"Surgery no longer an option . .

July 18, 2003 Dear Patricia, Thank you, thank you, thank you ... I feel like a new person! For seven years I've lived in a constant state of worry, now I know that I can do something about my pain. At the age of sixteen I was diagnosed with a lower left lumbar strain, which in turn caused two bulging disks in the lowest portion of my spine. I was devastated; I knew of the pain my father had lived with all of his life, due to the same type of injury, and I also knew that one day I would need surgery. My doctors told me that it would be very difficult for me to bear children as well, due to the location of the injury and the pain it would cause. They stressed to me that my athletic participation in varsity basketball would aggravate these disks, it would hinder my playing ability and possibly become a more serious injury if I continued to on into college. As a result I have never viewed my injury or my pain with a positive attitude. Muscle spasms, accompanied a dull throbbing pressure, beginning at the center of my lower back, stretching up into my neck and down my arms, then reaching down into my thighs, pulling my hamstrings and tightening every muscle in my body, it seemed. As the years passed I grew familiar with these pangs of discomfort and accustomed to the way my body adapted and readjusted to relieve itself of this pressure. None of this was beneficial for my body; I know that now. After I was rear-ended earlier this year, suffering whiplash injuries and shoulder pain, my back again began this throbbing cycle. Doctors, medication and time off of work proved little in the way of preventing an old injury from resurfacing. The right half of my body was most noticeably affected; I of course assumed from the overcompensation of my left side injury. My back wrenched from the lack of mobility; I began to fall ... a lot, by simply walking through a room, across a flat surface. It's as if my legs just gave out. When I came to your office I just wanted to make myself feel better. I figured, why not? What I did not expect is a life's lesson about my body and the way I should feel and react on a day-to-day basis. I was told that my bones should not hurt, that my muscles should hang and contract only when I needed to use them. I was told that stretching was extremely important, something I had forgotten. After just one session with you, Patricia, I was alleviated of so much discomfort that I decided I could do something about my injury. I have since studied up on the human anatomy: I have continued your stretches and I am starting Yoga. I know now that I have control over the pain that I feel and I know that I do not want to feel that hopeless ever again. Surgery is no longer an option for me, prevention is a goal, and weakness is my enemy. I feel liberated. For once, I believe that I can do something to make myself feel better, without the use of muscle relaxers or phony diagnosis. I am listening to my body again, something I have not done in a very long time ... all thanks to you. I am optimistic that through reaffirming sessions with you and self-motivation at home, I can return my body to its natural state of being. Sincerely, Michelle N. Gillespie