Becky Bates
Becky Bates suffered seven herniated discs in her back and neck when a load of freight dropped on her at work in November 1999. The incident left Becky unable to walk or move her head due to the pain. In the following months, Becky’s family doctor prescribed her pain medicine and did everything possible to avoid surgery. But as her back injury continued to slow her down and depress her, Becky began to feel like life wasn’t worth it. She soon discovered the Texas Back Institute on the Internet, and in hopes of a new beginning, she asked her doctor for a referral.
Becky had surgery on her neck, injections and two spine stimulators before joining TBI’s CoPE program. CoPE, which helps patients learn pain-coping strategies, helped Becky feel a difference in her physical pain by only the second week of therapy. Becky also remembers how the CoPE program’s group discussions relieved her emotional pain by helping her realize she wasn’t alone.
One of Becky’s favorite things about her experience with TBI is how the specialists made her feel. “I always left feeling like they care about my well-being,” she said. “They all knew my name.” She recommends TBI because it helped her live life to its fullest, and through the CoPE program, Becky says she came to an important realization: “I do have a life to live, and I am happy again.”