In my clinic, I talk about Scar Tissue ---- a lot (HERE).  When most of us think of Scar Tissue we picture it as seen above.  The wax replica of Frankenstein's Monster is a mass of scars; on his head, torso, trunk, and limbs.  Although I do treat lots of people with POST-SURGICAL SCAR TISSUE, most of what I treat are the invisible FASCIAL ADHESIONS that, by their very nature, continue to befuddle most of the medical community (HERE).  We'll talk about why throughout the post.

Although it's never patients that are guilty, people sometimes take me to task for talking or writing about "Scar Tissue".  Need an example?  Here is a recent email I got from an Orthopedic Surgeon somewhere on the East Coast (name will remain anonymous).  "Dr. Schierling,  Having read some of your material on scar tissue I feel I must set the record straight by telling you how wrong you are to confuse it with fibrosis or what you refer to as "Fascial Adhesions".  He went into more detail, talking about things like Keloids, and telling me that I was setting the practice of medicine back by oversimplifying and mixing some of these terms.  Although he could potentially be correct, I doubt it.  And to prove my point, I'll use that pinnacle of academia --- Wikipedia.

Although many people decry Wikipedia (I completely understand why), I'm an unabashed fan --- especially when an entry is well-referenced so that I can look at sources. Today we are going to discuss its entries for both Scar Tissue and Fibrosis, and see if we can learn anything about this debate.  Please note that I cherry-pick everything so as to keep the post from getting too long.  This is taken from their entry on Scar Tissue (Scars).

"Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replace normal skin (and other tissues) after injury of the body.  Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g., after accident, disease, or surgery) results in some degree of scarring."

Sometimes in the practice of medicine, a tissue that is exposed to injury, surgery, or disease processes, is referred to in a strange-sounding manner.  Said tissue is said to have experienced an "insult" or been "embarrassed".  Often times these sorts of things have to do with the sort of tissue damage that causes INFLAMMATION.  It is critical for understanding this post that you understand Inflammation.  Mostly because Inflammation always leads to Fibrosis (HERE).  Doctors realize this and attempt to squelch this most common of Immune System responses by prescribing drugs to block it (usually NSAIDS and / or CORTICOSTEROIDS).  As we move forward we see that....

"Scar tissue is composed of the same protein (collagen) as the tissue that it replaces, but the fiber composition of the protein is different.   This collagen scar tissue alignment is usually of inferior functional quality to the normal collagen alignment."

If you want to see pictures of Connective Tissues (LIGAMENTS, TENDONS, FASCIA, and MUSCLES --- yes, I know that muscles are not really a 'Connective Tissue'), click the links.  It is the "inferior functional quality" that leads to repetitive re-injury of the affected area (which subsequently leads to DEGENERATION).  If you are interested in reading about COLLAGEN and the healing processes it must go through after insult, injury, embarrassment, or whatever you want to call it, follow the link.   Let's continue.

"An injury does not become a scar until the wound has completely healed; this can take many months, or years in the worst pathological cases.... To begin to patch the damage, a clot is created; the clot is the beginning process that results in a provisional matrix.  Over time, the wounded body tissue then overexpresses collagen inside the provisional matrix to create a collagen matrix. This collagen overexpression continues and crosslinks the fiber arrangement inside the collagen matrix, making the collagen dense. This densely packed collagen, morphing into an inelastic whitish collagen scar wall, blocks off cell communication and regeneration; as a result, the new tissue generated will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding unwounded tissue."

The way I like to think of it is that when you are injured, the area bleeds (microscopically and maybe very minimally) into the surrounding tissues, which in turn causes tissue to be laid down for repair.  Via use and normal mechanical stresses, this tissue aligns itself in as an elastic manner as it can, going through a process known as the "Remodeling Phase".  This is the fourth and final stage of the soft tissue repair process, and not surprisingly, is not only the least talked about but the longest lasting (see previous link).  

Although Inflammation abounds (see previous link on inflammation as the chemicals whose purpose is to provide communication between cells and tissues in order to get the body to start its tissue healing process), the resultant Scar Tissue prevents said communication.  Furthermore, not only does Inflammation hypersensitize nerve endings to pain (HERE), it always leaves the resultant tissue of a "different" (poor, weak, inelastic) quality; the reason that things are never quite the same after an injury (HERE).  The entry also spent a great deal of time discussing FIBROBLASTIC PROLIFERATION --- something needed, at least initially, for healing to take place.  It's also why hardcore soft tissue problems must sometimes be addressed with the same mindset as playing a carnival game (HERE).

