A New Journey Begins

by Stacey Kuhns

Henson, the Service Dog

Hi everyone. So this time I am not reviewing a restaurant or a hidden gem in San Diego or Los Angeles counties. I am going to take you on a journey with me as I experience it.

As many of you know from my prior guest blogs, I am disabled. I am still independent but as the years go by, it has become more difficult to perform some simple daily tasks. I have several medical specialists who monitor my care, but things seemed to be deteriorating and I live in pain 24/7. As you have seen from my prior blogs, I get out and do as much as I can and enjoy life as much as I can. I want to be happy and make memories. I want to experience life.

I also began to wonder if all the medications I take are really helping me as much as medical professionals think. I decided to take advantage of a referral from one of my specialists to explore acupuncture.

On the referral of a prior patient, I connected with David Stoeber, L.Ac. He is the owner of North County Wellness, located in San Marcos. David is a chronic pain specialist. He has been dealing with chronic pain patients for years and has a deep understanding of the diseases and holistic methods used to assist in alleviating pain.

We met and he spent time getting to know me, my symptoms and primary concerns, and took the time to answer all my questions. I have been going to him weekly and Anna Kaplan, has been amazing in following my acupuncture sessions with light touch massage. I have noticed a difference and I feel David and the staff at North County Wellness really know their stuff.

During one of the sessions, I was discussing the difficulties I have experience with the diseases I have. David suggested a service dog. That was like a bomb going off in my brain. A service dog? For me? A chronic pain patient? David said he had several patients with the same issues get service dogs and they were helped tremendously.

I began researching this because taking on a dog is a huge commitment for someone who has days where she is barely able to walk. I talked with professionals in the service dog community and made the decision to move forward with this.

I don't want to ramble on about this, but on May 1, I will be bringing home Henson. He and I will spend two years training for him to be certified as my service dog.

Meet Henson:

I am very excited to start on this journey with him. I believe he will be a great help to me physically and emotionally, and as an avid animal person, I know he will have a loving home always. Stay tuned for our escapades, beginning May 1, when eight week old Henson comes home with me.