Life’s too short not to take opportunities

Today’s events have culminated in my need to drop you this note. The real purpose of this correspondence is to thank-you. Actually to thank-you, Linda, Moe, and Lynda! You need to know that the remarkable levels of kindness, compassion, and thoughtfulness, combined with the stellar level of expertise and knowledge of your establishment, make it second to none. No one attending your clinic could ever feel they’re left adrift. You all ensure the contrary! Life’s too short not to take the opportunity to relay such well-deserved and sincere praise as well as our heartfelt gratitude. You all make every effort to honour your mission statement painted on the wall! So- again-thank-you.

One Step Closer to Wellness

The journey to meeting Dr. Ian began about two years ago. Two years ago, out of the blue, I lost a significant amount of hearing in my right ear. I went the traditional route of getting a referral to an ENT and an MRI to rule out a tumor. The ENT diagnosed me with Idiopathic Sudden Sensory Neuro Hearing Loss. I wasn’t happy with the outcome of that appointment and assessment so I consulted with my naturopath. I’ve always been open to alternative medicine. My naturopath ordered in special injections from Germany to help restore the nerve damage and hopefully restore some hearing loss. The outcome of that was positive until I started dealing with a lot of inner ear and congestion issues. My hearing deteriorated again. At that point, I started acupuncture and had some success with that. Along the way, I started to suffer from balance issues and vertigo. My symptoms were debilitating at times; often resulting in me staying in bed all day, nauseous, and throwing up. I went to my family physician who prescribed “SERC”. The side effects of this drug were worse than the actual symptoms so I stopped taking the medication after less than a week.

Dr. Ian was referred to me by my chiropractor in Mississauga. They seemed quite convinced that he could help me. My quality of life was diminishing every day. At this point, a 4 hour round trip drive was worth it to me. My first visit with Dr. Ian was in June 2013. My case proved to be more complicated than first anticipated. As a result of this, I needed to make the commitment to be in Peterborough once a month. Dr. Ian has made significant progress with me. He has helped alleviate my symptoms to the point that driving has become easier, and I’m able to get through a Yoga Flow class without getting dizzy and sick. I’m still waiting for another MRI to assist in determining root cause, but every neuro functional test that I receive and the subsequent exercises puts me one step closer to wellness.

I Now Have Hope
In May 2011, I was involved in a motor vehicle collision; I was extricated from the car by firefighters and was first transported to a local hospital then onto St. Michael’s Hospital. I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and had a compressed disc in my T2/T3 thoracic region that was against my spine.

Treatment focused on the brain injury and very little was done to treat the constant back and neck pain. Since the incident took place in a work-related vehicle, I had the not so pleasurable experience to work with WSIB. At the time of the accident, I loved the job I was doing working in law enforcement. I was in great shape, both mentally and physically and at 40 years old had everything in place with a wife and son. WSIB played on my desire to return to work and in less than a year from the date of the accident, I was back at work, working 12 -hour shifts. You would think that would be good news. It was the worst thing that could have happened. The pain became unbearable on my back and I resorted to self- medicating with anything I could find to get through the day. I felt very nauseated anytime I was driving and would get severe headaches.

After numerous physiotherapy sessions and two spine specialists saying they couldn’t operate to move the disc off of the spine, I was left with the notion that I would be on pain killers for the rest of my life and would have to live with it. I had no support from my work place, as on the outside I looked normal. I was beginning to lose everything and for the first time ever in my life, I thought about ending it.

My Occupational Therapist referred me to Doctor Horseman and the Posture Clinic. When I first walked in I had my doubts, I mean what was a chiropractor going to do for me. As I was filling out the paper work, I noticed the writing on the wall in the clinic. “Give Hope, Exceed Expectations, Empower Patients”. At that time in my life, I had nothing to lose, but I had little to no hope, no expectations and I certainly did not feel empowered.

Doctor Horseman sent me for X-Rays on the head and neck and did his own tests. He was able to determine that I had a mismatch in eye movements, which was causing nausea while driving and determined that the muscles in the neck and back had been strained and damaged in the collision from the force of the impact. Nothing other than painkillers would temporarily ease the pain. Doctor Horseman asked me to give him a chance to see if he could make things better, it would be a slow process but was confident he could make life a little bit better for me. I had nothing to lose.

I have been seeing Doctor Horsemen for about six months; he has been working on not only my brain injury and mismatched eye movements but also my T2/T3 disc injury. I am feeling stronger and now feel in control of my life and my rehabilitation. I am no longer self-medicating or relying on painkillers and have been able to get control of my life. I still have a way to go but I am continuing my progress. I now have Hope and have Exceeded Expectations with more to conquer. I am feeling empowered to do what I never thought I would ever be able to do, it is fun to do the impossible.