Physiotherapy/ acupuncture experience

I had a pain in the back near the lumbar region. It became quite severe recently and Christine suggested that I try a wheat pack to relieve the pain. I used it early in the morning and whenever I felt pain. It worked! For a more permanent cure, I registered with a GP at the Avalon medical centre near my house, asking for a full medical check. My GP recommended that I see a physiotherapist. He took some urine and blood samples and that was it. The result will be known next week. He offered to give me some pain killer. I declined because it will only remove the symptoms; but the pain will still be there. I will not feel it, that's all. I do not believe in pain killers or any medicine of that kind.



Immediately, I made an appointment with a physio in the building. Meanwhile I asked the receptionist for a reference to a good physio because I was in severe pain. She kindly gave me a telephone number for a Mr. Ting in Templeview. I went there, had a chat with him. He is a middle age Mormon and he came from Taiwan. He did not do anything; but asked me to register with ACC by filling some forms. Registration will be complete within a week. No treatment was offered for relieving my pain because at that moment I was pain free.

That was yesterday. Today I went for the appointment with the in house physio. He asked me to fill some forms to register with ACC, that's all. I was very disappointed in the standard of care given by physios in NZ. It seems to me that they do not care enough about patients sufferings at all. Either that or they were afraid that I could not afford to pay them later. All they are interested to do was asking me to fill forms; again no treatment was offered. I was in pain and not in a good mood. He will not see me again in his shop.

In the afternoon I was in Frankton. I remember another acupuncturist there. I went to the shop and had another chat with a third physio, a young Chinese from Taiwan. His father is the acupuncturist. The young guy speaks good English because he was educated in NZ. He came here for his secondary education. We chatted for 15 minutes. I told him about my bad experience with physios. Again I was offered no treatment at all. He asked me to fill some forms and he will call me next week. By that time I was no longer in pain, so I left the matter stand and went home.

It seems so ridiculous that I could not find a physio who would agree to give me treatment immediately. I was dressed well and I am sure that I did not give the impression that I could not afford to pay for treatment. Who are these people at ACC, so powerful that they can enter and interfere with our lives like this? All I wanted was for my pain to go away and I can afford to pay for treatment. Its my pain and I can do what I want with it. ACC please get lost.