because her visits were only about 3 minutes long she didn't anything except for cracking my neck back and hips. Everytime I went in I was still complaining of the same things and because I had already paid the money I thought I had to keep looking to her for help because I had paid so much. She told me that Fibro was a nutrient deficiency and would cured in 12-18 months if I stayed with her program to realign my spine so my nervous system could heal and took the vitamins that I was lacking. It feels like there is something wrong with my the nerves in my muscles so it made sense to me that if the nerves in my spine were messed up it would cause pain. Now I dont even know what was true about me and what wasn't. I am not happy that I have to pay for the visits I did go to without any result but I guess this is just an expensive lesson learned. I will use the money that didn't go to her and find a Rhematologist as you've suggested.

Thank you for all your help.

C.P.

 

[loveumms]

Thank you both for your replies...

I didn't really have much experience with doctors except for a ****ty one that my parents have kept forever. Yes, you can find the Fibromyalgia information she gave just about anywhere. I had throughly researched the illness for 2 years before I went but was so concerned with my doctor not taking me seriously that I was looking for anyone who would listen at that point. This I know NOW was a big mistake because she knew how desperate I was. I went today and had a very short conversation with her. I told her I didn't want to continue treatment and she was very curt but said ok thats fine, and told her receptionist to cut me a check for the remainder of what i haven't used. I think she realized that I finally was wise to her ways and she made a big mistake with the psycho-somatic bull****. There really was no treatment "plan" and because her visits were only about 3 minutes long she didn't anything except for cracking my neck back and hips. Everytime I went in I was still complaining of the same things and because I had already paid the money I thought I had to keep looking to her for help because I had paid so much. She told me that Fibro was a nutrient deficiency and would cured in 12-18 months if I stayed with her program to realign my spine so my nervous system could heal and took the vitamins that I was lacking. It feels like there is something wrong with my the nerves in my muscles so it made sense to me that if the nerves in my spine were messed up it would cause pain. Now I dont even know what was true about me and what wasn't. I am not happy that I have to pay for the visits I did go to without any result but I guess this is just an expensive lesson learned. I will use the money that didn't go to her and find a Rhematologist as you've suggested.

Thank you for all your help.

C.P.

CP - I am so happy that you got the remainder of your money back. Fibro is a tough illness and unfortunately b/c there is no known 'cause' yet some health practitioners will try to take advantage of patients by making up their own treatments. If you want to PM me I have read some really good articles on it and its possible pathophysiology (you may have already read them too). If I can find those articles again I can try to highlight some of the explanations and send them your way. I don't want to go into it since this is a legal website and I don't want to tick off anymore of the senior members.

I took care of a few patients who suffered from the disease and I truly sympathize with what you are going through. One of my patients said she belongs to an internet support site that really helped her cope - you should do some searches and find those types of sites b/c the members might have some good advice on finding a rheum that specializes in fibro (I know at my University we have two docs that see a lot of pts with the disease). Best of luck!