Testimonials

Five years ago I felt a pop in my head and I immediately became dizzy and lost my hearing on the right side. I saw Dr. Oake because of
the vertigo. Every time I rolled over in bed I had to wait for my dizziness to settle before I could go back to sleep. During the day I was always woozy and wobbly. Dr. Oake completed his evaluation and told me that the back of my head was out of alignment with my
vertebrae and that I had the symptoms of a light concussion and he needed to gently make some change. I was all
in. He explained that he was starting with my legs first. He said if the roof has a depression in it then you have to fix the foundation. That made sense to me. To make a long story short, two days later I realized that I could hear my turn signal indicator in my car. I hadn’t heard
it for 5 years. Secondly I felt a dramatic change in my head and felt overwhelming dizziness for a few minutes that subsided and now I have no dizziness or wooziness at all. Dr. Oake told me that I may experience that when you get such a dramatic change. Today I
am clear headed and have 50 percent of my hearing returned on my right side and
I feel fabulous. Thank you Dr. Oake for your caring and compassionate nature.

TK

Lost : My life-changing TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

My name is Shelley and this is my personal story. I share it with hopes that it will help anyone who has had a traumatic brain injury.

One moment I was returning half asleep from a 4:30 a.m. trip to the bathroom, stopping in the dark to bend over to feed the cat. The next moment I was in excruciating pain as blood was dripping from my head. I had hit the centre of my head on an open kitchen cupboard door when I stood up. I staggered to a chair and eventually returned to sleep.

Diagnosis: I had suffered a concussion and was told to rest, take Tylenol, and a few days off and all should return to normal.

That did not happen for me.

That was March 2014. The days turned to weeks turning to months, and now months to years. I suffered with a "laundry list" of symptoms: headache, both physical and brain fatigue, blurred and double vision, speech, balance, and cognitive issues. Everything from brushing my teeth, showering, and dressing were huge time consuming challenges.

In an attempt to capture a description of the indescribable, from my experience, I would define this injury as follows:

"An invisible thief, devastating, exhausting, widely misunderstood, brain fog, noisy brain, difficulty learning new things and things you already know, scared, MIA, overwhelmed, senses overloaded.

... it's like an avalanche that buried roadways, highways, paths and trails, knocking out some but not all communication. Some routes you can dig through and some will require brand new pathways.

Limiting, difficult having to relearn things you should know, learned non-use behaviour has become hardwired, unbelievably frustrating, and isolating.

Learning to live with a brain that feels like it belongs to a stranger is unpredictable and annoying."

Things I used to enjoy no longer interested me due to light sensitivity, information processing, and focus issues. Reading, television, movies, sporting activities, gardening, all were activities in my past.

Both physical and brain fatigue forced me to rest a lot more than I used to. It is very difficult and tiring for my brain to think, process and organize. Therefore it's hard to think and it's hard to make good decisions. Your stamina fluctuates and cognition is fragile. Police stop and ask if you've been drinking at 10 am in the morning. Embarrassing is an understatement.

I took a long-term leave from my 25 year position as a Corporate Assistant, in the Clerks Department at a municipal office to attend numerous medical appointments, tests and assessments. I worked with Mayors, politicians, CAO's, the Clerk, and Department Heads directly, as well as other government agencies, organizations, and the public, as well as conducting the municipal election process.

That's the Lost part. Next part ... Chiropractic and Dr. Tommy bomb...

Found:

It was a year and a half into my brain injury when a friend referred me to Dr. Tom Oake.

Coming on board at this stage must have seemed like a daunting task. Well established learned non-use connections to compensate had to be delicately corrected. Major issues with vision, speech and balance also needed to be corrected. It wasn't going to be easy.

Thankfully, Dr. Oake adjusted his cape and took up the challenge. His profound knowledge of chiropractic and concussions has changed my life as evidenced by my ability to prepare and write this dissertation.

My speech and balance and ability to problem solve are now normal. Thank you Dr. Oake for all you have done.

Shelley

I recently had a visit with Dr. Oake.  I have been suffering with a debilitating pain between my shoulders for 30 years. Every time I turned my head I would experience a searing feeling between my shoulders that felt like a pinched nerve that produced a  constant headache. I've tried everything.  Dr. Oake resolved my problem.  I was afraid to mention it to anyone for fear that it was only temporary.  It wasn't temporary.  The problem never returned.  This is nothing short of a miracle for me after suffering for 30 years.  I am forever thankful.  

BH