If only I could give a ten-star review. It's not possible for me to recommend Dr. Jean Kelly more…read morehighly, for several reasons.
I went to see her after another chiropractor took a single X-ray of my spine in her office (while I was fully dressed; you'd think those zipper, rivets, and belt buckle might've obstructed the view of my lumbar spine, but whatever) and misdiagnosed me on-the-spot. Before this, I'd never seen a chiropractor at all, and as the child of an orthopedic surgeon was skeptical, anyway. My initial experience did little to improve my expectations. When a good friend recommended Dr. Kelly, I took another chance. I was in so much pain between my back and left leg that I was struggling to sit or drive. I wasn't able to practice or teach yoga. I couldn't bend or twist or straighten my left leg without staggering, shooting pain down my leg. I was in tears on a regular basis. I hate pain pills, but was taking them daily just to leave the house.
Dr. Kelly carefully listened to everything I told her about my lifestyle and exercise habits, with an eye toward treating my problem and getting me back to my normal life -- and off all the pills -- as quickly as possible, without continual, repeated adjustments. I left her office each time feeling markedly better than I had when I walked in. She took time to show me exercises I could do to continue to work on improving my flexibility and relief at home. She patiently answered my questions and explained what was happening and why. When I unexpectedly failed to improve in any lasting way after two weeks, rather than suggest I just keep up the appointments (the initial chiropractor had told me 3 to 4 sessions a week for 2 to 3 months, a prohibitively expensive prospect), she suggested I get an MRI to get a conclusive answer; unless it was a disc issue, I should have been feeling better.
The MRI showed a severely herniated disc that had landed smack in the middle of my sciatic nerve. I saw two spine specialists, and after multiple cortisone injections, pain pills/muscle relaxers by what seemed like the handful, and having to stay at home from work for more than a month, I finally had a microdiscectomy to remove the sharp disc fragment that was so irritatingly lodged against my sciatic nerve.
Throughout the process, Dr. Kelly checked in to see how I was feeling. I never once felt she was doing so for any reason other than that she genuinely seemed to care. When my MRI results first came back, she called me at home. Among her questions about my disc specialist's plan for treatment, she also asked if anyone had spoken to me about the small growth the MRI showed on my left ovary. I was floored. At least three doctors besides Dr. Kelly had seen that report; no one had said a word about it. The report suggested further tests to determine what it was on my ovary, but not a single one of the guys looking at it even mentioned it. She told me what it said, and asked where my primary care physician's office was located. Fortuitously, it's near hers. She asked my permission to walk the report to my PCP so she could speak to her directly so I could quickly get the tests I needed without additional waiting or hassle. I couldn't believe someone would take time out of their busy work day to do me this kind of favor without my even asking. If this type of care were typical of medical care, we'd all be having a wildly different experience managing and maintaining our health.
I'm now almost fully recovered from my disc surgery, and have a clear picture what's happening with my ovary, which is a relief. I'd go to Dr. Kelly for any future chiropractic needs in a heartbeat, knowing that her practice is not something she just happens to do every day. She clearly loves her work, and truly cares for her patients. It shows both in her adjustments and follow-up. If you see her for an adjustment, you'll walk out feeling like an individual person who was being carefully treated, rather than a set of symptoms to be fixed.
Dr. Kelly is fantastic. I could go on and on.
