Revolutionize Healing: Chronic Pain Sufferer's Alternative Solution Unveiled

Today's guest is Kalliopi Eleni, an award-winning fashion designer and also has worked in many facets of the film and television industry locally and internationally, mainly an actor and presenter working across feature films, documentaries, television soaps, series, dramas, commercials, and interactive media. Kalliopi will be sharing her story of resilience and determination To overcome chronic pain. Hello and welcome to Beyond Diagnosis, a podcast to raise your awareness, decisions, and voice for alternative practices so you can take back control of your health. I'm Rita De Michele, your host, a mindset and empowerment coach, and the founder of the Onus platform. Join me each week so you can create the health of your dreams. Welcome, Kaliopi.

Thank you for having me.

It's great to have you here. Now, yours is a— unfortunately, your story isn't that uncommon in the sense that you got this diagnosis around your chronic pain and you were left fairly dissatisfied with the orthodox options.

Yes, if not shocked. If not shocked. I was like, it was a new world to me, absolute new world. I've always been a very healthy person. I, I don't take headache tablets. I used to have migraines a long time ago, but had, um, stepped outside of the box and, and found other ways to hydrate myself and deal with emotions at the time, foods at the time. And so I resolved my migraines through those avenues. So I knew I had a taste of what it's like not to go down only one path, which is to take medication for something. So, but, you know, fast forward to, I don't know, you know, 20, 30 years later, this was a physical fall that I had. So yeah, I can talk about that.

Can you give us a little bit of a background of what were you doing, what happened, and yeah, take us along your path to then developing this chronic pain?

Yeah, so back in 2021, November 2021, I was shooting a commercial for SA Tourism, or it's actually a national tourism commercial for the government. And we were shooting in the Barossa Valley and we had to ride the Segways through the vineyards. And we were being filmed by the— what are those cameras that fly now? I forgot that name.

Oh, drones.

Drones, right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The new thing now.

The new thing, right?

Yeah.

So, so this drone was filming us and following us around, and we're going up and down in the vineyards, and I'm thinking, I'm gonna fall anytime. I feel like I'm gonna fall. But I didn't. I managed to survive the day. And, uh, it wasn't until I was at home— so not at home, in the hotel room—

that your prophecy came true.

Relaxing. What?

That your prophecy came true.

Well, that's another story. But yeah, we had that sort of day circled, but we, we could talk about that another day. So, um, so I knew I had to be careful that day, but it wasn't until I was— I had a bath, a spa bath. And as my mother said, see this spa bath, you know how much that spa bath cost you? See what luxury does. But she had— my mother's Greek, right? So she's— she always has something to say. So anyway, as I'm getting out of the bath, I thought, actually, this is dangerous because it was one of those, you know, step Roman big baths and it has steps. And I'm standing there wet and 2 steps with tiles. And I thought, oh, so I was very conscious and I thought, oh, I have to be careful. I take my first step and I'm airborne, right?

Oh wow.

And I land on my hip. And my left wrist whacks the corner of the tile step, and then my head hits the wall, and I'm— I land on the ground feeling very sorry for myself and thinking, well, that's a very ordinary ending to what was a fabulous day. As I sat there in my fetal position feeling sorry for myself, it was about 11 o'clock at night. All I did was just crawl into the hotel bedroom and put my hand against the wall because it just felt like it needed, you know, to be upright.

Yeah.

And suffered the night, didn't think about calling anyone. The next morning I remembered we had a nurse on the set, so I quickly called the assistant director and said, you know, how's— is the nurse still around? They said yes, in room such and such. So called her up and she took a look at it and said, oh, you know, bandaged it, gave me some ice and, and said, you know, go get x-rays, which I did. And it was assumed that my wrist was fractured. And then the following, uh, week at Flinders Medical Center, they officially x-rayed it there and gave me the conclusion that, um, I had fractured my wrist. So I thought that was That was the deal, right? Yeah, I had a plaster. And, um, so when I took the plaster off 6 weeks later, um, of course it interfered with my life, you know. Try putting a bra on with one hand. All the things you take for granted.

For granted, huh?

Yeah, yeah. So, um, but lucky it was my left hand and I'm right-handed. That would have been like totally, you know, useless. So then once I took the plaster off, it, it was like, okay, I'm back to normal, I thought, right? But I couldn't bend. So all—

You couldn't actually bend your hand is what you're saying?

I couldn't bend. I— it was stiff, right? So then I had to get rehab on my, my wrist. And I remember I had this young, um, hand therapist that my doctor referred me to. And so he would give me exercises where I had to like, you know, and I'm like, I felt like slapping him a couple of times because he'd go, go through the pain, through the pain. I said, what am I giving birth? So it was like, you know, so I had to do all these exercises and, and then technically I had healed, right? But I kept saying to him, do you think there's like this this, um, fracture, I feel like there's this weird sensation, you know, still happening. And he's like, oh no, no, you're healed, you've got all your movement back, you know.

