| Victor: Sacroiliac joint pain (post 20-day trial) |
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Victor's 20-day trial was successful, enabling him to enjoy everyday things for the first time in years, like family activities and gardening. His co-workers loved to joke with him about the protruding electrodes, and called him "Data," one of the characters in Star Trek!
Asked if he's looking forward to a life without pain medications, Victor replied "You better believe I am." Dr. Greenspan: Victor just finished his trial of occipital neuromodulation. It lasted about 20 days. Dr. Greenspan: How many years ago did your pain first begin? Victor: About 15 years. Dr. Greenspan: A lot of shots done? Victor: Yep. Alcohol shots - pelvic bone - sacroiliac joint. Dr. Greenspan: You've had shots for your back as well? Did it give you a lot of relief temporarily? Victor: Steroid shots.Not a lot of relief, no. About 50%. The alcohol shot was about 75-80%. Dr. Greenspan: Medication? Victor: Vicodin, Percocet, too many - 6-8 sometimes. Dr. Greenspan: Did you find over time that medications weren't working so well for you? Victor: Yes. They were messing with my mind, my thinking process, my memory. Dr. Greenspan: And what about your family wife, are you married, have kids? Victor: I'm divorced now. Dr. Greenspan: Is that because of all this? Victor: It might have had something to do with it... I wasn't going out any place. Dr. Greenspan: So, what was your life when you were having pain? Victor: Watch TV, do nothing else when I was home. Go to work. Didn't walk around much, I'm a computer programmer. Dr. Greenspan: When I first started talking to you about the trial device, what were your thoughts about that? Victor: Reading about it on the internet. I really was skeptical, even after the first week. But after that, it got better - second week 25% [reduction in pain]. Third week was between 30-35%. And this last week it was up to 75-80%. I was out in the garden last week, dirt underneath my nails! [smiles] I hadn't done that in a long time. Dr. Greenspan: What about your sleep. Had that changed at all because of the device? Do you feel like you were getting more restorative sleep? Victor: Oh, definitely. Dr. Greenspan: Do you notice any change in the way you think, your memory? Victor: Memory is, I'd say, twice as good - clarity. Dr. Greenspan: How about your need for pain medications? Had that dropped during the trial? Victor: I was doing 6-8 Vicodin before [the trial]... 2-3 beginning of the trial; at the end I was only doing 1 or 2. Dr. Greenspan: So you looking forward to a future without pain medications? Victor: You better believe I am. Dr. Greenspan: What would you say to someone who is sitting on the fence about going forward with the trial? Victor: "You gotta go for it." Especially the trial process, see if that helps. That's the most important part, I would say. Dr. Greenspan: Was it a painful procedure, having the trial itself? Victor: Nah, just the shots, when you numbed it. But after that, I didn't feel the incisions, the insertion of the wires, or anything. Dr. Greenspan: Some people are very skeptical, and they'll say he had a placebo response. What would your answer be to that? Victor: Oh, absolutely not. All the stuff I've tried, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, alcohol shots, steroid shots... none of that worked like this did. There's no way it was a placebo. Dr. Greenspan: So, the device didn't interfere with your ability to carry out your normal routine? Victor: No, not at all. Dr. Greenspan: You were able to work, and enjoy your life, more than you've been able to in a long time? Victor: I saw a lot of nieces and nephews in the last few weeks; wasn't doing that before. Dr. Greenspan: So you're a lot more social now. They were pointing at your wires and saying, "wow, wow, wow." Victor: Yeah... a few of the guys at work started calling me "Data."
This procedure is performed by Dr. Joshua Greenspan at our Somersworth facility. For more information, read Promising new treatment: Occipital Neuromodulation. |