As a side note to this, the Scar Tissue entry also mentioned STRETCH MARKS.  "Stretch marks (technically called striae) are also a form of scarring. These are caused when the skin is stretched rapidly (for instance during pregnancy, significant weight gain, or adolescent growth spurts), or when skin is put under tension during the healing process, (usually near joints)."  Although it does not happen on a daily basis, I have seen any number of patients who not only have this issue, but it actually causes significant pain and restriction (pictures in link above) --- usually in the THORACOLUMBAR FASCIA (HERE is a recent example).  Now we are going to discuss Wiki's entry for Fibrosis.

"Fibrosis is the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue"  Although FIBROSIS can be caused by things other than injury, when injury is the cause, "it is called scarring. Physiologically, fibrosis acts to deposit connective tissue, which can obliterate the architecture and function of the underlying organ or tissue. Fibrosis can be used to describe the pathological state of excess deposition of fibrous tissue, as well as the process of connective tissue deposition in healing."  What is the chief difference between Scar Tissue and Fibrosis?  Again, from Wikipedia's entry on Fibrosis....

"Fibrosis is similar to the process of scarring, in that both involve stimulated fibroblasts laying down connective tissue, including collagen. The process is initiated when immune cells such as macrophages [a type of white blood cell] release soluble factors that stimulate fibroblasts. The most well characterized pro-fibrotic mediator is TGF beta [Cytokine -- inflammation], which is released by macrophages as well as any damaged tissue between surfaces called interstitium. Other soluble mediators of fibrosis include CTGF, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and Interleukin 4 (IL-4) [Inflammation]. These ultimately lead to the proliferation and activation of fibroblasts, which deposit extracellular matrix into the surrounding connective tissue."

What did you see here?  You saw that whether it came from an injury or some sort of disease process, Fibrosis was always (or at least almost always) preceded by one of the numerous chemicals responsible for intercellular communication that we collectively refer to as INFLAMMATION.  Are you starting to see why I am such a stickler for number one, EATING AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, and number two, figuring out what things other than your injury might be driving inflammatory processes in your body (HERE)?

The difference between Scar Tissue and Fibrosis?  I'm not totally sure myself.  Although it is mostly a matter of semantics, I would assume that people who specialize in this field would say that "scarring" is a normal physiological process, while "fibrosis" is much more likely to be pathological (caused by some sort of disease process or genetic abnormality). 

As for 'Fascial Adhesions', it's a term that I made up  to describe the phenomenon I regularly see in MY PATIENTS over the course of the last couple decades or so (truthfully, I'm not sure I've ever had an original thought in my life --- someone was surely using it before I was).  The chief problem with having this "Fibrosis" / "Scar Tissue" in the Fascia is that many experts argue that it is already one of the most potentially-painful tissues in the body to begin with. 

Couple this with the fact that excepting the THORACOLUMBAR FASCIA and PLANTAR FASCIA, you can't see it on MRI (HERE).  And on top of everything else, Scar Tissue itself is known to potentially be as much as 1,000 times more pain sensitive than normal tissue.   As you contemplate these facts, it's not difficult to see a "PERFECT STORM" of Chronic Pain (not to mention the accusations of being a malingerer or drug seeker) looming on the horizon of many people's lives.  for those of you already living this nightmare, I have an article called TWENTY REASONS WHY FASCIA that might be very helpful.

Truthfully, I don't really care what you want to call it.  Call it 'Banana Boat' for all I care.  It's essentially the same stuff.  Although the medical community would probably prefer the word "Fibrosis," I usually use the term "Scar Tissue" when talking to patients, as it is something they can understand and easily relate to since everyone has scars.   Regardless of terminology, I use pictures to describe what I am talking about.   Truthfully, it can be virtually impossible to tell them all apart and doesn't really matter at all as far as treating the patient is concerned (HERE).  Speaking of treating......