So did you feel that any of those exercises that he prescribed actually helped you? Like they got you to a certain point, right?

So, so we're still in this evolution, right? So they got to the point of the ligaments in my hand, but they may have been aggravating something else.

Right. Interesting.

I don't know. I'm not saying anything, right? I'm not saying anything. This is just my journey and I'm still in evolution, right? All right. So, but I kept saying this, this, I, I'm feeling something, I'm feeling something. And a couple of months after I'd taken the plaster off, I said to— I was with my mother actually at the bank helping her. She's elderly, right? And I was doing this, you know, and like just feeling out of sorts. She's like, We're in public. What are you doing? And I'm like, I'm uncomfortable. She doesn't matter. We're in public. So I'm like, thanks, Mom. You know, I got home. I said to my husband, I don't, I don't feel so great. I'm just gonna lie down, right? So I lay down. It made it feel better. 5 days later, my husband was like, excuse me, I don't think that's normal. I said, it just feels better if I lie down.

Yeah.

So I the doctor, um, or I actually called— I feel self-indulgent. Isn't that interesting? I feel self-indulgent talking about this, but perhaps, um, you know, people have the same situation and learn, right? This is what this is about.

This is what it's about. Your, your, your story will resonate with someone else who is going through what you're going through, what you went through. And can learn, you know, other options from what you did. So it's actually not really self-indulgent. It's, it's actually—

it's interesting.

Well, it's selfless sharing for others.

Yeah. Culture teaches you, you know, stiff upper lip, you know.

That's right. That's right.

So, so I rang up the— there's like a 1-800 number where you have a nurse that can help with, you know, situations, uh, and, and, uh, physical sort of analysis of what you're going through. And she says, so you have unusual pain in your left arm? I'm like, yeah. And you're— I said, yeah, there's a bit of, you know, she was going through all the questions. She goes, I think you should call an ambulance. You're having a— you're possibly having a heart attack. And my husband was just cooking pizza. And I'm like, I don't want to go. I've got pizza to have.

Let's get our priorities straight. Food or heart attack?

I'll pick food. I said, well, I said, look, my husband will take me. subtext after I've eaten the pizza, right?

Yeah.

So that happened. So he took me there, and after— I remember, oh, that's right, I, oh, I had my, my hand over my head. If I, if I sat up, I had to keep my hand over my head so I could be comfortable. And my spirit, I could feel my spirit slowly shutting down because every time I sat up, it wasn't me anymore. Right, right.

That's, that's really interesting how you felt that so deeply.

Yeah, right. And I'll get teary because it's— it was an amazing journey because it was like I was— I felt the test, you know. It was like I took a slam dunk and, um, I was in pain and the doctor said, um, So he said, oh well, we'll give you a CT scan, right?

I said—

and so I got my CT scan and turned out that I had herniated my, uh, C6 to C7 disc and it was pinching my C6 to C7 nerve, right?

Right. No wonder why you were in pain. Yeah.

So what was happening is I was being stabbed You know, that's how it felt, like I was getting stabbed. So I had to keep my arm up, and then I'd have to lie down. And I thought, oh, this will go away one day. Anyway, a month later, I'm still in pain. He's— I've gone back to him, and I said—

When you say him, who, who do you mean?

Your, your general doctor? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he said to me, um, He said, I said, well, you know, what's the solution? He said, well, you know, you have two options: medication, right, or cortisol injections. And I said, what is this, Candid Camera? Like, surely not, right?

Medical bloopers.

Number three. Where's door number three, right? Oh, well, you know, surgery. Surely there's a door four, right? So it was like. Come on, this is not happening to me, you know. I'm not— anyway, so my spirit was really wounded. I'm physically in pain. I relented one night and start— after work I said, oh look, I'm going to take these painkillers, medication.

Right, right.

I had to. It's been like, I don't know, a couple of months now, right? And I'm all night, you know, stabbing of my neck, just constant stabbing, right? And I felt my spirit really die. And it was the first time in my life that I thought, you know what, I'm out of here. I'm done.

Mm-hmm.

I'm out of here. This is— and then I went to a physio and she gave me this, um, app to look at left brain, right brain, and watch videos on, you know, dealing with chronic pain. And so I started watching videos on dealing with chronic pain. And my spirit's like, I was gonna swear, but I won't. My spirit's like, holy smoke. No, no, I'm not gonna accept this as my reality.

You don't wanna deal with it. You wanna get rid of it.

Exactly right.

That's right.

So I had a choice whether to submit or to fight. And I remember that very clearly, and it was very emotional, and it was like this this extra strength came out of me that said, no, I'm, I'm gonna fight. So it was like the warrior in me came out. I'm gonna fight and I'm gonna protect this little girl, right? This little girl that's suffering. So this— so my, um, I, I've had success with acupuncture and— but I've never done remedial therapy, right?

