I have found in my life that looking for the silver linings in any event no matter how terrible can bring about something good IF you are willing to look for it.

Admittedly, I am not a doctor, but I am fascinated by healthcare in all forms.  While I lean towards more of a focus on what most call “alternative healthcare” I do take an interest in understanding it all. Read on to discover where it all began…

Once upon a time…okay never mind… I am not Cinderella but this story does have a happy ending…continue…

When I was 19 years old, I was waitressing in a very busy breakfast restaurant.  At the height of a busy Sunday rush, I walked into the serving area not realizing the ceramic floor was wet. I slipped and came crashing down on my back with all the plates I was carrying shattering all over.   I couldn’t get up right away.  I couldn’t move. I felt paralyzed with pain. In that moment, my life and everything I thought I knew shifted.

I saw my medical Doctor the day after the fall and was given pain medication but no real plan on what to do.  In the hours, days and weeks to come my condition grew worse.  I couldn’t go back to work because the constant walking and then strain of lifting anything gave me horrendous back pain. All I would be given is something to take the edge off the intense stabbing discomfort radiating from my neck and spine.

I wouldn’t work for nearly a year.  I literally couldn’t work.  I was now dealing with how groggy and unclear the medication made my brain on top of the constant physical discomfort. My doctor told me that my injury to my back was bad enough that I would most likely struggle with back problems most of my life.

My mental health was deteriorating from this news and laying around all day in pain just made the bottomless pit of despair seem to be growing bigger and bigger by the day. I felt helpless.

Was this what the rest of my life now looked like?

After about 6 months of this constant pain, complaining and feeling like a victim of all my circumstances, I was sitting with my employer at the time voicing my upset and he turned to me and said,” you need to see my chiropractor.”  He immediately got up from the table, went into his office and made me an appointment for the next day.  He didn’t ask me if I wanted to. He just did it and honestly, I was desperate to feel better and couldn’t handle the thought of where my life was currently heading.  Pain pills. Chronic discomfort. Constantly feeling unhappy.  I knew I had to try something different…Anything!

The next day I was sitting in the chiropractic office that was a small room with a weird looking table in it.  A nice (and I could tell right away POWERFUL) woman walked in.  She asked me lots of questions. She listened intently to my answers.  She took the time to educate me on what was happening with my body and what to expect out of this treatment.  She was honest.  This wasn’t going to be a one session, and all is well again.  This was going to take time and if I did the treatments and the recommended exercise she gave me to do at home, I would get better.

And I did.

That Doctor was Dr. Christine Majeran, D.C.

As I was increasingly getting better, stronger, I still knew I didn’t have enough strength to go back to serving full time. I had to continue to build up strength to lift things.  People don’t think about what it takes to be a server.  You are on your feet all day and you’re carrying many heavy plates.  It is exhausting and hard work to do.   Tip your servers well! They deserve it! Trust me!

One day while at my treatment I was so happy to share that I was feeling so much better but still frustrated that I wasn’t strong enough to lift and get my job back. Dr. Majeran  turned to me and said “I have an opening for a receptionist here at the office.  You will need to meet my husband as well who is the other Chiropractor here but if all goes well in your interview, the job is yours.”  I was gobsmacked!  This was awesome! How did I just go from being a patient to a possible employee in this GLORIOUS place of wellness?!

This terrible situation I found myself in when I fell is now turning out to be the catalyst to a lifelong journey of learning and being within healthcare.  I must admit, I have loved every minute of it!

Working with everyone at the First Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic in Moose Jaw those many years ago was incredible.  I learned so much about chiropractic care and the nervous system. I learned that chiropractic is not just for pain but for overall health and wellness!  I learned all the different techniques in chiropractic and even became a patient educator at one point.  During this time at the office, they began to expand their practice and brought in a Naturopathic Doctor.

There was so much more to learn!

See, once I started to feel better in my body from the accident, I no longer needed the pain medication and I began to feel that I wanted to fuel my body with vitamins and supplements and take on other “alternative” treatments to see how much better I could feel.

This discovery of Chiropractic and Naturopathic medicine was all coming at a time where my marriage at 19 years old was falling apart. (That is a whole story for another blog post! Stay Tuned!)  There was a ton of stress on my nervous system from the fall and from the ongoing stress of a failing marriage.  The glue that held me together became chiropractic and naturopathic medicine.  It fueled my soul.  Gave me strength to keep moving forward.  Gave me strength to move on.

It also gave me a much-needed paycheck!  But that was just a bonus to all the other benefits I was receiving!

See, had I not fallen on that floor that day I am not sure what my life would look like today.  Also, I love it when someone tells me that I can’t or won’t be able to do something. It pretty much fuels me to prove them wrong!

At 30 years old, I started teaching Zumba full time and for someone who had a back injury that technically “should be” living with chronic pain, I am pretty sure my medical Doctor at the time would be shocked to know I was shaking my hips all over the city! This was definitely not a career path I am sure they would foresee me doing for over a decade now!

I mean, come on! Tell me I can’t DO something!

I DARE YOU!

Like I said, I truly believe that silver linings in any situation DO exist.  IF you are willing to look for them!

Looking for a recommendation for Chiropractic care in Moose Jaw or Toronto?  (I know, that seems like very random places to to know about…but I do!)

Contact me and I am happy to provide you information.