It is almost impossible to get rid of Scar Tissue (HERE), but it can be "remodeled" if it can be accessed (HERE or HERE).  When dealing with simple injuries, sometimes STRETCHING can be enough to solve them (and as the link reveals, sometimes not).  Getting rid of hardcore Fascial Adhesions / Scar Tissue / Fibrosis is going to require some degree of "controlled trauma" in order to break the unorganized tissue matrix and 're-start' the healing process (TISSUE DEFORMATION).  Depending on the amount of Scar Tissue present, this process must sometimes be, at least to some degree, harsh (HERE).  The awesome thing is, even if you've had your problem for decades, you'll know after one treatment whether or not this approach will prove helpful for you (HERE).

PART II:  THE MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF THE SCAR

• DON'T HAVE SURGERY IN THE FIRST PLACE:  Crazy numbers of statistics reveal that huge numbers of people are having unnecessary surgeries.  Listen to what surgeon, Harvard Professor, and safety expert, Dr. Lucian Leape said two years ago in a USA Today interview, about a 1974 congressional report's relationship to what's going on today (the forty year old report said there were nearly two and a half million unnecessary surgeries each year in the US at the time).  "It's a very serious issue, (and) there really hasn't been a movement to address it....  Things haven't changed very much."  It astounds me the number of people I treat who were told they needed to have surgery, choose not to, and end up doing great without it.
  

• IF YOU DO HAVE SURGERY: DO WHAT IT TAKES TO PREVENT THE SCAR TISSUE FROM FROMING IN THE FIRST PLACE:   If this sounds like common sense, it's because it is.  Sometimes surgery is the only way out of whatever health problem you are facing. Just remember that once you develop a build-up post-surgical Scar Tissue (an "adhesion"), you are already behind the eight ball.   When having surgery, make sure you are doing the things listed in the next several bullet points before you have surgery, rather than waiting until you develop problems.  If you already have post-surgical Scar Tissue, hopefully these next points will be of help to you.

 

• DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SQUELCH INFLAMMATION:   If you don't already realize that Inflammation causes Scar Tissue / Fibrosis (HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE), you'll not likely understand why this point is so critical.  Dr. David Seaman actually wrote about the ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET in an issue of the pain management journal, Practical Pain Management.   This includes taking the PROPER SUPPLEMENTS along with the proper diet.  I know a person who is literally crippled by post-surgical abdominal adhesions.  They refuse to give up their THREE-PACK-A-DAY HABIT, eat properly, or do anything to really help themselves.  Not surprisingly, this person still struggles daily with Chronic Pain.  Don't be 'that' person.

 

• DO YOUR THERAPY:  Anymore, it amazes me how many people are having some sort of surgery done, with no rehab afterwards.  There's this thing called "Google" that lets you do your own research and advocate for yourself (check your results against the research from PubMed).  Use it to your advantage.  Most of the time, post-surgical therapy can be done in the comfort of your own home without any high-dollar specialty equipment.  Once you know what do do, most of the time, all you need are EXERCISE BALLS, therabands, and other inexpensive 'low-tech'.  When it comes to preventing Scar Tissue; motion is lotion. Do not neglect it, even if your doctor says it's not needed.  Disclaimer: Don't start a therapy program without first consulting with a licensed PT.

 

• COLD LASER:  The beauty of the COLD LASER is that it allows the clinician to penetrate down to where the Scar Tissue is (be aware that depending on the region, this might require a Class IV Laser as opposed to a Class III).   Other than occasional use of a Mens-O-Matic microcurrent machine, it's the only electronic anything I use therapeutically in my office.

Dear Dr. Schierling,

I am a (insert your age, sex, and vital statistics here).  I am willing to travel from (insert your city, state, and / or country here) if you are (certain / confident / convinced / absolutely positive, can provide some sort of vague guarantee) that you can help me with (insert whatever health issue you are dealing with here ---- CHRONIC PAIN, TENDINOSIS, CHRONIC NECK PAIN, FASCIAL ADHESIONS, PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME, etc, etc, etc).  Here is my medical history.  Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
(Insert your name here)

Dear Potential Patient,

Because I help lots of desperate people from all over the world whose lives have been turned upside down by  CHRONIC PAIN & CHRONIC ILLNESS, I invariably get numerous emails similar to the generic one above --- quite possibly similar to the one you sent me.  Although I try to respond to all of them, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer volume (as well as the severity and desperation of so many of these situations). 