Right.

I, I'd go to our local lady And her name's Coco, and she put in the needles. You know, I was very stiff, by the way. I, I was like, you know, don't touch me, no one touched me. You know, I was like very— I was, you know, you were protected. Yeah, I was just so stiff. And, uh, and she laid me down and she started. And remedial massage, I've never experienced it before. And massage is like an understatement. It's a massacre. It was, it was a massacre. I felt like she had taken her hand, entered the back of my neck, and removed teeth. That's how much pain it was.

Wow. Wow.

But I loved it because it was like, it was like she was breaking these walls, you know. And I rang up my mum. Oh, Mum, it's like she goes, are you okay? I'm like, it's so painful, it's fantastic. Because it was a shift.

Yes, yes.

And I, I felt movement. I felt like she had somehow, you know, conquered the dragon and grabbed the gold, you know. And it was that psychically, you know, empowering of like this shift that finally was happening. So I went back to her and, uh, and then think, uh, every couple of weeks because she said— I said, can I come tomorrow? Um, she said, no, no, you have to rest, you know. And then I started improving and that was just wonderful, wonderful news for me. And I think because I dance, I'm a belly dancer for like my active and social hobby, right?

Right.

So I couldn't dance and it was, I, it had isolated me from my female friend group. So there were so many things that just were devastating and I finally started getting back into my group. I didn't dance as much. I was more like, you know, a dinosaur dancing. I was just standing in the room. It was like I was getting back into it. And so I was so thankful the pain was diminishing.

Yes.

But there was an emotional component to it. So every time someone said, what happened to you? I'll be like, I couldn't speak. I'd start crying.

That's really interesting. Yeah.

So I visited a— as part of my healing, I decided to go visit a psychologist. talk through it and, and honor all these different feelings that I was having, because it's not just physical, you know.

That's right. So would you say that it was like by going outside of the box and seeking, or, you know, other therapies—

Complementary therapy.

Yeah, complementary therapies that which tend to deal with the whole person as opposed to just that one part of you. You know, we can't separate the, the mind and body connection. So by doing those, did you start feeling like you were coming— your soul was coming back to you? Like you were saying, you sort of lost your soul. Did you feel like, you know, you were becoming a whole person again?

Well, yes, physically I was building my strength. You know, I would measure it 80%, then 85%, but emotionally something had to be dealt with. You know, and I think I had to go through the journey of forgiving myself for being— I had to go through that journey. I had to go through, um, the voice of my weakness, you know, giving her a voice, that weak side of me, the one that gives up, because I'm a fighter, right? But the— so I had to forgive parts of myself so I could heal.

Right. Wow. And sometimes things happen as a catalyst for change. And this may be a little bit out there for some listeners that, you know, and I think you believe the same as well, that things happen to us or, you know, we bring things into our space for this change to happen. Like you kind of almost manifested that fall so you could go through this journey, so then you can come out the other end, you know, dealing with those weaknesses and, you know, becoming more whole and true of who Kaliopi is. Would you agree to that, or—

Yes, I think what happened for me, my main— when I sat and listened to my soul and said, you know, what was this lesson for you, and it was empathy.

Empathy for self or empathy in general?

So, so now when someone says they're in pain, I don't go— it's like sympathy is like when someone's in a hole and you're above looking at them in the hole.

Exactly.

Empathy is when you're in the hole with them, so you don't try and fix them, you don't try and judge them. It's like you're just with them, feeling it, holding that face. So when someone tells me they've hurt themselves, I just go, oh, you know, it's like I just send love, you know, because it's like, you know, it was just so intense. So it's empathy is my lesson.

So that was the part of you that needed healing, you would say? That's the part of you that needed that lesson? Is that what you got at it?

I, I trust the universe. I trust the journey. Um, I, I surrender to what I— my hope of the universe being friendly in nature.

And supporting you, and supporting you of what you needed. That's great, that's great. So to kind of recap, who— for people who have a similar, you know, experience to you, or, uh, You know, they've got a sore back or they are dealing with chronic pain. Um, who was it that you saw? So you saw an acupuncturist?

Well, I, I saw— there was so many different levels. You have the hand therapist that dealt with the ligaments. I had, um, a physiotherapist who does a bit of Feldenkrais, so she did left brain, right brain imagery, and there was all of that that helped. Um, but I— for me It's like I was outside of this door, this big dungeon door with a bunch of keys, you know, trying to find which one fit.

That's a great analogy. I love that.

Yeah. And so it was, uh, it was Coco, and I call her now Coco the Barbarian because, because it was like she unlocked that chronic pain. So it's not one thing.

