I have had back problems for over 30 years. Actually I had injuries prior to that but it was about 32 years ago, after my first episode of needing to be on my back for 6 weeks, that I started to seriously seek help for the issue. Living with chronic pain has been horrendous and has affected every area of my and my family’s life.
I have seen Dr. Grandstaff for about three and a half months now, first several times a week, then weekly, then every two weeks, and now I’ve progressed to monthly visits. I was taking quite a number of supplements at first but I am done with a lot of them now. I had to be cleared of every single food and environmental allergy! But now, for the first time in decades, I feel no pain.
At first it felt as if I had no body. I felt like I was walking on a cloud. And I thought it wouldn’t – it just couldn’t -last.
And I sometimes felt a weird sensation where my pain had been. It wasn’t the pain, but it felt like my back somehow remembered the pain and it didn’t want to let it go. It had been such a part of me that it didn’t feel right to be without it. I was afraid it would come back.
But eventually even that weird sensation went away. And I am truly out of pain. It has been weeks now and I am a different person.
Over the past 32 years I have had acupuncture, physical therapy, e-stim, occupational therapy (yes, I learned how to vacuum without moving my back!), massage therapy, aqua therapy, music therapy and relaxation training. I have tried biofeedback, mindfulness, meditation, prayer, holy oils, essential oils, visualization, thought reframing, ice, heat, Tai Chi, yoga, deep breathing, self regulation, and self-hypnosis. I have been to MANY different chiropractors. I took classes in pain management, sleep improvement, and stress reduction. For years I popped Percocet and Vicodin like candy. It’s a wonder I did not die of an opioid overdose! I was always using prescribed muscle relaxers, OTC pain relievers, lidocaine patches, extra strength curamin, and ginger tea. Friends would give me tubes of Arnicare, jars of Muscle Melt, and squirt bottles of Blue Stop. Many times I just went to the ER and had morphine drips.
Doctors told me that the pain would NEVER go away. They said I just needed to learn how to manage it.
And then there was the depression. Chronic pain can lead to depression. And that took a toll on my family as well. The pain was so severe at times that suicide looked like an attractive option. I prayed every night that I would not wake up in the morning. And every morning I would wake up disappointed to still be alive.
There just wasn’t anything else left to try. Dr. Granstaff was my last hope. I decided to try him because a number of people, whose opinions I trust, recommended him when I had my last “episode.” I had overworked myself and ended up in bed for six weeks.
I always overwork myself whenever I am not in terrible pain. I always talk myself into thinking that, since I can walk around without screaming in excruciating pain, I can do normal things like scrub my bathroom floor or have people over for dinner. But no, I could not do normal things and be a normal person because I would always end up back in bed for having tried to do a normal thing like wash the dishes.
So there I was in bed a few months ago crying (sometimes screaming) and my friends convinced me to drive to Hayden. It took every ounce of strength for me to get myself to his office. I practically crawled through the door. I was in tears. In fact, for the first few visits I cried all the way through the treatments.
Once Dr. Grandstaff even had to give me a break. He actually walked away and left me on the table and did some paperwork while I recovered enough from the pain to let him continue. And I wasn’t just crying because of the pain; I was crying because I was so depressed that I was spending all of my money for something that I thought was crazy. All of the things he was doing were so bizarre and made no sense at all. I thought he might be a quack.
All of Dr. Grandstaff’s techniques seemed like mumbo jumbo to me. I’ve always considered myself an intelligent person. My graduate work was at Columbia University! Of course that was over 40 years ago so I admit my mind is not as sharp as it used to be. But still, I am not a stupid person and this all looked like nonsense to me. I was very skeptical of what he was doing and I still have no idea, despite him repeatedly trying to explain things to me, how his method works. But now that I am pain-free and have time to do normal things like read, I think I might just research this science to try to figure out what it’s all about and why it works.
Actually, it didn’t work at first. At first it was like all the other chiropractors I had gone to. He would adjust me and I would walk out the door just fine but then a few days later I would be out of alignment again. That’s when he suggested I start clearing the allergens. That required another leap of faith. More money for something that seemed ridiculous. But since I had no other options left, I threw all of my money at him and hoped for the best. I needed to try this as a last resort.
Well, so far, it has been miraculous. Even though I have fallen twice and I overworked myself having a summer party, things which previously would have sent me to my bed for weeks, my back is just fine! I hope this continues.
To be out of pain is worth every penny I had. I’ve got nothing in savings now and I have balances on my credit cards. But I am out of pain and that makes all the difference in the world.
I can sleep now and I have more energy and I’m happier and my family is happier. I can clean my own house and do heavy chores now instead of paying others to do my work. In fact, I will save so much money by not needing to hire help that I will be able to pay off my credit cards start saving again.
Chronic pain can really ruin your life and your family, so I have to say, trying Dr. Grandstaff was the best investment I’ve ever made.
Now that I am out of pain I feel ready to change my diet. I can now exercise without fearing I will hurt myself and end up back in bed. I want very much to get off my Metformin and the other medications I am on. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Instead of visualizing my funeral I now can see the real possibility of myself as a healthy person. I am now delighted to wake up in the morning instead of being disappointed that I didn’t die in my sleep. I am hopeful that the remaining years of my life will be happy and I am looking forward to enjoying whatever time I have left.
Please feel free to call me if you want an update on my conditions.
Bridget Schafer
Phone: 208-777-5675