When it comes to treating patients, unfortunately, being "confident", "positive", or "reassuring", is not in and of itself going to help you get better.  Proverbially speaking; the only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes.  The truth is, I never know whether I can help a person until after the fact.  I would love to tell you otherwise.  I would love to hype myself.  I would love to sound like I am better or smarter than everyone else.  I would love to tell you that I have everything figured out.   I would love to be able to tell you in advance how you will respond to my treatment simply by looking at your history. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.  Although I cannot make you promises, there are steps that I take to assure that everything possible has been done to make your visit to see me as fruitful as possible.

The most important of these is getting a complete history from you via email.  I would guess that at least 75% of the emailed histories I get, I either weed people out as far as my ability to help them is concerned (HERE), or put them into the "HIGHLY DOUBTFUL" category.  While many problems are easier to speculate whether or not I will be able to help ('speculate' sounds much better than 'guess'), it is simply impossible to know how you will respond until I treat you.  HERE is one way that I weed out patients, using Tendinosis as an example.  The bottom line is that while I really do care about you and your situation, I do not want you traveling hundreds --- maybe thousands of miles --- to my clinic unless I really think I have a good chance of helping you improve your situation.

If you have watched a few of the TESTIMONIAL VIDEOS, you have undoubtedly seen how rapid the results are in most of the cases I accept.  With local patients, it might take a couple of treatments to know if Scar Tissue Remodeling is going to work.  However, with our OUT OF STATE AND INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS whom I spend anywhere from 1-3 hours with, you will know in one treatment.  For more information, please visit our FAQ page on Tissue Remodeling.  Again, my goal is not to sound pessimistic, but to make a potential trip to Mountain View as pleasant and fruitful as possible. 

PETER: 
Hi. I'm approaching 60 and have seriously painful hip joints due to (I'm told) trauma.  I have had Skiing crashes, riding in back of a pickup truck crash, fell off a balcony, bicycles etc, all a pretty long time ago. Nothing debilitating at the time. Used to jog about an hour a day. I'm 5'10" 150 lbs.

At around 40 years of age, one hip started to bother me I actually don't recall for sure which hip. I started to limp, particularly during high humidity. The pain has increased over the years. These days I can't walk without a cane or crutch and some days that's more difficult than others. Difficult to pick something up off the floor. Cannot walk up stairs normally.

Two Doctors (one an Orthopedic surgeon) tell me based on X Rays that I need both hips replaced. Bone on bone. The right hip is worse but they're both pretty bad (speaking from my pain point of view). The left might be catching up a bit. I have not scheduled surgery because I can't imagine doing so at least not yet. For roughly the last week I've had what seems to be along the lines of Piriformis Syndrome as described on this website (on the right side of my upper butt). In fact computer surfing trying to figure out the cause of this new weird pain is what somehow led me to this website.

Since this weird new pain appeared I can barely bend forward from a sitting position to put on pants socks or shoes. It almost feels like what I imagine a torn muscle might feel like. I can, however, bend forward from a standing position and touch the floor and this doesn't incur that pain.  I don't know if this is a complication of years of limping or what. I am also a drummer. While I can still play I am unable to carry drum stuff around and play out.

People tell me hip replacement is common, not that big deal, etc. I couldn't disagree more. The idea of surgery and possible complications and the fact that fake hips wear out, are a few of a multitude of reasons I do not want to undergo this procedure. Twice. Both hips. I've also been investigating procedures where ones own stem cells are injected into the injured joints.

I find your website is very uplifting to read. Naturally I'm wondering if you think there is a possibility you could help but I realize it might not be possible. In any event your website has a wealth of extremely interesting info. Sorry for such a long email.Thank you for your time. 
Peter

DR. RUSS: 
Hello Peter,

Would love to tell you that I can help.  Unfortunately, bone on bone hips can cause Piriformis Syndrome-like pain.  Once you are to that point, you either replace them or you suffer.  Although they are doing some amazing things with Stem Cells, I do not know of another alternative once they are this far gone.  I'm with you --- I hate surgery also.  But a trip to see me now would likely be a waste.

