Marla’s Story: From the dark bedroom back to the classroom

Meet Marla Brettschneider. Marla is a professor, mother and loving partner.

Two years ago, Marla had a seemingly safe sinus surgery. However, instead of a speedy recovery, Marla experienced severe side effects that forced her to undergo two additional emergency surgeries. After the surgeries, when Marla didn’t get any better, it became clear that she had nerve trauma.

She spent months in her dark bedroom, often unable to even bear the light from a screen.

She struggled with everything from moving to executive functioning. Even writing an email to her doctors was too hard.

Marla worked with her doctors at Lowell Pain Center and with her Lin Pain Recovery Coach to treat the root of the pain - her nervous system was stuck in hyper-response.

In weekly sessions with her Lin coach, she used Lin’s care kits and program resources to better understand what her brain and body were experiencing.

She learned the foundations of pain science. She began to understand how her pain signaling system was trying to protect her from danger.

She learned what the pain-fear cycle is, and learned how to get out of it. After a few months of working with her care team, Marla was able to get her life back. She’s able to do everything now that the pain — and the fear of pain— had taken from her.

Marla can now leave that dark bedroom and get up, get dressed, go teach her students, and come home to sit with her family for dinner. Pain-free.