I started working at Chase Bank in September of 2005; I worked there up until June of 2011 when work related Carpel Tunnel in my left hand, Radial Tunnel and Tennis Elbow in both right and left elbows, as well as torn Rotator Cuff in my right shoulder forced me to leave my job. My arms and hands could no longer function. Simply put, I was a mess! I underwent 3 different surgeries on my elbows, all attempting to relieve my pain. I trusted the doctors and their surgeries would fix all the problems I had with pain & immobility, but I thought wrong! All of the surgeries I had seemed to be counter productive only making my pain worse. I have seen a total of 8 different doctors, all who claimed they could help me either with physical therapy, more surgeries, or remedies such as splints and casts. I did many months of physical therapy, which got me nowhere. I had finally given up on hoping the pain and swelling in my elbows would go away, and I forced myself to accept that I would never go another day of my life without feeling pain in my elbows. I had to try to learn to ignore the pain in my elbows, but it wasn’t the only pain my body felt. In addition to the problems I had in my elbows and shoulder, I also have Osteoarthritis in my spine. An attempt to exercise on my own with a treadmill to help my Osteoarthritis resulted in creating Planters Fasciitis in my right foot. I returned to physical therapy 2 separate times: once for my back and once for my foot. In my last round of therapy for my back, the therapist told me, “You need to start exercising regularly. You need to find something you like to do and do it every day to keep you moving. You have to keep moving.”
I took her advice and joined Palos Fitness Center. The Center offered a unique water class call Poolates, and that’s where I discovered Liz. Poolates is a Pilates based group exercise class done in a warm water pool. It stays true to the teachings of Joseph Pilates exercising not only for strength, balance & mobility, but also for the combined healing aspects of his specific exercises executed in the warm water. I did Poolates twice a week, and after a few weeks I noticed everything started to feel better. It was a miracle! I talked with Liz and told her of my progress, and she recommended that I start doing her Reformer Pilates classes as well. She felt she could further my progress by trying the additional classes; and trust me, she did! I started doing Reformer Pilates as well as Poolates multiple days every week for a few months. As I progressed and got better, Liz would still check up on me. She helped me individually to find stretches and exercises that helped me personally for my own injuries; she genuinely cared and wanted to see me get better just as much as I wanted to see myself get better. After I was strong enough to advance past Reformer Pilates, I stayed with Liz and did her Barre, Mat Pilates, Bodhi Suspension System, and Interval classes.
Now, I am moving my body in ways I’d never have imagined and have never felt better in my life! From before I started with Liz to now, it’s as if I never got hurt at work. It feels like someone has flipped a switch in my body and turned off all of the pain. I am now inspired to become a Poolates Instructor so that I can help other people who find themselves in a similar situation I was in, the same way Liz has helped me. I cannot express my gratitude for all Liz has done for me; she has truly changed my life!