Melissa’s Story*

As a nursing student and a hospital employee, Melissa was used to helping others in pain. However, when intense pain began to control her own life, she did not know how to fight it.

In 2004, Melissa was diagnosed with a condition that left her with severe chronic pain—a sharp, stabbing feeling that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The pain even caused her to pass out several times a day when it became too much for her body to handle.  Her life as she knew it ended.

She was left with no choice but to drop out of school, quit her job, and withdraw from her family and friends. She thought of nothing but her pain.

Melissa was hospitalized several times for pain treatment, and she tried various medications, but did not find any relief until she was referred to a pain management specialist. Instead of giving her more drugs, he committed himself to finding a better solution for her pain. Although Melissa doubted she would find a successful treatment, she agreed to try a spinal cord stimulator.

Melissa was amazed when the stimulator worked—her pain lessened within minutes! After healing from surgery, she began to get her life back. She started working again, went back to nursing school, and rebuilt her relationships with her friends and family.

Thanks to her SCS system, Melissa is back to helping others with pain because she no longer has to worry about her own.
*The above testimonial is the experience of this individual only. It is an individual result and we do not claim that it is representative of the experience that all or most patients achieve and is not indicative of future performance or success.