There was a time when sharp pain radiated in Gwen Lybeck's upper back. "The pain was constant. I couldn't do anything with my kids, and housework was out of the question," says Gwen, a resident of Brainerd, Minn.
The pain began as she recuperated from surgery. Cautious as she healed, Gwen adjusted her posture and began to walk hunched over. Over time her adjustments led to debilitating back pain.
MeritCare Pain Specialist, Dr. Majid Ghazi says symptomatic pain can easily become a life-changing disease. He says, "When a patient lives with chronic pain, other complications develop, such as depression, loss of productivity, social depravation, addiction or physical dependency to medication, and obesity. So chronic pain is a disease, not a symptom."
Gwen used pain medication prescribed by her doctor, but it didn't seem to help. She says, "Getting up everyday meant taking a pain med right away. Then I'd maybe have an hour or two a day without pain. I would get so tired from the meds that I was sleeping constantly." This defeating cycle lead to other medications. "They had me on two other meds for nerves." Gwen adds, "I thought this was how I was going to have to live the rest of my life."
MeritCare's Pain Management Clinic changed that thought. Dr. Ghazi notes, "We have the knowledge and skill to help people have a better life. While we cannot cure pain, we can manage it."
The Pain Management Clinic provides a multi-disciplinary approach, using both the newest technology to treat pain and other non-interventional techniques, like psychology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Fellow Pain specialist, Dr. Michael Gonzales says, "In many medical centers around the country those two aspects of pain medicine are kept separate, not even in the same clinic. We can offer comprehensive care at a single facility, which is a big advantage for patients."
Having attempted medicinal remedies from other doctors at other facilities, Gwen found real help and real healing at MeritCare. They created an individualized treatment plan, taking advantage of several of MeritCare's technological approaches to pain management until she found the best option for her.
Her first success came from radio frequency treatment. Dr. Ghazi explains, "The radio frequency technique temporarily inactivates the nerves to the small joints in the back of the spine." Gwen's pain improved, but she still wasn't satisfied with how long the relief lasted. "One thing great about MeritCare Pain Clinic is they never give up. They always say, 'If this doesn't work, then we're going to try this.' There's always other things, so they don't leave you hanging," she says.
She found the lasting relief that she wanted through a spinal cord stimulator. Dr. Gonzales explains, "The device reduces or blocks pain in the nerves. This technique has been very effective for many patients and is useable in cases where people previously thought there was nothing they could do to get help."
Gwen had a stimulator implanted in her back and the results were immediate. She says, "I had no pain that week. I stayed at my mom's house the week of the surgery and she kept telling me to rest, but I felt good. I wanted to do stuff!" The stimulator leaves her in complete control. "I can turn it on or off, change the range, increase the pulse… there's a lot of things they can do with it."
Since the procedure, Gwen has returned to her life. She says, "The relief I've gotten from this is phenomenal. When you've lived with pain so long and you get out of bed and have to take a pain pill just to function, and now you wake up one morning and you don't hurt, it is unbelievable."
Dr. Gonzales relishes in these transformations. He says, "I can't tell you how many times I've heard patients say you have changed my life. Many people come here feeling hopeless, feeling that there is nothing else that they can do, and many times patients come here telling me that they don't know what we are going to do differently from what they've already had. Well, they find out they haven't been through everything, and they actually do get better."
The results Gwen experienced also transform the attitudes and approaches of other doctors. Dr. Ghazi notes, "Primary care physicians or other providers have referred patients here, and when they see their patients are doing better, not on large doses of medication, are more active, and have returned to work, they appreciate that."
Gwen experienced those changes as well. She is off all of her pain medication, which has eliminated her sleepy-headedness. She says, "I'm not tired. I have a lot more energy. I'm able to do more things with my kids, like walking, swimming, playing tether ball. I never would have done that with the way my back was before. Even daily housework, I don't get sore like I used to." In addition to her participation in family and household activities, Gwen has been able to revisit the interests she had once given up. She says, "There are so many things I haven't done for so long that I want to try now because I'm not going to have the pain."
Gwen's positive outlook has her and her doctors urging others who live with chronic pain to seek treatment. Gwen says, "I thought I was going to have to live with it, but I tell everyone to go to MeritCare because I've had such good luck there." Dr. Gonzales adds, "Patients come in and tell me they are at the end of their rope, and I tell them that we're here to give them more rope."
Gwen has used that rope like a pair of reins, halting her pain and steering her life back toward health and fulfillment.