Hello can you please tell us your name? Evelyn Leon. And where are you traveling from? Woodinville. Okay. Thank you for joining us here today Evelyn. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions about how you were feeling before you come in to see Dr. Polzin here at the Bellevue Pain Institute. Well, I was in a motor accident two years ago and I suffered a disc problem, and I was in a lot of pain. I am a lot of pain and it affected from my hip all the way down my leg. Excruciating pain and it prevented me from doing a lot of stuff I really enjoyed doing. Like walking, cooking, standing on my legs, anything I can imagine. The pain was so bad that that many times I would be in tears. I took a lot of pain pills, which helped and I knew that the pain pills were bad for me but I had no choice, just to get around and take them. It got to the point where the pills where even working as much. Also I did a lot of physical therapy. I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried physical therapy, the O-zone therapy, I don’t know if you know that, anything I could think of. I’d go onto the internet and search anything that is out there and I’ve tried it all. For two years I’ve been in therapy, no relief. I’ve lost weight, I thought I’ve done it, it didn’t. Until I came across Dr. Polzin on the internet. At first when I saw it, well that’s not for me Peripheral Neuropathy and I didn’t. Then a month later my girlfriend sent me the link and said ‘Evelyn I was thinking of you when I saw him on TV and I was thinking of you and I think you need to check this out.’ And I emailed her back ‘and you know a month ago I was right there looking at it and I thought,’ well you just need to check it out. And so I came in, I called and came in, and he checked me and they started therapy and I for the first time have been able to move around, do things I wasn’t able to do even to sit and reach a book is really amazing because I love reading and I love to sit on my bed and read and I wasn’t able to do it. I remember last year I got to the point where I wasn’t able to climb the stairs. I couldn’t even change my clothes, put on my pants, I wasn’t able to do it, my husbands and my kids had to help me. I remember they took me to the emergency and nothing. They gave me steroids, which helped but it took a whole night to work but it was really scary for me at that point because inflammation was so built up in my legs that you couldn’t touch me, I couldn’t get out of bed. It took me 45 min to get out of my bed. And to turn from side to side it was like 20 min it took me to turn. I was scared, at that point I was really scared. And I thought, one of my biggest things was this is my life, this is what I’m going to be like for the rest of my life, I was scared.

After trying so many things and nothing was working, at first I had hope and thought that it would go away but after trying and nothing was working I got honestly scared and deep inside I knew this is it, this is it for me this is going to be my life, I wasn’t happy. And especially my granddaughter, everyone knows how much I love Arie. And I was afraid to tell my daughter how much pain I was in because she might not send arie to visit. Grandma is in pain. And I tried to keep in in any way I can. And so she sent Aerie, and I remember trying to go up the stairs and for the first time I couldn’t wait for Aerie to go home. And that was hard because I was in so much pain I couldn’t do the things I wanted to do with her and that was really hard because I would do anything for Aerie. And no I’m feeling so much better, I told her and she is really happy she said ‘grandma can you play with me.’ And you know it’s exciting.

And I talked to my girlfriend in Atlanta who is going through the same thing like I’m going through and when I talked to her she said ‘You know Evelyn, When I talked to you recently I knew, I knew you were doing much better because she told her friend that my friend is suffering just like I am but when I talked to her I could hear it in her voice I know something because my voice, you could tell in my voice I was feeling much better because she would call me many times before and I would set the phone, because I didn’t want to talk to anybody and she didn’t understand till it happened to her and now she knew what it feels like to be in pain and not want to talk to anybody either. And you know it’s kind of nice because sometimes you get kind of down, because people don’t understand but then going onto the internet, watching the Dr. Oz show really helped me because he has a show about Chronic Pain and a lot of women stood up and spoke out about it of what it felt. And that really helped me to know that it’s not in my head, it’s real. You have to be going through it to understand. Many times we may look like we’re not in pain but we are in pain. We just do everything we can not to show it, or we have it for so long that we try to manage it the best we can and we try not to be a cry, cry baby. I have a very high tolerance of pain so ill bare it as much as I can till I can’t bare it anymore and I start falling apart or start limping and crying. And my kids and my husband have seen me do that many, many times.

And now you have a large part of your life back. Yeah, I was driving my son to the bus stop and he said mommy you’re not in pain. And lately they haven’t seen me crying like they used to, they saw a great difference in my they really do and people who were around me saw a big difference and I can read my books now and I can bare on the internet but much before I couldn’t. I haven’t taken a chance yet to walk long distance but it’s still in my head I don’t want to do anything to trigger it. And I was telling my girlfriend that same thing that I don’t want to do anything to trigger it off. Even though I’m feeling much better I don’t want to take a long distance walk. I remember in the summer my husband and my kids would go on walks because where I live there are nice trails, I couldn’t go with them. And even this time I couldn’t go with them. My husbands like let’s go take a walk, and I’m like I’m sorry guys I can’t walk. I remember I couldn’t even walk with Arie, I tried with my son and half way I gave out and I couldn’t do it. I had some pain pills in my pocket and I took them with a bottle of water and so I could continue my little walk with him so forced myself to do it because I felt like I was missing out a lot. Pain is not fun.

Before my pain I didn’t realize it could be so painful before it happened to me so I thought that people who take pain pills, they don’t need to take it, until it happened and now I know why. Most of them aren’t taking it because they want it, but because they have to. I’m against pain pills, I’m not for it. I try to eat natural food and more organic and more natural things, do taking a pain pill for me. And I was taking a high dosage because it wasn’t working. And so now you’re able to cut back on the pain pills. Oh yeah I’m able to cut back and I found a natural remedy one that I’m taking too. I’ve taken so much of it and I’m really big about it and I will always have that in my mind and that if not the pain then something that will do my like the pills. I have a friend who by taking too many pain pills it affect her on the inside where she is having problems keeping down food and stuff. So I’m always aware of that.

Well thank you for sharing all of that with the success and relief in your pain. I’m really happy for here, because really after trying so many things I’ve found a place where I have hope again. You guys are so nice to me, you guys are friendly and it made me feel good because you guys understand pain that it’s real and that’s really important for the person who is going through it. Because you know something your like is it in my head or am I making this up so it’s really helpful when doctors really understand your really hurting and not just coming here to get pain pills or whatever you’re really hurting and that there is something there that’s causing the pain. And I was really glad that he reviewed my case and he found where I have the problem in my disc, my back and was able to help me to the point where I’m almost back to normal. At least not 100% but I am so happy where I am. You still have a family to raise, you still have responsibilities, a husband and family, things to do, a life to live. I’m just too happy where I am right now and I say that to my friends and family every day I don’t care right now I’m just happy. I’m just too happy for where I am, and laugh again. Thank you so much Evelyn for sharing with us, it’s been an absolute joy taking care of you.