It's—

we're such complex creatures that, you know, depending on your culture and your religion and your You know, how you identify, um, and whatever's happening in your subconscious. It's really about getting clear of what key is going to release you from your dungeon of pain, you know.

That's right. And would you say it helped— you know, we do know each other, we've been friends for a very long time, and we have very similar beliefs, and we've had very similar journeys, and You know, we talk about all this sort of thing and we both talk about the emotional and, and mindset aspect to all of this. And do you feel that the more open, because you are open to experience new things, that, that definitely helped your journey? Like if you just went down the painkiller or the cortisol injection?

Yeah.

Yeah, what kind of mindset do you feel was your was your best aid in this? You know, like was it an open mindset? Was it flexible? Was it all encompassing? You know, like for someone who has never gone down the path of alternative therapies before, maybe they're a little nervous or they're a little unsure. They don't know what to do. Can you kind of help someone understand your thinking in choosing, in going, no, I'm not gonna accept that. I'm not gonna accept that limitation. Mm-hmm. You know, I want more for my life. You know, where did that come from for you? From, you know, deep down it, most people call it, comes from their solar plexus. You know, like you have to have that, develop that conviction that you, you deserve more.

I think it's spirit, um, and spirituality. Uh, I had a really strong mother, so she gave me confidence to be connected to self rather than submit my spirit to the authority of someone else.

Yeah.

And I— the most important thing someone said was never get between— it was actually a Native American medicine man, and, uh, he said never let anyone get between you and the God force, right? Or the great creator, right? So, so it was that empowerment to believe that the answer will come as I progress on the journey, but I'm still connected. I am the universe expressing itself.

Excellent. I love that. I love that. And that's one of the keys, isn't it? That we have to be prepared to take ownership and take back control of our health and the outcome that we want. We can't just put it in someone else's hands, even though, you know, the medical system is fantastic. You know, it's saved, it's saved my mother's life. It's saved my husband's life several times.

Yeah.

You know, when you're in the ER, et cetera, what they do is absolutely phenomenal. But when it comes to long-term chronic or undiagnosed conditions, it's not always the best path. So taking that control, and I feel like that's exactly what you are saying. You know, you say it's that spirit. You won't let, you won't give over your spirit to someone else and have them say, this is your only option. Hmm.

That's right.

Yeah. That's fantastic. It's been great, Calliope. Your, your story is so inspiring for others who are, and what, and chronic pain is one of The, uh, most—

even the word chronic, after I experienced chronic, the word chronic still doesn't give, give the energy of chronic. The word chronic should be—

Chronic.

It's not— just sounds like, you know, croissant. No, it's, it's just has so much weight. And that person who's feeling that weight My heart goes out to you.

It's heavy, isn't it?

It can be heavy. Oh, and I am now about 95% healed. I still have the odd sensation, so I'm still doing, um, remedial massage maybe once a month, uh, maybe once every 2 weeks for maintenance. Yeah, but I'm dancing and, you know, flicking my hair around for belly dancing, so I'm very grateful. I'm so grateful.

And because you went outside of the box, you're back. You're back to your own life. You've actually reclaimed your life as it was.

I slayed the dragon and got the gold.

A very artistic way to put it.

Storytelling. Yeah.

Look, I you know, as I said earlier, we've known each other for a long time, so I feel very honored to be here. Almost half a century, my friend.

Almost half a century.

It is. It is. So I feel very honored to be able to share your story and have you come onto the show and hopefully help other people. I have a little signature question I always finish with, and it's: Do you have a message of hope?

Hope? Yes, I feel like I'm walking hope that no matter what, just trust. Just trust the universe. Trust yourself. Get your information from all sources, but don't overwhelm yourself because sometimes it can be overwhelming. Find someone you trust and, um, you know, go to Rita's website, look at all the resources. But I'm not the type to, um, read too much. I'm a feeler, so I, I just get a sense of things. So you have to find out, you know, are you a researcher? Do you come from the intellect? Are you someone who feels their way through? I feel my way through things. So I even liked my medical doctor. Um, I even suggested to him, you should come and do remedial therapy because he has the same issue. He just does it. He goes, yeah, I know it's really painful, but, you know, he does the cortisol. So everyone has their own journey. Everyone has their own dungeon to get out of, uh, when they're in these horrible situations.

Yeah.

But I am hope that you can resolve it. And I had that moment where I was about to give up. And I didn't, so I'm very happy I didn't.

Absolutely.

I'm here to dance another day.

Beautiful, Calliope. It's been an absolute pleasure having you, and all the best. And I know that you'll just keep soaring.

Yes, thank you very much for having me.

You're welcome. I would love to know what was the biggest insight or Aha moment you got from this interview, so you can now speak up, take action, and make informed decisions for your health. And if you like this episode, get instant access to your free ebook, Alternative Wisdom: Taking Back Control of Your Health, at life-onus.com.