Posted on August 16, 2010

“I have everything to gain”

Dr. Hudson told Kim Ball on her first visit to The Pain Center at Mary Free Bed that she would be feeling better in four weeks.

After 15 years of nausea, dizziness, and missed work, Kim wanted to be hopeful, but it was hard. She was misdiagnosed by her doctors for many years.

She explored alternative medicine. Nothing provided relief from the symptoms that often kept her bed ridden. “I missed out on so much with my husband and my step-kids,” she remembers. “It was so frustrating.”

Even though Kim was accurately diagnosed with migraines in 2006, the treatments of daily medication and diet didn’t alleviate her symptoms.

Kim had a co-worker whose son was treated for migraines at The Pain Center, and she encouraged Kim to give The Pain Center a try. When Kim asked her doctor for a referral she told him, “I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

It was December 24, 2009 when Dr. Hudson told Kim she would improve in four weeks. “He was right,” she said. “I started feeling better in three weeks from a combination of therapy, relaxation, biofeedback, exercising, stretches, and diet.” Kim completed the 12-week headache program at The Pain Center and is now medicine free.

At The Pain Center, Kim worked with a physical therapist, psychologist, and medical doctor to cope with her pain.

She explained, “Thanks to my physical therapist, Theresa, I was able to relieve the tension in my neck. Dr. Degraff, my psychologist, helped me work through my issues with anger and worry. She taught me to forgive, to accept, and to set reasonable expectations for myself. Lower expectations increased my productivity.” Kim was grateful that all her caregivers worked together.

Kim learned to identify her values and work toward them in small steps. She said, “I don’t have to conquer the world.”

Kim’s list of values included working a 40-hour work week, having time for friends and family, going back to church, and improving her relationship with her husband.

“Before I came to The Pain Center, I spent a lot of time being mad, quiet, and sleeping,” Kim explained. “Now I talk more and hug more. I clean the house more. I deal with things as they come and worry less. I have less anger, tension, and aggression. I am less negative on myself.”

Kim misses much less work, now. She still exercises 30 minutes a day and goes to The Pain Center for therapy. Kim now knows what to do when she feels tense, “I stop myself and breathe deep to relax. It is the little things that are actually huge. I sleep better and feel better. Even my husband noticed that I didn’t get sick during a recent stressful situation.”

Kim recommends The Pain Center because each patient is treated emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Kim said, “You are not one dimensional, and The Pain Center will deal with every part of you. I wish everyone could go to The Pain Center, because it works and it is positive.”