Having been a caregiver for 8 yrs. to my mother and an elderly friend that I had taken in to live with me, I gained alot of weight (150 lbs) and depression had begun to set in. Both of the ladies passed away within 7 weeks of one another.  After that, I was on unemployment for three years and by then atrial fibrillation and spondylolisthesis were diagnosed. I moved to Myrtle Beach in 2010 and pretty much resolved myself to the fact that the good years were gone and this was how it would be from here on out.
I went to Dr. Erin Watson in March of 2013 for the first time for my back pain, and she arranged for me to go to physical therapy. Reluctantly; I went not expecting much to come of it. I had taken my elderly mother to physical therapy and watched as five repetitions of one exercise were done and ten of another, and I also knew others that had physical therapy for one reason or another, but no one seemed to think that it was anything miraculous to come from it. My physical therapy was to include time  in the pool to do my exercises. I weighed 407 lbs and had not been in a pool for many years and was not planning on ever getting in one again, but reluctantly again, I did. Those few short steps into the water have changed my life completely. Sure, I knew that when you're in a pool that you feel lighter, but I had not bothered to consider what that would mean to relieving pressure from my back and legs and body in general. After 45 minutes in the pool and doing some simple exercises and finishing with ten minutes of floating on my back, I was a reborn person. As I took the first step out of the pool, I felt all the weight come back on my joints and spine, and it was as though someone had put a 200-pound cape on my shoulders. I wanted to just get back into the pool. It was that experience that turned on a light in my brain and made me realize that I could get back to the person I once was.
Two weeks earlier, I had already started to make healthier choices in the way I eat and although I have not been on any scales yet, I know that I have lost weight. Maybe it's only 10 pounds or so, but it is enough that I have more mobility now and I can maneuver more easily in my daily routines. I feel better than I have in a long long time. Dr. Watson has brought me back from the brink of dispair. I have a very positive outlook for my future, and although it was only one session in the pool so far, I was feeling much better even the next day and was able to walk around with nowhere near as much back pain as usual. I can never thank Dr. Erin Watson enough for what she has done. I'm a different person and can see myself returning to the person I once was. I know there's work ahead, but with a goal for a healthier life, I believe I will succeed. Thank you so much. --Stephen P.