Jim. Age: 57

Jim. Age: 57

Health issues: Severe lower back pain

My name is Jim, I am 57 years of age and for the last 14 or 15 years have suffered from lower back problems. The symptoms are three-fold:

1. Nerve interference which makes the back of my thighs feel like they are badly sunburned and nettle-stung. This varies in intensity from day–to-day and is only noticeable when I sit down. The longer I sit, the worse it becomes until I just have to stand up.
2. Soreness around the very bottom of my back near the coccyx. This is not backache, but a sore, inflamed sensation and can make lying on my back very uncomfortable.
3. A general muscular soreness which can affect my buttocks, hip areas, and muscles around my waistline. This is most noticeable when I get up in the morning, but it can also make getting to sleep difficult.

Over the years I have spent thousands of pounds at three different Physiotherapists, four different Chiropractors, one Surgeon, one Podiatrist and one Osteopath. I also spent £600 about thirteen years ago on a massage device for my lower back which turned out to be pretty useless.  I can truthfully say that I had given up all hope of ever being free of these problems, there not having been a single day in all these years when I have been symptom free.

It severely affects my life, for example I want to go on a Nile Cruise, but the thought of a five hour flight to Egypt, sitting down all that time, is a grim thought.

I was told about Ceragem by a friend who has bought a machine and who uses it on a daily basis for treatment of her Arthritis. It is no exaggeration to say that I was sceptical, having had my hopes raised so often, only to be disappointed. However, in the case of Ceragem, I was tempted by the offer to be able to use it once a day without payment. I reasoned that if it worked I would buy a machine but if it didn't; well I would be no worse off.

It is now mid-December 2010 and I started to attend the Ceragem Centre in mid July and have consistently used the facility for either five or six days each week. I must say that I have been surprised and delighted by the reception that I and all others receive at the Ceragem Centre – management and staff are really, really good.

I was not surprised when after the first three months I had not noticed any improvement – after all, nothing else had worked! However, about four weeks ago (that is, after four months treatment) I noticed that the muscular soreness that had bothered me so painfully in the morning and sometimes when trying to get to sleep had more or less gone! It suddenly dawned on me that I was no longer reaching for the Paracetamols as soon as I got out of bed!

So, of the above three sets of symptoms, the third has almost completely vanished. I am now living in hope that that the other two sets will go as well. I feel sure though, that if and when my other symptoms respond, I will need to use the machine for the rest of my days to keep pain at bay.

I believe that persistence over time with Ceragem is paying off!

Jim Westhead

13^th December 2010