Toni Said:

University help please?

We Answered:

Physical therapist programs are beyond the undergraduate levels. Unless you want to get your associates degree to become an assistant, you would major in something else and take prerequisites so that you could apply to go to physical therapist school after you graduate.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm

Ross Said:

Can someone recommend a pain clinic or doctor in the Denver Area? Advice for severe pain?

We Answered:

Hi,
I know how you feel although I don't have children, my spine was injured before I was able to have them. That knocked my dreams away permanently. I know how hard you can be on yourself, I've done it too, but that pain is real and as I'm sure you would agree you wouldn't wish it on anyone and would do anything to be 'normal' again. So you have to stop thinking of yourself as a failure! You're not doing yourself any favors by thinking that way.
I can't help with any suggestions for a doctor since I don't live in that area. What I will suggest is to go ahead and give the oxycontin a try. It gave me my life back (to a degree, I have really severe spine problems). I've been through 3 surgeries, 1 laminectomy, 1 spine fusion, and then the biggie, reconstructive surgery because my first surgeon horribly messed up my spine with the fusion. The surgery was over 8 hours and left me in critical condition in ICU for 4 days. A low dosage of the oxy could give you a great deal of relief and help to get you off of so many of the other medications. By taking Aleve, or Naproxen, on a daily basis you are hurting your liver and kidneys. Too much for them to filter on a regular basis. That's why when you will be in long term pain they (doctors) prefer to put us on the pure stuff that won't harm our organs. Stay on the antidepressant though, that will help with both the pain and the depression.
You could try more therapy, strengthen your core muscles to help take the burden off of your spine. Plus when you do find a good pain management doctor he should have even more ideas for you to try. I highly suggest you do NOT allow them to give you the steroid epidurals. You are of childbearing age and I had 4 of them. They had such severe side effects because of my gender and my still young age. I ended up having to see an Endocrinologist for all of the terrible things these did to me, plus they gave me no relief at all. Not many people ever get relief from these injections. You could also try deep tissue massage and acupuncture.
This is a hard life to deal with, I can't lie. But eventually you will learn acceptance and learn to deal with what your new capabilities and limitations are. I can suggest a great support forum for you to join. The people on there are like you and I and have been through literally everything. It's a great resource and a great place to get advice. Just type in 'Spine Health' and it should take you straight there, look to the left side and you should find a small column that is the actual forum. Try it, you may find it very helpful. They helped me get through my darkest days. Oh, and I still visit there every now and then, I go by 'Cateyes' on there too.

P.S. Someone on there may know of a good doctor in Denver!

Myrtle Said:

Social Services is Legally Kidnapping my 1 year old daughter. Is there anyone who can help?

We Answered:

TMI TMI, tell it to the judge.

Dan Said:

Any opinions on Cherry Creek Physical Therapy in Denver, CO?

We Answered:

This is a wonderful PT clinic. I recently had back surgery and they really took care of me and helped me get back to normal. The also have massage, pool therapy and pilates. The staff is great. I would highly recomend this heath care facility.
www.cherrycreekpt.com

Aaron Said:

I'm 3 weeks post-ACL tear(pre-op)...ortho surgeon is uncertain..please help?

We Answered:

If you get a second opinion, there's no reason you cannot go back to the first surgeon. Even the best of the best can use some collaboration with their collegues. Perhaps he's just looking for confirmation.

Also, rest assured that while MRI is the best imagining we have out there, there is AWLAYS a chance of a false negative (ie, it "missed" something) for a meniscal lesion. However, other things can block motion such as inclusions and intra-articular fat pads.

Leon Said:

Can I go to the CU Boulder campus for my undergrad and then switch to the Denver campus for grad school?

We Answered:

If I lived in Florida, I would not pay out of state tuition. There are several very good public universities in Florida. Colorado is very cold in the winter and the high elevation makes breathing difficult for some
people. Boulder is much prettier than Denver.

Unless someone is in a combined undergrad-graduate program, graduate work can always be done at another campus or another university. In fact, it usually is. Biology would be a fine undergraduate major.