Delos Therapy has some amazing clients with extraordinary stories and we want to take the time to share their success with our therapy. Meet Mary Kate, once a level ten gymnast, who came to Delos with debilitating body spasms and pain. Read her interview to find out her amazing transformation since starting Delos.
How did you hear about Delos?
MK: I was searching for any therapy in the Chicagoland area that specialized in chronic pain and Delos Therapy popped up on my computer. I emailed them for more information and was excited to learn about a treatment option I had not tried before.
What issues brought you to Delos?
MK: I was a level ten gymnast training 30 hours a week. One injury changed my life. After my fifth ankle surgery five years ago I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 2 (nerve damage) in my left ankle. After a year of being diagnosed it spread throughout my entire left side.
I also have severe full body muscle spasms that put me into a wheelchair and multiple splints to keep my muscles from contracting. The slightest vibration, wind blow, switch of a light, or high pitched sound would cause excruciating pain and spams, sometimes causing me to lose consciousness.
I was a level 8-10 with pain and my skin was burning with ulcers (felt like someone poured burning acid on my legs). Everything hurt, even the slightest touch. I had chronic swelling in my arm and ankle that limited my range of motion.
What types of treatments did you try before coming to Delos?
MK: Before coming to Delos, I had tried basically everything imaginable for pain: local anesthetic injections, lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, stellate ganglion nerve blocks, a lot of different narcotics and muscle relaxants (I tried 26 different types), inpatient rehabilitation programs, outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, aqua therapy and Calmar therapy.
I gained function with IV magnesium two times a week (up to 6g/week) and acupuncture, but my pain stayed the same and I would still have major setbacks with the muscle spasms and swelling.
What improvements have you made since starting Delos Therapy?
MK: WOW!!!! I can’t really put it into words. After one week of Delos Therapy, Eric found the exact point where my spasms start and the exact spot that immediately stops the spasms – I guess you could say I have and activation and deactivation button on my body! As you can imagine, this gave me my life back! I now attend class, drive, go out in public and not be afraid of ending up in an ambulance and in the ER. I am cutting down the amount of IV magnesium I get dramatically and I am eliminating half the supplements and treatments I receive weekly! Nobody has been able to even touch my ankle in two years without me going into full spasm. Now, with the point, I can get my ankle worked on. My range of motion is incredible and I can finally walk down the stairs the right, easy, pain free way! My swelling is completely gone and the skin ulcers have healed since my pain level is going down! This treatment has truly been my miracle and I now know that remission is in my near future! Taking the wheelchair out of my car has been a true blessing! I can now live a “normal” life!
What would you say to someone who hasn’t tried Delos Therapy?
MK: If you want a treatment that gets to the root cause of your pain and doesn’t put a band aid over the symptoms Delos Therapy is where you should be! It gave me my life back and if you truly want to be pain free this is your answer!
Tell us something unique about you.
MK: My laugh is very unique…it is an inside out laugh and sounds like a seal.
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