15-year-old boy
My story
About two years ago I was treated on the Lighthouse ward of the German Children’s Pain Center in Datteln for three weeks. I’m now 15 years old.
My pain was on the right side of the groin. It hurt so bad that I often couldn’t move or walk at all. Before this happened I played in a soccer club and also tennis, but that wasn’t possible for three years.
I went to various hospitals, university clinics, orthopedists, specialists, osteopaths and physiotherapists for examination and treatment. Nothing helped.
The doctors were at a loss and helpless, my family also. I didn’t participate in school sports for three years. Luckily I was able to meet with my friends regularly, but we didn’t do any sports activities.
When I then got a place in Datteln, I was at first very excited. And I settled into the group very well. The ward wasn’t set up like a hospital; it was all more like a stay at a school vacation resort. Besides the therapy we had school lessons and free time, so the day went by quickly. I was allowed to have visitors regularly. After the time in Datteln I was able to move and take part in physical education again.
In the beginning I still had some pain, but I did my exercises regularly after physical education and evenings in bed. I also kept moving forward with my graduated plan. My family never spoke about the pain again, only briefly when the questionnaires came. After a few weeks the pain disappeared completely.
The exercises “quiet place”, “count down” with difficult numbers and calculations and the graduated plan helped me a lot.
I don’t think about the pain anymore at all, am in ninth year in high school, have good marks, play tennis regularly and a little piano.
Best wishes!