Dr. Monica’s Healing Journey
Growing up, I was always healthy and active. Nothing could stand in my way. My parents always told me I had quite a strong, determined personality. I loved to push the limits and challenge myself; just to see if I could do it.
When I was 14, everything changed. I started getting dull, boring headaches. Those headaches shifted into the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. From the second I woke up to the time I went to bed, I felt like my skull was being crushed by a vise or like ice picks were being beat into my eyes.
As you can imagine, it’s pretty hard to focus on anything when you’re just trying to hold yourself together. I couldn’t believe it- I went from being the girl that was going to take on the world to the girl that couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. My parents did everything they could for me. They took me to dozens of doctors and specialists, all to get the resounding “nothing is wrong” or “she will grow out of it”.
Fast forward to when I was 19, the migraines were relentless. One migraine would stop and minutes later another would start. I was taking 10 medications per day just to “stabilize” me. I was so doped up I wasn’t much of a person at this point; just a meatsuit with a pulse going through the motions. The pain became so intense that the only place I felt safe was my room. I closed myself off from the world. I became consumed with pain, depression, anxiety and absolute hopelessness. I was absolutely terrified to go anywhere or do anything because I learned to expect it to be ruined by a migraine.
I was trying my best to still push through because that’s what I have always done. I would slap a smile on my face, throwback my daily medications and force my way through the day. I worked as much as I could and was taking prerequisites for my “dream degrees” in either medicine or pharmacy. All I dreamed of was going somewhere with my life but each day with a migraine, that dream seemed more and more distant.
That Summer, my boyfriend (now soon to be husband) invited me on a motorcycle ride. When you feel like your brain is about to explode, the last thing you want to do is go ride on a motorcycle. Against all of my internal cues, I went anyways, and I am so glad I did. I ended up meeting a vibrant lady who shared her health journey with me and how she was able to overcome her symptoms. She told me how chiropractic revived her. All I could think was did she just say her answer to her concerns was chiropractic? I was the biggest skeptic of chiropractic and there was no chance anything she said was going to change my mind. I quickly changed the conversation and went about feeling miserable.
There is something about the hum of a motorcycle engine and the open road that gets you thinking. I thought it was really strange that I happened to meet her when I was at my lowest. I thought it was even more strange that a person that I only just met had more hope for me than I did in myself. Then, when I got home my mom out of the blue brought up going to a chiropractor and how it could really help. That was enough signs in one day to push me to my limit – I called the chiropractor.
I made an appointment with absolutely no trust or hope that anything was going to change. I met with the two doctors, waiting for them to tell me I was a lost cause like every other doctor had, but it never happened. They were confident and eager to help me. I left that appointment feeling seen and heard for the first time. I left feeling hopeful. All skepticism aside, I had nothing left to lose at this point. I was going to give chiropractic a shot.
A month into my care, I went from constant, daily, debilitating migraines down to one a week. Two months into care, one migraine a week went down to one a month. Three months in, one per month turned into no migraines AT ALL!!! I was able to stop taking my pile of medications. For the first time in years, there was a light in my eyes. The meatsuit was now a person that finally could be present and enjoy life! I was told by my neurologists that my experience was “luck, chance or even a miracle.” Well, if that’s the case then chiropractors make miracles happen every day because I have seen and heard many amazing life changing stories.
I was addicted. Addicted to chiropractic, to health, to forging a new path. I dove headfirst into changing my life completely. Chiropractic not only made me feel better symptomatically, but it REVIVED me. I started exploring the world again. I was thinking about my future instead of just wondering how I was going to get through the day. I found passions, like motorcycle riding, that I used to shy away from in fear that I would get a migraine. This experience completely shifted my career path from medicine to chiropractic and gave me my purpose in life.
Even though, those were the most painful, worst years of my life; I wouldn’t change it. Those hard times brought chiropractic into my life. I never thought I would be able to live a life without migraines, pain, depression and anxiety. Chiropractic gave me my life back. Now, it is my personal mission to help others live without symptoms ruling their world!
My migraines are long gone now but my healing journey is far from over. After learning more about the nervous system and how stress deeply impacts health, I realized that true healing is a forever process. Stress never goes away. Honestly, the stress has only become more intricate with age. Chiropractic taught me that my body was brilliantly designed to adapt, handle stress and heal itself. I know that sometimes stress comes on in massive waves that are extremely hard for my body to handle. I know that in those times, I need to tune in to my symptoms and give my body the attention and care that it needs.
In the past, thinking about being on a healing journey forever would have stressed me out. Now, I see it as a gift to be able to work on my health each and every day. I am nine years into my healing journey, and I am still a work in progress. Yes, I am human and get symptoms that show up from time to time. Instead of ignoring, masking and pushing them down; I have a deeper understanding of my symptoms and know how to resolve them.
From someone that has been in deep pain, I know how disempowering it is to have someone tell you that your symptoms aren’t going to resolve and there is nothing you can do about it. I am here to tell you that you DO NOT have to settle and struggle with symptoms. Healing can feel scary, foreign, uncomfortable and even impossible at times. I can promise you that it is a journey that is worth taking.