Rhonda S*

Whether attending shows or getting involved behind the scenes, 38-year-old Rhonda adores the theater. She loves it so much, in fact, that she co-founded a theater group in her native Tucson. But her life changed dramatically when she sustained an injury that caused severe chronic pain and nearly forced her to give up her passion completely.

While in Oklahoma City visiting friends and stage-managing a show, Rhonda slipped on a set of stairs and broke her foot. After she returned home, she developed a chronic pain condition that affected her left foot and ankle and spread to her lower leg.

Rhonda describes what she felt as "an extreme, sharp bone pain." She adds, "It feels like I rebreak my foot everyday." The pain forced Rhonda to use a wheelchair and cane.

She tried treatments such as nerve block injections, epidural infusions, acupuncture, and pain and antiseizure medications. "I was taking so many meds," she says, "I could barely complete a sentence. I just couldn't concentrate well enough to do anything."

Her pain condition forced her to quit the theater. Because her pain and medications also kept her from performing well at her job, she ended her employment and set out to find a long-term solution. "I was determined to find relief," she says. "My main goal was to reduce the meds and get back to work."

A pain management physician suggested she consider a treatment called spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Rhonda had some reservations and researched the treatment thoroughly, which included speaking with many others who had received SCS. She eventually decided to try it.

Though Rhonda still has a little pain, she says SCS immediately improved her quality of life. Providing 95 percent relief a vast majority of the time, while allowing Rhonda to return to work and go about her day normally without using a wheelchair or cane. She again attends shows and plans on getting involved behind the scenes in theater soon. After getting her SCS system, Rhonda also founded a chronic pain support group in Tucson to help others that suffer from chronic pain.

"I'm a total convert," she laughs. "I was skeptical in the beginning, but now I'm spreading the word. I couldn't live without SCS."

If you are considering spinal cord stimulation and would like to correspond with Rhonda, email her at RhondaS@sjmneuro.com.