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Gail's Story
My back had been hurting me for about 6 months and the pain was so intense that I was taking all kinds of pain medication, i.e. Percocet, Naproxen, Tramadol, Gabapentin and Fleril as a muscle relaxer. I had problems sleeping at night and could not sleep on my right side at all due to this pain. My employer had completely changed my work station to accommodate my back problem and was following the ADA (American Disability Act) regarding my back problems.
I was going to a PT twice a week to no avail. An MRI and couple of X-rays later I tried a back and spine specialist and they gave me injections in my upper neck area every 6 weeks with a steroid medication as an anti-inflammatory solution, which was extremely painful. The injections only lasted about 4 weeks. I had began to dread going to see the back specialist due to the excruciating pain the treatments caused.
Next, I tried a chiropractor and he would use a machine with pads and electrical stimulation to the muscles and then he would bend my back and body in different ways trying to straighten my spine, I was still in pain, so much that I was almost in tears at times. This back problem limited many of my physical activities that I enjoyed from walking to regular everyday exercise. The doctors had recommended surgery, but I refused.
Thanksgiving weekend of 2012, me and a friend went to stay at the Mimslyn Inn up in the mountains in Luray, Virginia and we made an appointment for a hot stone massage. Rich was my massage therapist and before starting he asked me if I had any problem areas of which I quickly told him about my back problem. He commenced the message and when he got to the problem area, he just held his hands over that area for a few minutes. I thought to myself, what is he doing, laying of hands? I had a warm sensation from this, but didn't think much about it at the time. When the massage was over, Rich asked me how my back felt, me being the skeptic that I was said it feels about the same.
However, on that Sunday as we were riding back home I noticed something different about me, I was no longer in pain while sitting in the car. I also did not need to take any pain medication. I was still skeptical and tried to justify this change and believed it was because I had a relaxing weekend.
Well, today is January 17, 2013 and I have not had any back pain to this day. That healing massage has healed my horrible back pain and I feel so free. I no longer take all those pain pills. I can exercise and take long walks again. I don't wake up in the middle of the night from my back hurting me anymore. I thank God for Rich. I thank Rich for allowing God to use him in this healing and to allow me to meet up with Rich in the mountains and heal my back pain.
I get kind of long winded. But this is the truth and it has brought tears to my eyes as I read it, remarkable, God is so good!!! Hallelujah, thank you Jesus!!!! Thanks Rich! What a remarkable gift you have been blessed with! -Gail
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