A couple of weeks ago, a new patient came into our clinic looking for help. She had been through the wringer, to say the least. She has been dealing with bouts of severe lower back pain for several years. And we were her last resort...
These stories make great newsletters, and they need to be shared. There is so much we can learn from the experiences of others. Let's meet "Jane."
Jane is in her late 50's now, and has been dealing with lower back pain for several years. During that time she has "tried it all." She has seen her Primary Care doctor, a pain management specialist, an orthopedist, a physical therapist, a massage therapist, an acupuncturist... As you can tell the list is long and, unfortunately for Jane, unsuccessful. With each "failure" along the way, Jane has been told that she just needs to "get used to it." Each successive interaction with her providers left her feeling defeated.
Jane is still a relatively active woman, who works part-time and cares for her grandchildren part-time. Unfortunately, other than playing with her grandchildren, she does not have many other remaining hobbies.
Over the years, Jane has let the things that she used to enjoy fall by the wayside. She used to love to hike. She used to love to garden. She used to play golf. Since the onset of her lower back pain, Jane has been hesitant to do anything too physical. The last thing that she wants to do is provoke her symptoms, and as a result, she has been missing out on doing the things that she wants to do.
At this moment, Jane needed to hear something that she had not heard from the providers that she had been seeing. She needed to know that she had a choice to make going forward. She needed to decide if she was going to be
A Victim or A Victor
Over the years, she was told all about the things that were on her MRI. Told about all the limitations that she had. Told about all the things that she would never be able to do again.
She was NEVER told about all the things that she could do. NEVER told about the path to get back to doing those things. NEVER shown how to get stronger (mentally or physically).
Please remember that you are not simply your diagnosis. Even though other providers may make you feel that you are. You cannot let your pain or diagnosis define you. It is only part of the picture.
You are person.
You have goals.
Do whatever you can to overcome the obstacles in your way and become the VICTOR!
Only you can become the hero of your story!
And we are here to help!
