After trying every over-the-counter pain medication imaginable, along with diet changes, yoga, acupuncture, massage, dry needling, and loads and loads of prayer (just to name a few) we finally got some answers at the Shepherd Spine Center! X-rays revealed inflammation in the C2-C3 vertebrae area causing the nerves to be constricted and shooting the pain to his head. A topical anti-inflammatory was prescribed to rub on his neck which reduced his pain level to a manageable 3-5 most days.

 

However, Tripp was determined to live a life free from chronic head pain. So, he asked the doctor, "What's next?" The doctor replied, "That's all we got for you" and handed Tripp a psychologist's business card who could teach him how to breathe through the pain. "Thanks, but that's not going to cut it," replied Tripp.

 

Next, Tripp dove into research about a game-changing procedure called "nerve ablation". This procedure would burn/numb the nerve in his neck and stop the pain before traveling to his head. Despite the nerve-wracking (pun intended) risks, Tripp decided to take the plunge! In December 2015, the first preliminary test, which included a whopping EIGHT shots in his neck, proved to work! The numbness gave him 3 days of pain-free living, Hallelujah! I posted his success on Facebook and asked for prayers for the next two tests (16 shots), to be successful before permanently interrupting the nerve path. Thankfully, our wonderful friend, Andrea, saw the post and asked us to give Young Living Essential Oils a try before continuing with the tests. To which we replied, "Never heard of them and how can they work if medicine doesn't work?" (Oh, how naive we were to the power of God's Farmacy.)

 

At first, it was hard to get Tripp to try the oils because he didn't want to smell fragrant. I begged him to give them a try, that I'd rub the oil on him, and he agreed (smart man.) So, after trying everything else, we gave essential oils a go. (And he loved the fragrance.)

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Where There is Oil, There is Hope

I applied a combination of Panaway, Copaiba, Lemongrass and AromaSeiz essential oils mixed with Ortho Ease gel on his neck, twice a day for 2 weeks. He began to feel some relief and said he can apply the oils himself...hmmm, I thought, these oils must be working. Then, after 2 more weeks, Tripp was PAIN FREE! Yep, he could actually drive over speed bumps again, bike ride, walk and talk clearly...PAIN FREE! I got my husband back! Now that's a HUGE HALLELUJAH to the Creator of essential oils!

 

Tripp now enjoys a pain level of zero most days! While he still experiences some head pain, it’s completely manageable now. We couldn't be more grateful to our friend that had the courage to reach out and bring us...