(Names and Details Have Been Changed to Protect Privacy).

One Thing “Mr. Fix-It” Can’t Fix

Mike is a third generation repairman. Mike’s father brought Mike up in the grand old tradition of being a handyman or Mr. Fix-it, as his wife, Doreen, likes to call him.  “If it ain’t broke, I can’t fix it,” Mike grins broadly.  Like the character played on television by Tim Allen, Mike is a dyed in the wool, do-it-yourselfer, and spends more time at Home Depot and similar stores than at home with Doreen and their twin boys.  But Doreen understands that’s his nature, she just likes to tease him about it whenever she can get away with it.

            On a typical busy day, Mike left home at 7 a.m. to make his usual rounds of repairs.  He had developed quite a route, and was driving his truck down the road to visit Mr. B. Mike was especially looking forward to swapping war stories with Mr. B since it was almost the anniversary of his dad’s passing five years ago. Mr. B was retired and liked to talk.  Mike always made time for him because Mr. B reminded Mike of his dad.

            Mike stopped at a light when suddenly, a nagging pain in his back that he had been having for quite some time stopped him cold in his tracks.  His face grew flush, and he felt extremely nauseous and dizzy all at the same time.                             

            In the past, Doreen had been telling him to see the doctor, but Mike had shrugged it off.  “It’s nothing,” he told her.  “It’ll pass.” But this time Mike had to pull over because the pain was getting severe.  Wincing, he was hoping this aching, throbbing pain would pass, but as he sat there wondering what to do about it and worrying about being late for Mr. B, he started shaking and shuddering.  Mike tried to shake off the fainting feelings he was experiencing, but when the intense pain started getting worse instead of better and his nausea increased, he started to panic.  Maybe I better go see a doctor, he groaned to himself.  But now he was afraid to drive for fear he would pass out.

            Sheepishly, he picked up his cell phone and called home.  He asked Doreen to call Mr. B and the doctor. 

Within a few minutes, Doreen called back and told him she was on her way to take him to the emergency room.  She was really worried because she knew that if her husband had asked for help and could not make it to Mr. B’s, something had to be really wrong. When Doreen arrived, she had to ask a nearby neighbor for help to pull Mike into the van.  She took one look at his face, and knew something was terribly wrong with her husband. Scared, she tried not to panic, and took charge as Mike usually did.  She cracked a few jokes trying to get Mike to laugh and lighten up the mood, but to no avail. He barely smiled back at her.

            When she got Mike to the hospital, the ER doctor did a complete workup.  He asked Mike and Doreen a lot of questions, such as how long had this been going on.  Doreen felt relieved when the doctor ruled out any serious condition and decided that Mike’s back pain could be a symptom of a combination of too much stress, overwork and just plain exhaustion.  Mike had been working too hard for far too long and just needed a break, a vacation.  He hadn’t had one in more than ten years.

            Relieved that her husband’s condition wasn’t as serious as it had seemed, Doreen sprung into action.  She immediately called the shop and asked Mike’s brother, Danny, to take over for a couple of weeks. He was on Spring break, so that worked out perfectly.  Next, she called her friend Nancy, the travel agent, who had a special deal on a cruise.  They could leave in a couple of days.  The cruise was very relaxing and was a much-needed second honeymoon. Mike’s back pain seemed to subside more every day. But the day after their vacation was over, he suddenly was overcome with similar symptoms as he had had that day in the car.

            Doreen fleetingly wondered if this could be psychosomatic, but dismissed the thought. She knew that her husband loved his work.  It was what he lived for besides their family. She remembered that Nancy had told her about this amazing chiropractor that had helped her when her back went out. Doreen made an appointment with us right away.

            Mike was skeptical at first and thought the benefits wouldn't be noticeable, but after about three weeks, he noticed a dramatic difference in how he felt and moved.Now Doreen makes sure Mike comes in for every scheduled visit.  Doreen has made Mike’s health her top priority now.
:-)Dr.D.

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