I’m finally starting to live again.

I’ve been suffering with back pain for 15 years now. Around 10 years ago, I also lost feeling in my lower right leg as a result of nerve damage from a bulging disc, so now I struggle with balance too.

My doctors had always brushed me off, giving me stronger and stronger painkillers. After I lost feeling in my leg, I was given an MRI and a nerve test. I was told I had damage and bulges to my spine, and my numb leg was permanent. It was suggested that  I try epidural steroid injections as an alternative to surgery. My first injection went wrong; they punctured a membrane, causing a leak and imbalance of fluid around my brain, so I decided against further treatment. I also tried physiotherapy, but the exercises exacerbated my pain, and they said there was nothing more they could do for me.

I made the decision to come off painkillers as I would rather live with the pain than the side effects of medication, but living with the pain was miserable. I rarely went out as I was always worrying about doing things in case they caused a flare-up. I would even worry about simple things like going out for a meal with friends in case the seats aggravated my back, or going for a walk and finding myself unable to get back.

I had basically given up on finding a solution, as I thought I had tried everything possible and nothing ever seemed to work. My husband refused to give up, and after having my worst pain episode yet, he persuaded me to try one more thing. He had found Karen online and read other people’s success stories. Being in so much pain at the time, I was easily persuaded to give it a try. He also offered to use our honeymoon money as payment.

In my first session with Karen, my pain was still severe. I couldn’t stand up straight, and I was feeling sceptical; I really didn’t expect much, having been through my past experiences. After doing a few simple and gentle stretches, I was amazed that by the end of the session, the pain that I’d been in for the past week had almost completely gone. Over the next few weeks, I was still getting aches and pains, but after each session, the pain had either gone or very nearly gone, and I was building a routine of exercises that kept the pain away. I have also started experiencing feeling on occasions in my numb leg.

Instead of just living with pain and trying to ignore it as best I could, Karen taught me to listen to my body and be more aware. Whenever I feel even a twinge now, I acknowledge and observe where it is coming from, and I have the tools to know what I need to do to sort it before it becomes anything worse.

I had resigned myself to a life of pain after years of seeing doctors and consultants. After just 12 sessions with Karen, I’m finally starting to live again.

It brings it all back, just how bad things were, when I sit and think about everything and how long I had been in pain for. Thank you so much for everything.

Natalia McKenna