sounds dumb and obvious, but some people need to be reminded...

There was a point in my life where I truly thought the world was crashing down around me. I had no social life. I was in constant pain... I couldn't sing, I couldn't even talk without it feeling like my throat was on fire. My hands ached and burned constantly and turning a faucet was excruciating.  I couldn't work. I couldn't do much of anything. I definitely couldn't play music! (The one thing that mattered most to me)

I felt like I was in hell. And it felt like everyone around me either didn't believe that it was that bad (was I lying? or exaggerating? or maybe just plain lazy? I don't know, but believe me, I wish it had been that simple!), or couldn't relate at all. Nobody had the answers for me (I tried going to doctors and they were either unsuccessful in finding the problem or kept changing the diagnosis).

I said to myself, "if things don't get any better than this then it's probably not worth living".

I decided I wasn't going down and out like that, not without a fight. I promised myself I would at least give it my all, and try to find an answer for myself, BY MYSELF, over the next 6 months. If nothing came of it... well, maybe it wasn't worth living. After all I felt like I was basically a cripple... the only things I was good at I couldn't do anymore, and I couldn't support myself financially.

It's more than four years later and I'm the happiest and the healthiest I've been in a very long time. I'm closer to living out my dreams than ever before. And best of all, I can share my experiences with others to know that everything is NOT lost and that there ARE solutions out there.

And all it took was the planting of a seed...

So don't give up just yet. The answers you need are out there, you just need to keep looking, and you'll find them like I did.

-Tom