Dr. Weiss unentrapped my nerve!

[hikergirl]

Hi -

I have intended to write on a PNE forum for a long time to let others know my personal experience of drastic pain reduction and how significantly Dr. Weiss helped me.

I visited Dr. Weiss in 2010, on two separate 5-day trips to California to see if he could help me, after I had struggled with extreme PNE pain for six years, since 2004 (It is now 2016 - sorry so late in reporting!).

Before that, this pain had debilitated me almost completely, leaving me lying on the couch daily after barely making it through my work day, unable to walk or sit normally, unable to exercise (with subsequent extreme weakness, muscle imbalance and weight gain), unable to participate meaningfully or happily in most activities of life, and extremely depressed, despite medications and lifestyle fixes like PT, internal PT, nerve block, sitting on special pillows, etc.

Dr. Weiss manually manipulated / examined pain spots and nerves on both sides, mainly through vagina, and then did nerve blocks and trigger pointing on the left, where my nerve was entrapped. Nothing Dr. Weiss did was excessively painful for me - not even close - though there were moments when it did hurt (I do have good pain tolerance).

Here is the incredible thing - on my second series of visits, Dr. Weiss was able to manually free my nerve from entrapment!! No surgery! At the instant he did this, I felt about a 75% relaxation of all muscle guarding around this area (left side pudendal nerve). My nerve still hurt because it had been damaged after six years of entrapment, but the extreme, sharp pain I had experienced since entrapment was gone, never to return. I have still struggled with muscle guarding and pain after this time, but what he did changed my life!

I also saw his PT for several visits, who taught me a very valuable visualization for practicing relaxing my muscle guarding around that area (visualizing that I had a long tail and to keep relaxing it, and unrolling it, and unrolling it, as it rolled out the door, down the hall, etc.). She explained the importance of daily practice in relaxing "into" the pain, to reduce muscle guarding, which I had not been doing before that.

Regarding how it was structured, I saw him in a series of appointments which he grouped for my convenience since I was coming from out of state. I went on two trips (Feb and June 2010), and each consisted of a visit of 5 days, with as I recall about 3-4 doctor visits during that time, and sometimes a PT appointment with his PT. I flew in from my home in Washington State each time I went and stayed in a very reasonably-priced B & B close to his office he recommended, getting food from a local grocery store and putting it in my room on ice to save money. I did not rent a car nor did I need one. Each day I limped the few blocks to his office, got my treatments, then limped back to my hotel room. It was not more miserable than my regular life at all, though the treatments made me sore and I had to ice myself after each. The expense was completely do-able for us considering I was trying to save my quality of life. I went alone in Feb 2010 and my husband came with me to help in June 2010.

I did some other things over the ensuing years which further reduced my pain and I am still working on it, but Dr Weiss un-entrapping my nerve was by far the most significant factor in helping me get my life back. I am not pain-free but with medication and some lifestyle changes I'm in much lower pain. I am also off the couch, living each day, walking well (but still in PT for gait, hip weakness, muscle imbalances), sitting with no pillow, hiking on weekends, 10 pounds lighter so far, jogging three miles several times a week, and generally coming back to life. There is more to do but things are quite improved.

I found Dr. Weiss to be extremely kind, knowledgeable, intuitive, and a good fit for me, and I have not heard of other doctors un-entrapping a nerve manually. I do not know how rare this result is, or if it is possible for any others - this is just what happened to me.

[Violet M]

Thanks for sharing your story. It sounds like you have had a remarkable recovery and I am very happy for you.

As I recall it seems like Dr. Weiss was in his 70's ten years ago when I was first being treated. I haven't heard that he's retired yet? Do you have any idea if or when he might?

Violet