Sincerely,
Dr. Russ

PETER: 
Hello Dr Russ,  Thank you for reading my email and responding so quickly. I was kind of afraid you might say that. By the way I have been taking Catalyn for a few years (on and off cause I run out and stuff). Sometimes I attempt to investigate vitamin and supplements, which kind are best, which company is best, etc. There is an incredible amount of confusing nonsense and misinformation on the subject and I naturally always wonder which company funded which study. Seeing as your website speaks highly of Standard Process, I'm sticking with them. Once again I think your website is awesome. Thanks again, Peter 

DR. RUSS: 
I wish you the best Peter.  II totally agree with you about nonsense on the web.  If you have a few minutes sometime, go to Standard Process's website and see how they make their supplements.  Amazing difference!

Scar Tissue is normal tissue that has undergone derangement on virtually every level that tissue can be deranged.  Bottom line; this means that Scar Tissue is dramatically different from normal tissue on many different levels.  Scar Tissue is different than normal tissue in these distinct ways.

• STRUCTURALLY:  Look at the pictures above and you'll quickly notice how the individual tissue fibers in Scar Tissue do not align themselves with each other in an organized and symmetrical pattern.  Instead, the fibers run every possible direction ---- in all three dimensions, and ifs often going on at a microscopic level that's impossible to visualize with standardized testing (HERE).  This structural difference creates microscopic clumps, adhesions, and restrictions, that are also dramatically different from normal tissue.....

• MECHANICALLY:  Not only is Scar Tissue different structurally, it is different mechanically (functionally) as well.  Where normal tissue is stretchy and elastic, Scar Tissue tends to be stiffer and far more rigid (sometimes it is more like a non-elastic clump), always being referred to in the scientific literature as "THICKENED".  This means that any joint or area that is surrounded at all by Scar Tissue will on some level move worse or less (HERE).  The problem with loss of motion in joints is that not only is this a huge cause of Chronic Pain, it is the known cause of DEGENERATION as well.  And as if that were not enough; Scar Tissue is also significantly weaker than normal tissue, meaning that it is far easier to re-injure ---- and re-injure --- and re-injure ---- and re-injure.  Because Scar Tissue is so different structurally and mechanically, it stands to reason that it would also be different..........
  

• ELECTRICALLY:  When compared to normal tissue, Scar Tissue is also different electrically.  If you go to our CHRONIC PAIN page, you can see some pictures that help to explain this phenomenon.  Just understand that according to one of the world's foremost experts on the subject (DR. CHAN GUNN), Scar Tissue can be more than 1,000 times more pain-sensitive than normal tissue.  Once you realize that fascia transmits messages in similar fashion to the nervous system (HERE), you can start to see other reasons besides the obvious that this could be devastating.  Hang on because there is still at least one more major way that Scar Tissue is different from normal tissue.  It is different......

• METABOLICALLY:  Scar Tissue is different than normal tissue metabolically, meaning that it's much more poorly oxygenated.  Along similar lines, nor does it receive nutrition, hydration, or fluid lubrication as well as it should.  This probably has to do with the fact that even though there is a blood supply to Scar Tissue (it is, after all, living tissue), the blood supply is not nearly as good as it should otherwise be.  This also means that it may make it difficult (or impossible) to heal Scar Tissue without first having it THERAPEUTICALLY "BROKEN".  By the way, this is why I will occasionally put severe patients on OXYGEN THERAPY while I am doing SCAR TISSUE REMODELING.

As you can see, Scar Tissue is dramatically different than normal tissue on almost every conceivable level.  Now let's add to this the fact that much ---- if not most --- of the Scar Tissue that plagues people on a day to day basis is in the FASCIA.  Throw in the fact that Fascia cannot be seen with current MRI technology, and it makes for the PERFECT STORM of Chronic Pain.  Ultimately, Scar Tissue can cause numerous CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROMES that all too often leave doctors scratching their heads, accusing patients of malingering, being drug seekers, or both. 

The really cool thing though, is that for many of you reading this there is hope.  SCAR TISSUE REMODELING is a great way to effectively deal with many of the problems mentioned throughout this post.  This becomes an almost "Code Red" situation once you understand that the INFLAMED LIFESTYLE you've been living is either causing or heavily contributing to your problem (HERE).  If you feel that Scar Tissue might be part of your Chronic Pain issue, I would suggest you take a few moments to learn more by watching some of our VIDEO TESTIMONIALS.  Also be sure and show us some love on FACEBOOK because when you like, share, or follow, you reach the people you love and care about most.

