Ellen Shubin*

Ellen Shubin was watching television when she saw a commercial that mentioned neurostimulation. It was the first time she had heard of the therapy, despite having the kind of pain that it is often used to treat. “I went to my doctor and said ‘why didn’t you tell me about this?’” she remembers. In fact, her doctor was already arranging for her to see a specialist who offered the therapy.

Ellen’s need for such care arose from her being injured in an auto accident. Before that, she had undergone back surgeries to treat a spine condition, which, combined with the accident, seemed to produce a cascade of events (a “Humpty-Dumpty effect,” she notes) that left her with throbbing and burning pain. Medications didn’t help enough, nor did acupuncture or physical therapy. “It was pretty unbearable,” she recalls.

Ellen went to the specialist, tried neurostimulation, and responded well to it. “It took away most of my pain,” she says. “It was amazing.” Later, she had the stimulator implanted. After recovering from her implant procedure, she found herself able to walk more and go out with friends and family again. With less pain to deal with, she felt happier and less depressed.

Now in her fourth year of using a stimulator, Ellen says that she sometimes meets people with chronic pain and tells them about her experiences. A former nurse who educated herself about stimulation before trying it, she tells others to do the same. “Talk to people,” she says. “Ask a lot of questions. No question is too stupid.” For her, the question of the therapy’s value has already been answered. “It gave me most of my life back,” she says. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

If you are considering spinal cord stimulation and would like to correspond with Ellen, email her at ellen.shubin@ans-medical.com.