* The Day I Found Doctor D and Discovered PNFS

Before I went in for my last Rhizotomy I asked my Pain Management Doctor an important question. I simply asked him, "If this does not work, then what next?" His response was "There is nothing else, this is it."....

And so I was on a rampage to prove him wrong and find someone who could help me. I made dozens of appointments with Neurosurgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons to see if someone else had another approach. I found a Neurosurgeon who actually took the time to listen to what has been going on. Dr. D told me that he could not help me, but he knew of someone who could. That someone was Dr R., a Neurosurgeon at a highly respected back clinic in Texas.

Dr. R. told me about Peripheral Nerve Field Stimulation, an implantable pain management device implanted directly at the site of pain to intercept pain signals before they reach the brain. Dr. R has been performing this type of surgery for only a couple of years. I will be his first patient to undergo the surgery for the upper-back / shoulders. A similar surgery called Spinal Cord Stimulation has been in use since the 1960's.

After Dr. R told me I would be an excellent candidate for the surgery he located the trigger points on my back and marked them with tiny metal balls taped to my skin (they were like bb's). I then went and had a series of X-Rays done. I'm guessing for use in the surgery. I left the hospital totally confused. I just remember thinking "What? Someone is going to help me???" Terrible, but after dealing with Chronic pain for so long you just start to believe that there will never be a Doctor who can do some good for you.

Lastly, I would like to give a huge huge huge HUGE thank you to Dr. D who referred me to Dr. R. (I'm not sure if your supposed to use people's actual names on here.) Dr. D did not have to take the time to tell me about Dr. R, nor did he have to call Dr. R and talk to him about my case, but he did. Without Dr. D, I would never even know this surgery existed. As I have said before, there is almost ZERO literature on the Internet about this surgery, especially for my type of injury. That's where this blog comes into play. I want others to be able to be their own advocate and know what options are available... even if your Doctor doesn't tell you. I'm out.