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Below are my lumbar and cervical spine MRIs, showing multiple abnormal findings. The latest research shows that such abnormalities are part of a Normal aging process and should not cause pain - just like wrinkles and grey hair!
LUMBAR SPINE
11/23/2011
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Straightening of lumbar curvature
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Tw0-level disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1
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L4-5: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior broad-based central disc protrusion​ / annular tear
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Impingement of bilateral descending L5 nerve roots
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L5: Bilateral recess stenosis
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Bilateral facet arthropathy
CERVICAL SPINE
04/16/2012
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Diffuse degenerative disc disease with straightening of upper cervical lordosis
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Multiple cervical herniations from C4-5 through C7-T1
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Multilevel bulging and bony ridging
It is when we Refuse to surrender to darkness that we're able to rise...
TO KEEP SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS, TRUST IN OUR QUEST FOR BETTER DAYS, AND DARE TO RECLAIM THE LIFE WE'RE MEANT TO LIVE.
My story goes way
Back...
A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD IS THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR DEVELOPPING CHRONIC PAIN LATER IN LIFE
And so my story goes back to the early 70s, in what people describe as the “Switzerland » of the Middle East – Lebanon. I was a few years old when the Lebanese Civil War started, causing casualties, and spreading a dark veil of terror that didn’t spare a house, not a single family. As a child, I could not understand this reality and yet, my childhood was immersed in tales of extreme fear, death, and a deep feeling of unsafety. Aside from the raging war happening outside, another cold war was also breathing in my lungs, eating on my plate, and sleeping in my bed. My mother’s ongoing depressive state and heavy unhappiness, combined with my father’s explosive temper and violent discipline style created a harmful, one can say toxic, environment for any child to grow up in.
In July of 1987, and at the age of 17, my family and I landed in Montreal, Canada to start a new life in a country ruled by peace, and away from the devastating war that was still going on back home. The situation between my parents quickly escalated and my father decided to go back to Lebanon, leaving my mother and the five of us with no support or resources. Here I was, in a foreign country, uprooted and without a support system, trying to make sense of this new reality that felt just as deeply threatening as the one I left behind. I was now fighting a war against homelessness, a war of extreme financial insecurities and emotional struggles.
Are you Ready to own this journey?
PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN RISE TO MEET IMMENSE CHALLENGES
IN THE DESPERATE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS,
MY BODY GAVE OUT
As I look back at my life situation that was far from comfortable, and that lasted consistently for a few decades, I realize my strength, my power, and mostly my grit. I was able to rise to the occasion and support my family. I was able to work, survive and get the education I wanted. In my mid-twenties, I graduated with a Masters’ degree in Communications from the Université de Montréal and started working for Canadian Federal Government as a Communications Consultant. I got married in 1999, bought my first house, and later had my first child, Alex. In 2002, the company my ex-husband was working for got relocated to Long Island, NY. We both decided to move our new family to the United States and get established there. My son was born with an immature digestive system and was very sick for the first few years of his life. I knew that by moving to the States, we could survive on my ex-husband’s salary, and I could stay home to take care of Alex. Three years later I had my daughter, Elsa.
In 2005, things started to go south between my ex-husband and I, and after a few years, I knew we couldn’t repair the relationship and I was now faced with a new major struggle – breaking my marriage and facing the consequences. I had been out of the workforce for many years, I had two young children, I didn’t have a support system, and I didn’t have any savings I could use to move out and start a new life.
In November 2010, I finally found a job that allowed me to afford a decent living with my children. The position was in NYC and the daily commute to get there, and back was 5-hours. I knew it was going to be difficult. I knew it was going to be exhausting. I also knew it was my only way out. I accepted the offer.
My pain was Real. My struggle was unbearable...
Deep down I knew that this job meant an imminent divorce. And while I was longing and actively searching for a new life, accepting this offer also implied many insecurities: I was going to be a single parent, with no family around to support, and without a financial cushion for any unexpected emergencies. A week after accepting the offer, I came home from the gym after a long, strenuous, and invigorating workout session, sat down on the couch to relax and couldn’t stand back up. My back muscles were completely locked in a dreadful spasm. I felt paralyzed. I remember vividly tears falling down my cheeks and an extreme fear arising from the depth of my soul: I badly injured my spine. What am I going to do now? That marked the beginning of years of struggle with chronic pain.
