Mad Canadian and the Tinnitus

On Friday I paid another visit to the Canadian osteopath.  I refer to him as the Mad Canadian not because of any measure of his behaviour but for his perspective on things both exoteric and esoteric.  The fact that he queried the tag gave it the necessary "branding affirmation".

Before conisdering the merits of alternative approaches to a mainstream problem, or otherwise, it is worth acknowledging that I have been discussing the tinnitus with the Marsden and there is nothing that they can do about it.  Their only weapon is in the selection of chemotherapy drugs in order to try and avoid its escalation.

I have had one prior visit to the osteopath for this purpose (my initial visit was for a back problem), which was during the last cycle of chemotherapy.  I had limited expectations for treatment simply because the problem has been drug induced rather than of a physical root.  The solitary visit did not remove the problem but there was a 50% reduction within a day.

Anyone who has suffered with tinnitus will know that it can be an uncomfortable experience so any improvement is welcome and a 50% improvement is significant.

My current visit has yielded similar results  and I know have until the next cycle of chemotherapy starts to look for further improvements.  That cycle will not start for 17-18 weeks, given that the current cycle has one and a half weeks to run the 6 weeks until the operation and 10 weeks recovery.

Treatment of the tinnitus is via cranial osteopathy but I always receive some standard osteopathy on my visits, which is a boon given the back problems I suffered a few weeks ago.  I am now much more active than then so my back is in much better fettle generally.

The added benefit of my visits to the osteopath is that he has a wide range of experience of different treatment methods and there is substantial common ground outside the medical sphere.  He is able to discuss the situation from a perspective close to mine.  This offers a welcome and useful respite from the approach that I have adopted with my mainstream care, which is to educate and inform myself, so that I can have a decent conversation from their caring perspective. So, the visits have been useful in me consolidating my approach to the ever changing dynamics of situation.  The overall well-being is something that is helpful in maintaining an optimistic outlook.

Whilst there is a clear cut route for me through the chemotherapy and operation each day is different and should be treated as such.  My last two visits have coincided with the end of the first week of the cycle of treatment and have been of benefit in helping me out of the difficult period of the first seven days.