Head-On Collision

My husband Mike and I have been going to Chiropractics Northwest for 10 months now. When we first came into Dr. Gruber's office in late December of 1998, we were both in pain and both a little skeptical about the process of chiropractic care.

On the 25th of December, our family had gone skiing at White Pass. As we headed home that evening on highway 12, we decided to stop for gas, bathrooms and goodies. About a mile back on the road, a drunk driver hit us head on going at least 70 miles per hour. My mother was driving a Chevy Blazer, my 10 year old brother was in the front passenger seat, my husband was behind him in the back, and I was lying down with my feet on Mike and my head on the door behind my mom. I fell on the floor, Mike hit his head on the seat in front, my Mom and brother had airbags but the engine came into the car and broke my brother's foot. An ambulance came and took us to the hospital and we were released six hours later.

Needless to say, we were all in pain of some sort. Mike and I both took time off work but we had to go back sometime. About a week after the accident, we decided that we should probably go see a doctor for our back and neck pain that we were experiencing. Still wondering if chiropractic care was the way to go, we thought we'd go see Dr. Gruber at Chiropractics Northwest and just see what he had to say. When I called for an appointment, they were very understanding and got us an appointment for that Thursday evening. We filled out some paper work and got straight in. Dr. Gruber was very thorough. He asked a lot of questions, did some different tests and took x-rays. After a brief review of the visit, he gave us our first adjustment and treatment that we would need to start at home. Then he explained that he would take time over the weekend to review our situation and look over our x-rays to come up with a treatment plan. He knew already that we would need to come in Monday so we set up an appointment.

After experiencing a little pain relief over the wekend, Monday didn't seem to come quick enough! At our visit, Dr. Gruber took us individually in to show us our x-rays, explain what had happened to our bodies, and to discuss a treatment plan. He showed me the different disks in my spine that were out of alignment, and told me what they were called and then explained it in English! He told me how long he thought my care would need to be and he gave me some different exercises to practice at home. One exercise he gave me was to go home, support my body some how by laying on the bed or floor, and to try to relax every part of my body starting with my head and finally reaching my toes. This is not as easy as it sounds! But, it works very well. That is something I still do and enjoy. Before we left that evening, we made our next appointment and we got to take home some special pillows that would support our neck and back better while we sleep.

Over the next few months, pain relief and visits were regular. It has never been a burden to keep our appointments at Chiropractics Northwest. They took a special interest in us an sometimes just our day to day conversation would last longer than the doctor visit itself. I had some other problems related to the accident and had been seeking care for those. In the process, I had to have some more x-rays of my neck and spine. After the doctor had looked at them, I asked if I could take them to my chiropractor to compare with the first ones Dr. Gruber took. He said no problem. When I got to Dr. Gruber's office, I explained about the x-rays. I told him I know what he was doing was working because I felt so much better than I had in the months before but I would like to see the progress. Dr. Gruber thought it was a wonderful idea. After a few minutes, Dr. Gruber asked me to come in the room. He had the x-rays hanging up and just at a glance I saw a huge difference. He again showed me what happened and then explained how I was healing. I was so excited to see it. I had always been in the dark about chiropractic care but to see the healing process like that was so amazing!

Since seeing my x-rays like that, it's been a few more months. We are still being treated but not as frequently as we used to. We are both feeling a great deal better. Before our accident, I had never had any back pain. Sitting all day at work, or doing different things around the house never used to irritate my back. I realize I'll have back and neck pain fo the rest of my life but with chiropractic care from Dr. Gruber at Chiropractics Northwest it really makes a difference in my day to day life. I don't think about my back pain as much because I don't have as much anymore.

Thanks Dr. Gruber!