Trying New Treatments
For a couple of years after learning how to walk and cope with the pain at the Cleveland Clinic, I really didn’t do anything to help with my pain. I didn’t talk about it, try new treatments, or go to therapy. It wasn’t until the end of my junior year in high school that I decided, enough was enough. I was suffering from this debilitating pain and not doing anything about it.
One night, I sat with my parents and expressed to them that I wanted to try something, anything, to take the pain away, even just a little bit. We searched the internet for treatment options and came across ketamine infusions, spinal cord stimulators, nerve blocks, and calmare therapy.
After discussing these options, we came to the conclusion that Calmare therapy would be the best for me because I was too young for ketamine infusions, the spinal cord stimulator was too invasive, and I already received a nerve block when I was ten years old, which actually resulted in my pain spreading from my thigh to the rest of my leg. Shortly after finding this therapy, my parents and I visited a doctor that worked with the Calmare device. He explained that the device creates and sends a no-pain signal which becomes the dominant signal received by the brain through the application of surface electrodes to the skin, thus overriding the pain signal and providing relief for the patient. For the next ten days, I was hooked up to this device for an hour each day. The doctor would strategically place the surface electrodes on my legs to where he thought I would experience the most relief. After this ten day treatment, I felt a noticeable amount of relief for the following three months, but as always, the pain worsened over time. I felt hopeless and discouraged to try the treatment again knowing I was back where I started.
The following summer, we tried a different approach: EMDR Therapy, which is a therapeutic approach used to address past traumatic experiences that are having a present effect on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I participated in this therapy all summer following my senior year. On an emotional level, this therapy helped immensely, allowing me to come to terms with my diagnosis, my experiences with CRPS, and the unknown future ahead of me. Not only did my outlook on my situation change, but my pain levels improved as well.
However, after a semester of dancing at the collegiate level, I knew I had to be proactive and take care of my body while it was going through a lot physically. The winter break of my freshmen year, I did acupuncture for the first time. Now, the needles hurt, but I was willing to see what this treatment could do for me. I continued to do it through the rest of the semester and summer before my sophomore year. I would like to say that I found some relief, and maybe I had a little, but nothing noticeable. I really just kept at the treatment because I didn’t want another failed one.
Now, I realize that everyones pain is different. Just because a certain treatment works for other people, doesn’t mean it is going to work on me. I just have to be willing to put myself out there, and continue to try new things, even if I feel hopeless or scared at times. This summer, I promise myself to look at, and research, new treatment options and try one. You never know if something will work if you don’t try, right?
