Hi! My name is Samantha Russell and I am the Coordinator of Student Engagement here at Sherman College of Chiropractic. I have been with the college for two years now, and it has been such a rewarding experience. Today, I want to share with you about my personal chiropractic journey and how chiropractic care helped me end up where I am today.
Seven years ago in the summer of 2014, I was on late flight with my mom and boyfriend, now husband, flying to Florida to tour some college campuses. Halfway through the flight, an intense pain came upon me in my jaw/neck; it was a pain I had never felt before. I remember bawling my eyes out and my mom being frustrated because everyone around me was trying to sleep but I was in so much pain. Once the flight landed and we were waiting for our bags, I remember feeling dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous.
Once at the house, I went straight to bed; I had to have the room completely black, the fan on, and the sheets off. I was so cold, but at the same time so hot and I could not get comfortable. I was finally able to fall asleep and I woke up the next day as if nothing ever happened; I was just a little sore in my neck area. I truly thought nothing of it and went on with our trip.
Months later, I began getting headaches frequently. My now mother-in-law has always suffered from migraines, and she opened up to me about them when I told her about my headaches. I thought back to that night on the plane and thought to myself, “was what I had experienced a migraine?” Starting in 2015, I began to get these intense migraines more frequently. I saw a medical doctor, and while he could not determine the cause, he prescribed several medications to help me with the pain and all of the symptoms my migraines caused.
As the years went on, they became more and more frequent. I was waking up every single day with a headache and was experiencing about eight migraines a month. They kept me from going to class and to work, they made me miss family gatherings, and they overall just kept me from living the life I wanted to live. In the fall of 2017, I started seeing a chiropractor. Once I was old enough to make my own decisions, I started to lean more towards a more natural approach to health, so chiropractic fit right into that.
I began seeing results immediately; my daily headaches went away and my monthly migraines had decreased some, however I was still getting them. I also began experiencing other health victories – I was sleeping better (something I did not even know was an issue to begin with), I had more energy, my digestion was better, and I just overall felt good. I eventually got my husband to start seeing the chiropractor for his low back pain.
Now that we were both under care and experiencing all of these health transformations, my husband became very intrigued and started researching more and more about chiropractic. After months of care, our lives had been impacted so much that my husband actually made the decision that he wanted to become a chiropractor.
A year later, in 2018, we had to switch chiropractors as our doctor had retired and closed his practice. Now that we were fully involved in the world of chiropractic and my husband was gearing up to attend chiropractic school, I not only saw a new doctor, but I actually began working at their office as a chiropractic assistant. I wanted to learn as much as I could about chiropractic so I could support my husband in the dream that he had for becoming a chiropractor.
During these years of seeing the chiropractor, my daily headaches practically vanished, but I was still experiencing migraines; however, I went from having eight a month to maybe three or four.
In the summer of 2019 after we both graduated from college, we moved to South Carolina, where my husband enrolled in the 2019 summer class here at Sherman College of Chiropractic.
Still wanting to support my husband and his dream, after months of applying, I landed my job here at Sherman College. As a staff member, we are required to take the Philosophy I class in our first year of employment. It was during this class that I knew I had to take back control of my health if I ever wanted my migraines to go away. It was also during this class that my passion for chiropractic and the power it has skyrocketed.
My husband and I made further commitments to our health and healing, and slowly, with continued chiropractic care, and our increased focus on health, my migraines practically vanished in the fall of 2020. My husband is now in his 9th quarter here at Sherman College and we are expecting twins this fall!
Getting rid of my migraines has allowed me to live my life to fullest. I always used to worry about big events that were coming up because I was always thinking, “will I have a migraine? Will I be able to participate?” Now with two babies on the way, I am confident that I will be able to care for them day in and day out without the stress of a migraine starting at any time. Chiropractic did that for me. I am proud to be able to enroll doctor of chiropractic students into our program, and I am proud of my husband for following his dreams, which will allow him to deliver this type of care to others for years to come!
If you are thinking about a career in chiropractic, please reach out so we can make your path as smooth as possible. We may also be able to connect you with a local doctor to shadow so you can learn more about the profession.