MY NERVOUS SYSTEM HAD REACHED A THRESHOLD AND THE DANGER ALARM WAS LOUD. TO PROTECT ME, MY BRAIN DECIDED TO SEND SEVERE PAIN SIGNALS.
While this initial acute episode subsided with the use of strong muscle relaxers, I started to experience regular spasms. A few months later, my right shoulder started to hurt. A year later I had a rotator cuff repair surgery and that recovery took over a year. As soon as the pain in my right shoulder subsided, I started having neck pain. My cervical MRI showed diffuse degenerative disc disease with straightening of upper cervical lordosis, multilevel bulging and bony ridging. I saw a chiropractor for 6 months to get some relief. After that, I developed an extremely painful condition, called adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder – which was corrected by surgery. Right after the recovery, I started to experience severe lower back pain. The lumbar spine MRI showed a whole array of spine diseases, mainly two-level degenerative disc disease with disc desiccation, impingement of nerve roots, stenosis, bilateral facet arthropathy, disc protrusion with annular tear, disc bulge, and other abnormalities I can't even pronounce.
BACK SURGEONS AND OTHER HEALTH PRACTITIONERS TOLD ME THAT I HAD NO CHANCE TO HEAL.
I was instructed to stop running, cycling, and lifting weights, including my purse and my grocery bags, and to manage my pain with medication and injections. I was told that once the pain becomes unbearable, I would qualify for a spine surgery.
I SPENT OVER FIVE YEARS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. I TRIED EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN TO GET RELIEF, FROM MEDICAL TO ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS. I ADOPTED A VEGAN DIET, CHANGED MY MATTRESS AND MY WORKSTATION, HUNG UPSIDE DOWN, LEARNED SWIMMING AND PRACTICED HOT YOGA. NOTHING HELPED.
The power of Grit...
Despite the limitations, the pain, and most importantly the fear of never getting better, I never surrendered. Deep down I knew that something, or someone would be able to help me reclaim the quality of life I desperately wanted. I was in my early forties, and the thought of spending the rest of my life in pain petrified me.
THIS IS WHEN I FINALLY DISCOVERED HOW THE MIND-BODY SYNDROME AFFECTED CHRONIC PAIN
On October 18, 2016, I was searching for answers online, and I landed on the book "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection" by Dr John E. Sarno. Using the actual case histories of his own patients, Dr. Sarno shows why tension and unexpressed emotions, mainly anger, cause chronic back pain, and how awareness and understanding are the first steps to doing something about it.
That approach allowed me to Completely heal all my chronic pain.
Since Dr Sarno wrote this book in the early 90's, there have been tremendous advancements in neuroscience that explain the nature of pain, namely chronic pain, and how it can be treated with the reprogramming of neural-pathways.
I still have the same spine.
Today, I live a full, active, and
Pain free life!
I am Passionate about helping people get the same awesome results.
Since I've achieved full recovery from chronic pain, I became fully committed to helping people like you, who are still in the grip of pain. I am dedicated to supporting you on this path to recovery, equipped with the latest research, tools and techniques to make a real difference in your life.
MIND-BODY SYMPTOMS ARE A PART OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY'RE CREATED IN THE BRAIN. A HUGE PARADIGM SHIFT IS HAPPENING AND THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY IS LAGGING BEHIND THE LATEST BREAKTHROUGHS IN NEUROSCIENCE. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HEALING THROUGH THE MIND BODY APPROACH. YOU CAN TOO.
I will help you uncover why your brain is continuously creating a ruthless vicious circle of pain, how your thoughts and fears have been contributing to the persistence of pain, and more importantly, the steps you can take to reprogram your neural-pathways and break the cycle of pain.
I've Walked this path before you. I helped many chronic pain sufferers take ownership of their healing journey, make empowered decisions, and completely transform their reality.
I can help you achieve similar results.
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YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE.
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“As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.”
~ Maya Angelou
