Nicole: I've suffered from migraines since I was about 20 years old, so I'm going on 15 plus years of migraines. I tried preventative medication, at least a dozen different types of medication were prescribed to me. I saw over the years, six, seven, neurologists. I've been to the Cleveland Clinic, I've gone to the headache clinic. I've seen neurologists here in Pittsburgh, nothing seemed to work. I even tried acupuncture, Reiki, I have rescue meds, I've tried over the counter meds, yoga, meditation, nothing that I seemed to do made the migraines any better.
The migraines that I experienced are not just very severe headaches, they just completely knocked me out. I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk, my face would droop, I could hardly see and I was nauseated. I would dry heave, "You got to take me to the hospital." They would just give you medicine and then would send you home and then you deal with the headache for the next five days and you just pray that you don't get another migraine and your kids don't have to see you like that and your husband doesn't have to see you like that. That's the hardest part. You feel helpless.
One night, I was awake and couldn't sleep and I was in some pain so I was on the internet looking for maybe some alternative treatment options that I hadn't tried and I came across the posting for the Pittsburgh Migraine Challenge on Facebook. I just wasn't sure, but then there was a part of me that said, "Hey, you've tried everything else, why not just give it a try?"
So I made the call back and scheduled an appointment and when I went into the office it was a very warm and inviting office and everybody was friendly and smiling and it wasn't your typical doctor's office, where things are very sterile and you feel like a number. When I had my initial consultation with him, he actually sat down across from me in a room and talked to me and asked me questions like, "How do you experience this? Tell me what's going on." He didn't look at me like I was crazy so when I told that my aura was that I tasted burnt metal in my mouth, he didn't laugh at me like every single other doctor had laughed at me. He was like, "I've heard that." It made sense to him and all the problems that I was having with sleep and anxiety and my post-traumatic stress. I started to have GI issues, everything that I was going through, he made me feel like, "Hey, we might be able to help you."
He did not give me a guarantee, which I appreciated because sometimes you go into the doctors and they say, "Here, take a pill and I will make you feel better." I didn't want to take any more pills because the pills weren't doing anything and that's not how I want to live my life. I don't want to be on 10 different medications for the rest of my life. I want to be able to go out and not have to set alarms on my phone to remind me to take my medications.
Not only were the pills not working, some of them had side effects too.
Yes and I got very sick and then I got other issues from taking the medication. I was hopeful, I left the office feeling hopeful for the first time in a very, very long time and I remember being excited, calling my husband saying, "Hey, maybe this might work. Maybe they can actually help me." So I was hopeful and I hadn't felt hopeful in a very, very long time.
I felt powerless, there was nothing that I could do and it was a challenge because I wanted to do something to help her. I would always ask, and I still ask, "What can I do?" Previously she just said, "There's nothing you can do."
Husband Jared:So Nicole had her initial no charge consultation, she was extremely excited and talked about the follow-up. She said, "I'd really like for you to come and just check things out yourself, come with me to the follow-up." Which I did. Dr. Cotey went to very extensive lengths to explain everything. He broke everything down so that we both can understand, as far as the findings, with the x-ray results Nicole had. After Nicole and I talked, she pretty much ran the gamut as far as possible solutions. After we talked I said, "We'll give it a shot." I think that's one of the best decisions we've ever made. We can definitely see a huge difference in her and just extremely happy that we went forward with working with team.
Nicole:So you're saying I was right?
Husband Jared: As usual, yes.
Nicole:After I went in for my first adjustment, and I wasn't really sure what to expect, because it had been such a long time since I'd been to a chiropractor and I hadn't met Dr. Amanda yet. She was very kind and she walked me through the process and she made me feel very comfortable right from the start. She adjusted me and it felt good and I remember going home and thinking, "Let's see what happens today." For the first time in over six months, that day was the first day that I did not have to take any over the counter pain medications, or any rescue meds and that was a big deal.
I remember going into the office the very next day for my second adjustment and telling Dr. Amanda that I didn't have a headache and I didn't have to take any medication and she just wrapped me in this bear hug and was screaming because she was so excited. The excitement was genuine, it wasn't like a forced excitement where, when you go into a doctor's office they're like, "Great, I'm glad you feel better." You can just tell that they're just telling you that because they feel like they have to and it's very forced. This was a genuine, "Oh my goodness, I'm so excited for you." I think there might have been maybe a tear or two in her eye and I felt like she actually cared about me as a person and that was an amazing feeling. To have somebody invested in you, wanting you to be better and feel better. I just fell in love with her and I fell in love with the practice, they actually care about you and your family and I actually feel like they're family.
Husband Jared:It's been night and day. She's just so much happier and more comfortable. Nicole's happiness makes life so much better and that reflects through, I think, without her even realizing. It helps the family so much, that it is the greatest thing we've ever done.
Comments