I was a strong, confident, hard working, energetic woman with five children.  Over the past 10 years I have been challenged with many personal and medical issues resulting in 6 surgeries. Four of those surgeries were for traumatic and degenerative issues with my neck and lower spine.  With nerve damage and a slow healing process, I have had more procedures for neck and sacro- ileac pain than I can count. Left with chronic pain and nerve damage, my narcotic dosage continued to increase, as my self-esteem bottomed out.  As a wife and mother, leaving the financial and day-to-day responsibilities of raising our family solely with my husband, not only was I a watching my children grow up from a distance, but depression was taking over my life. The once strong, energetic mom was consumed with pain and grief. I never thought for one minute that I would ever be tied to a pain clinic and narcotics for what may be the rest of my life.  I can’t even begin to express the despair and lack of purpose I felt. I desperately needed help and had no idea where to look.

About 9 months ago, I was told about Dr. Herbert Schwager PhD.  He is the psychological and emotional piece that is missing in so many people’s lives that endure chronic pain.  He compliments the medical interventions by working with my physicians in managing my pain.  He helped me understand my pain and through his knowledge and assistance, put purpose back into my life.  I am no longer a prisoner within myself; with his guidance I have rediscovered who I am and although still require medication for my pain, I have become functional, regained physical and emotional strength, and most importantly, have begun to regain a place within my family.

Dr. Schwager has built his practice by seeing his patients via the Internet. This manner of delivering care is a relatively new practice, called tele-medicine. This has allowed me to sit in the comfort of my home, for approximately an hour a week, working through many facets of dealing with my physical and emotional pain.  He works with my physicians to reexamine the type of pain I have been experiencing, adjusting my medications, and helping me understand and work through the emotional distress and pain I have been feeling for many years.  Emotional pain can be complex to understand and somehow looking into a camera and talking on-line with him, has helped me to see things for what they are, make changes when I can, accept the life I have now and look forward to the future, whatever that may be.  All of this has happened over the Internet, in a very positive and personal relationship with a man I have never shook hands with.

Tele-medicine provides people who live with chronic pain or conditions that disrupt the quality of their life, the ability to receive care without leaving their homes, whether for convenience or necessity.

I truly believe, as a registered nurse, that as practitioners in health care, it is the commitment to care compassionately for the patient physically, spiritually and emotionally.  It is only through collaboration of medical and psychological health care that healing and inner peace may take place.

M.S., Alaska