If you have spent any time whatsoever on my website, you will realize that I am extensively involved with scar tissue (FASCIAL ADHESIONS, TENDINOSIS, TORN MUSCLES, and INJURED LIGAMENTS).  I believe that Scar Tissue is very frequently the "missing link" for people who cannot seem to hold an adjustment even though CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS are about the only thing that seem to help them.   You can begin to get an idea of the effectiveness of dealing with Scar Tissue by taking a couple of minutes to look at our PATIENT TESTIMONIAL VIDEOS.

Interestingly enough, I have had several patients who were frustrated because they Googled "Scar Tissue Removal" and could not find us.  This is because I am not in the business of Scar Tissue Removal, I am in the business of Scar Tissue Remodeling.  The difference is as significant as the difference between the above pictures. 

• SCAR TISSUE REMOVAL:  With Scar Tissue Removal, a doctor (M.D. / D.O.) is going to use a knife or Class IV Laser to "remove" (cut out / burn away) Scar Tissue.  Most of the time, this sort of Scar Tissue does show up on CT or MRI.  You will frequently see it referred to as "adhesions", and is very often post-surgical.  The problem with cutting away scar tissue in an attempt to "remove" it, is that it grows back.  And guess what it is replaced with?  That's right --- more of the same.  More Scar Tissue!  This is why Scar Tissue Removal is a tricky proposition that so often fails over the long term.

• SCAR TISSUE REMODELING:  As opposed to Scar Tissue Removal, Scar Tissue Remodeling is not about actually attempting to get rid of the Scar Tissue.  Instead, the scarred area is broken down by me so that it can be remodeled by you.  In other words, the scar itself is not "removed" but is instead "remodeled" so that it becomes more functional.  If you want to really understand this process, you need to visit our FASCIAL ADHESION PAGE. 

Scar Tissue is weaker, less elastic, and up to 1,000 times more pain sensitive than normal tissue.  It is a prime culprit in numerous CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROMES as well as DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS.  Oh, and unlike the gross adhesions seen in Scar Tissue Removal, much of the Scar Tissue Remodeling I do is performed on people who have had one or more MRI's, and not learned a thing from them.  In other words, the kind of Scar Tissue that I deal with on a day-to-day basis does not show up on CT or MRI.

If it is Scar Tissue Removal you are after, you need to find a really good surgeon who is up on the very latest technology and techniques (for instance, with Endometriosis, wrapping adhesed areas in disolvable "Proteolytic Enzyme Wraps" is showing some promise).  If it is Scar Tissue Remodeling you want, call Cheryl at 417-934-6337 to schedule a consultation today. 

I deleted the video that we shot a couple of months ago ---- the video taken about 20-30 minutes after I met Michelle for the very first time.  Although it was good; this one is better ---- get out the Kleenex!  

Despite everything Michelle had done, she had been struggling with increasingly severe Chronic Pain for the past seventeen years.  Just before Christmas break, I fixed a long-standing PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME in Michelle's sister, who referred her in shortly after that for Chronic Pain caused by post-surgical scar tissue.   Although the TISSUE REMODELING does not work for patients who have been burned (I've tried), it frequently works wonders on certain kinds of post-surgical scarring.  Michelle is one such example.

After slowly leaking infection for who-knows-how-long, Michelle's appendix completely ruptured just three months into her first pregnancy --- over 17 years ago.  Told that his wife had only thirty minutes to live without extreme intervention, her husband signed a waiver saying that he wanted his wife saved ----- at the expense of her unborn child if it came to that.  Fortunately, doctors managed to save them both. 

They actually took her tiny son (3.5 inches long, 2 oz) out of her womb and held him in their hands while they cleaned the pus and gangrene from inside of her.  Needless to say, even though Michelle and her son were both alive, she ended up with a huge amount of scar tissue as well as several massive surgical scars on her abdomen.  Listen to Michelle tell the incredible story of her miracle baby (a young man who has been called to ministry), her journey through Chronic Pain, and God leading her to a solution in tiny Mountain View, Missouri.