This Class Changed My Life

Here is one of our success stories. Jacqueline Neves has written about her experience with us and has kindly allowed her story to be published. This is quite inspiring and we thank Jacqueline for sharing it.

“I started to attend Dr. Carstoniu’s Mind body Pain Management class in January 2006 after my family doctor had suggested I try something different to deal with my pain. She was very impressed with Dr. Jan Carstoniu’s treatment and understanding of pain and thought it would be perfect for me.

I’ve suffered in chronic pain most of my life after I injured my back at work at a young age. The injury left me in unbearable pain and unable to return to work which also resulted in depression and many other related problems. After the injury, I suffered form back pain, irritable bowel, almost constant headaches, migraines and later, pain all over my body: fibromyalgia. I’ve tried countless medications and treatments. Most medications give me terrible side effects so I can’t take them. I spent years going to physiotherapy and exercise programs that just aggravated my pain.

There are some wonderful treatments out there, but not suitable for everyone and some are very expensive. I was pleased when I was told that this class was covered by OHIP (government-run heath plan) and it also gave me more confidence to try it.

I was a little hesitant to try the class because I wasn’t sure I could keep up with a class. I was also hesitant because it was something very different. The exercises are based on an ancient Chinese martial art called “Jiulong Baguazhang”, I had no idea what to expect.

When I walked into the classroom there was a wonderful, calm, pleasant, peaceful atmosphere. I fit right in because every person there suffers from pain. Every person suffers from different types of chronic pain, different problems and limitations. I felt safe and confident because the class was being taught by a Doctor and highly trained, expert teachers. I decided that first day that this would work for me.

The teachers, Dr. Jan Carstoniu, Eric Reynolds, and Steven Wardulenski are so compassionate and helpful, so dedicated to helping all of us. That first day, they put a chair behind me told me to sit down when I was tired and to Stop moving as soon as I felt any pain, I was told to just sit in the chair and move and if that was too difficult, to just imagine or visualize doing the movement. Wow! This was something I could do!

The movements are slow and gentle. When you can’t move your body any further, even just the visualization helps to strengthen the body. They even turn down the lights if someone has a headache. You only do what you can do. There is no pressure. I could only do a little bit each class, but I loved it and took what I learned home with me.

We are taught posture and how to move the body properly so that we don’t hurt ourselves; how to stand, sit, and walk; how to strengthen our body. I decided to apply everything I learned in class to my everyday life and changed the way I moved and held my body.

I was very pleased with the type of meditation they teach in the class. I find it t be a very basic, simple, pure form of meditation. We just sit and breathe. We all sit in comfortable positions, on chairs or however we feel comfortable, all in correct postures and we breathe, just concentrating on the breath. It sounds so simple and it is. We learn how to relax and the relaxation helps us deal with our pain. I love this type of meditation because it allows me to incorporate my own Christian faith. It is perfect for everyone because it is being taught by medical professionals. There is no religion or spirituality being taught. The meditation is helping me to be more relaxed, to think better and be happier.

I decided to do the meditation and movements every day at home, even if I could only do five minutes a day. No matter how sore I was, I could do movements sitting in a chair. Some days are very bad and moving some parts of my body is very difficult, so I use the visualization to move further, it’s supposed to stimulate the mind and body.

Just going to the class is very relaxing; it also feels like an achievement, like I’m doing something to help myself. I can’t make it to every class because of the six hours travelling time and some days are just too painful, but, I practice every day as much as I can at home.

After just six months of doing these movements, sometimes just a few minuets each day, practicing the correct posture sitting and moving properly and meditation every day, I saw a dramatic improvement, my whole body became stronger, I had better balance. I was able to move my body better, walk better; I was steadier on my feet. I was more relaxed and that helped me to better deal with all of my pain and the rest of my conditions like the irritable bowel and headaches.

I found new way’s to move, to clean my home and take care of myself. This class has changed my life. I have learned about my pain, how to live with it and not to be afraid of it. I have learned how to move my body safely, how to relax. I still suffer in chronic pain, but, I’m stronger, happier, and more confident. I enjoy my life more than I have in so many years. I have learned to enjoy the good days to their fullest, not to spend them fearing the pain.

I am so sure that everyone who suffers from pain, any type of pain will benefit from this class. It can change your life too. I think most of us who suffer in chronic pain are afraid to take an “exercise class” because of bad experiences and the fear of injury or just not being able to do it. There is nothing to fear. The class is being taught by a Doctor and highly trained people who really care and are there just to help people in pain.

They are so careful to make sure everyone is moving safely, they repeatedly show us the correct way to move so that we don’t hurt ourselves. Each person has different problems; we each have difficulty moving certain parts of our bodies or even our entire body, so they teach us how to move in ways that benefit each of us with our individual conditions.

This class is fun and relaxing. I really enjoy it and I’m really looking forward to learning more. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Jan Carstoniu, Eric Reynolds and Steven Wardulenski for all their hard work and dedication to helping people in pain and changing my life.”

Jacqueline Neves Facebook Page - J. Neves