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MY STORY
7 years of chronic pain. Gone in 2 days!
While it might sound like a miracle - and it felt like one for sure - it is now science.
Below are my lumbar and cervical spine MRIs, showing multiple abnormal findings. The latest research shows that such abnormalities are part of a normal aging process. In the vast majority of cases, they should not cause pain, just like wrinkles and grey hair.
Back surgeons and other health practitioners told me that I could not be active again and that I would spend the rest of my life in pain. They were wrong!
LUMBAR SPINE
11/23/2011
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Straightening of lumbar curvature
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Tw0-level disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1
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L4-5: Circumferential disc bulge with posterior
broad-based central disc protrusion​ / annular tear -
Impingement of bilateral descending L5 nerve roots
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L5: Bilateral recess stenosis
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Bilateral facet arthropathy
CERVICAL SPINE
04/16/2012
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​Diffuse degenerative disc disease with straightening of upper cervical lordosis
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Multiple cervical herniations from C4-5 through C7-T1
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Multilevel bulging and bony ridging
While I still have the same spine, today, I live a full, active, and pain free life. You can too!
Sylvie overcame fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
My story goes way back to a difficult childhood
And so my story goes back to the early 70s, in what people describe as the “Switzerland » of the Middle East – Lebanon. I was a few years old when the Lebanese Civil War started, causing casualties, and spreading a dark veil of terror that didn’t spare a house, not a single family.
As a child, I could not understand this reality and yet, my childhood was immersed in tales of extreme fear, death, and a deep feeling of unsafety. Aside from the raging war happening outside, another cold war was also breathing in my lungs, eating on my plate, and sleeping in my bed. My mother’s ongoing depressive state and heavy unhappiness, combined with my father’s explosive temper and violent discipline style created a harmful, one can say toxic, environment for any child to grow up in.
In July of 1987, and at the age of 17, my family and I landed in Montreal, Canada to start a new life in a country ruled by peace, and away from the devastating war that was still going on back home.
The situation between my parents quickly escalated and my father decided to go back to Lebanon, leaving my mother and the five of us with no support or resources. Here I was, in a foreign country, uprooted and without a support system, trying to make sense of this new reality that felt just as deeply threatening as the one I left behind. I was now fighting a war against homelessness, a war of extreme financial insecurities and emotional struggles.
The desperate pursuit of happiness
Looking back on my challenging life, spanning decades of discomfort, I recognize my strength, resilience, and grit. Despite hardships, I supported my family, pursued education, and earned a Master's in Communications from Université de Montréal in my mid-twenties. I began working as a Communications Consultant for the Canadian Federal Government, married in 1999, bought a home, and welcomed my first child, Alex.
In 2002, we relocated to Long Island, NY, for my ex-husband's job, allowing me to stay home with Alex, who faced significant health challenges. Three years later, we had our daughter, Elsa. By 2005, my marriage began to deteriorate, and after years of struggle, I faced the reality of separation. With no job, savings, or support system, and two young children, starting over seemed daunting.
In November 2010, I secured a job in NYC that provided stability for my family. Despite a grueling 5-hour daily commute, I embraced the opportunity, knowing it was my path to independence.
My pain was real. My struggle was unbearable.
Deep down, I knew accepting the job meant an inevitable divorce. It brought hope for a new life but also overwhelming insecurities: I would become a single parent with no family support or financial safety net. A week after accepting the offer, I returned from the gym, sat down, and couldn’t stand up. My back muscles locked in a spasm, leaving me paralyzed with fear—had I seriously injured my spine? This marked the start of years of chronic pain.
My nervous system had reached its limit, and my brain sent severe pain signals to protect me. While initial spasms eased with muscle relaxers, they became regular. Soon, my right shoulder began hurting, leading to rotator cuff surgery and a long recovery. Next came neck pain caused by cervical degenerative disc disease. Months of chiropractic care offered little relief, and I developed frozen shoulder, requiring another surgery. Then, severe lower back pain followed, with MRIs revealing multiple spine issues, including degenerative disc disease, nerve impingements, stenosis, and annular tears.
Doctors told me I couldn’t heal. I was advised to stop running, cycling, and lifting weights—even light tasks like carrying groceries. Pain management became my only option until surgery became unavoidable.
I spent 7 years searching for answers, trying everything from medical treatments to alternative therapies. I adopted a vegan diet, changed my mattress and workstation, tried inversion therapy, learned to swim, and practiced hot yoga—yet nothing brought relief.
The power of grit
Despite the pain, limitations, and fear of a lifetime of suffering, I refused to give up. Deep down, I believed there was a way to reclaim the life I longed for. In my early forties, the idea of enduring chronic pain forever was terrifying.
Everything changed on October 18, 2016, when I discovered Dr. John E. Sarno's book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection. Dr. Sarno explained how tension and unexpressed emotions, especially anger, contribute to chronic pain, and how awareness and understanding are key to recovery.
This approach allowed me to completely heal my chronic pain.
Since Dr. Sarno's groundbreaking work, advancements in neuroscience have further illuminated how chronic pain can be treated by reprogramming neural pathways, offering hope to countless others.
