HI!

My own pain story began in 1995 when I was 17 years old. I was working at a fast food restaurant cleaning tables, watching the clock because I had plans that evening with friends so I was trying to calculate if I had enough time to shower and get ready. I was distracted. I stepped wrong. Pain shot through my right knee. My life would never be the same again.

When the pain didn’t heal or go away I was sent to a specialist for testing. When those texts came back negative, showing that there was nothing wrong with my right knee, the doctor looked me right in the eye and told me that I would be in pain until I realized I wasn’t in pain. My knee was swollen to twice it’s size and I couldn’t let my bed sheets touch it because they felt like lead weight and sand paper. My leg was so cold. I was so tired but I couldn’t sleep because of the pain of my leg touching the mattress. I was in so much pain I couldn’t bear weight on my leg, I was using crutches to help me walk. Yet this specialist said there was nothing wrong with me. This specialist said I would be in pain until I realized I wasn’t.

About a week later my parents offered to take me to see a second opinion with the caveat that if this doctor couldn’t find something wrong then we would just drop it. Thankfully that doctor had attended a pain seminar where he had just learned about RSD/CRPS Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which is now more commonly known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It is the most severe form of chronic pain but because it is considered rare, especially back in the 90’s, many doctors never heard about it. I was lucky! I began my treatments in January of 1996. Today, I use a combination of a Spinal Cord Stimulator, medications, physical therapy and yes mindfulness along with other tools I have discovered along the way.

My pain story is a long story, 30 years long but my story isn’t just about my pain though. It is about the life I have lived through it, despite it. My story details finding my husband and together building our family. I am more than my pain. I want you to know that you are more than your pain too!

Over the years I shared my story and reached out to others who needed support. Exchanging texts, messages and phone calls to other warriors while I was living with my pain and raising my family. I participated in online support groups and created my own blog. In the past several years I have become more dedicated to creating awareness and support. I kept asking myself, how could I help more?

I received my Life Coach certification March 2025. Then in September 2025 my pain management doctor asked me to participate in his teaching program for the medical students. My doctor is aware that chronic pain conditions aren’t fully covered in their education. He created a series of seminars for the students to come in, learn about pain management and meet actual patients with chronic pain disorders. I was able to meet with these young doctors, talk to them about the relationship between a doctor and pain patient, my life with CRPS, opioid prescription management, spinal cord stimulation and the importance of therapy. One doctor asked me “What is the best way to approach a patient about seeking therapy?” I understood her concern because I have seen it myself. People with pain feeling frustrated when their doctor suggests they seek therapy because it can feel as if the doctor is telling them the pain is imagined. My response to this doctor was simple. “The same way you suggest physical therapy. People need to learn how meditation and mindset can help them regain function just like physical therapy regains muscle movement.” I am fortunate that my pain management doctor works with a qualified psychologist to help new patients. One of the reasons I began working as a Life Coach is because I have learned that not all psychologists, therapists or Life Coaches understand pain psychology. Living with pain is frustrating enough. Seek help from someone who understands!

Are you ready to work with a Coach who knows what it is like to live with pain?