The Beginning of an Insane Journey

Chronic pain is a horrific feeling of being trapped inside of a body without any control- as if your body is fighting against you. Despite this disturbing aspect of my life, I still call myself a Warrior...a survivor of illnesses that want to take me down.

When I was 18, I fell out of a vehicle going 65 miles per hour, resulting in extreme road rash and a broken foot. Six months later I had another motor vehicle accident during an ice storm, flipping my SUV 3 times- again walking away with a couple of scratches. Finally, 9 months later or so I had another accident (go figure), hitting a bridge going about 55 mph.

Little did I know that I had started a battle based on poor decisions. I did not feel any pain until 2010 when I was 20 years old; it wasn't anything severe, just migraines. However, in early 2011 I began to feel chronic wide-spread pain which then got worse as time went by. It turned into insane headaches and migraines, Tempomandibular Joint pain, neck and spine issues...I knew something was wrong. I began to be depressed and mad, as my pain was really taking a toll.

Not only was I forced to endure such agony, I was so alone as no one believed me. I saw countless doctors only to be pushed to the side with no diagnosis. Over a 4 year period I dealt with the pain constantly, starting at a 3 daily to up to a 10. Due to the fact that the doctors had no idea (or care for that matter) what I was going through, I turned to my dear friend Google. I knew I had to figure out what was going on or my life would be headed to a place no one wants to be.

From my research, I initially thought I had Trigeminal Neuralgia which is a neuropathic disorder characterized by episodes of intense pain in the face, originating from the trigeminal nerve. Everything added up and I even went to a conference about it! 

Since I did not have a proper diagnosis, I started seeing a pain doctor who specialized in spinal care. Just to show that the other 14 doctors that I had seen were ridiculous and had no idea what they were talking about...I had an obscene amount of imaging done in the prior years and they all failed to see that I had herniated discs in my lumbar and cervical spine. Due to this and the other pain I was dealing with I had been on pain pills and muscle relaxers for 3 years; I needed them to live. 

In February 2014 I had a consultation with the man who saved my life- Dr. Mark Piper in St. Petersburg, FL. During my first consult I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (Type 1), Systemic arthritis and TMJ disorder. After that, I began to see the light.