Active and energetic , Stephanie Skidmore has never been one to complain or to put her work aside because of a few aches and pains . She has even tried to master significant pain on her own before realizing that going it alone is not always the best choice .
In October , Stephanie was injured while starting a furniture-refurbishing project , her new hobby . “ I was lifting a heavy metal cabinet with my husband , and when I lifted my side [ of the cabinet ] I heard ‘ pop , pop , pop ’ across my back , and I completely just went to my knees ,” she said .
Stephanie crawled into the house , but she didn ’ t think a trip to the doctor was necessary . For the next month , she took pain medications and muscles relaxers and hoped the excruciating pain would go away . When it did not , Stephanie went to the Sarah Bush Lincoln Walk-In Clinic for help , and then to Nurse Practitioner Lori Nottmeyer , APN , at Family Medical Center in Mattoon .
“ This just hit me like a locomotive . It came out of nowhere for me . I have always been very active and never thought twice about lifting something heavy ,” the 57-year-old Mattoon woman said . While Stephanie had been taking Vitamin D for years for osteopenia , a condition characterized by low bone density that is often considered a precursor to osteoporosis , she didn ’ t let it slow her down . “ I was a single mom until I remarried in 2012 , and I was used to doing everything on my own . I refinished my house by myself ; I put in new flooring and hung doors ,” she said .
A CT scan revealed multiple compression fractures in Stephanie ’ s spine , a common occurrence in people with osteoporosis . Nottmeyer rushed Stephanie into the Center for Interventional Pain for treatment .
“
Dr . Mitry was so kind and confident about me getting better . It really put my mind at ease . The relief was almost immediate .”
Stephanie Skidmore
Stephanie was impressed with the compassionate care she received from Pain Physician Ragai Mitry , MD , and Nurse Practitioner Heather Heicher , APN . “ They couldn ’ t believe I walked around like that for so long , and they genuinely wanted to help me feel better ,” Stephanie said . “ Heather told me I could continue to let nature take its course , but she and Dr . Mitry really wanted me to consider a procedure called kyphoplasty to alleviate the pain .”
Kyphoplasty is a treatment option for people with osteoporotic spinal fractures . With it , doctors use a small needle to inject cement into osteoporotic bone cavity to fill and strengthen the vertebra . It is performed under local anesthesia and uses X-ray technology to allow doctors to see fractures while they work .
Stephanie went the next day for the outpatient procedure . “ Dr . Mitry was so kind and so confident about getting me better . It really put my mind at ease ,” she said . While Stephanie experienced some soreness following the procedure , “ the relief was almost immediate ,” she said . “ By the third day , I was like ‘ wow , this is great ,’ because I had been in pain for a month . My husband had to keep reminding me not to reach up into the cabinets or to try to pick up the dog .”
Ragai Mitry , MD
Stephanie then returned to Nottmeyer ’ s office for follow-up care and to have a DEXA ( dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry ) bone scan , which confirmed osteoporosis . Skidmore is determined to manage her condition , so she takes Fosamax to strengthen her bones .
Now nearly pain-free , Stephanie is taking on new refurbishing projects and caring for not only her dogs but those she and husband , Greg , foster for a local shelter . If there is one thing Stephanie has learned through her experience it ’ s that asking for help , while not easy , can be essential to one ’ s recovery .
Kyphoplasty is one of the many services the Sarah Bush Lincoln Center for Interventional Pain offers . The most recent is a procedure for metastatic spinal lesions ; radio-frequency ablation of the lesion is used , in addition to Kyphoplasty .
For more information about the Center for Interventional Pain , call 217-238-4495 or go to www . sarahbush . org .
Heather Heicher , APN-BC
january 2017 healthstyles 9