Providing leading-edge treatments for hard-to-manage cases .
Providing leading-edge treatments for hard-to-manage cases .
It ’ s an exciting time for the neuroscience team at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital . Advances in science and research , and new tools and technologies enable a greater depth and breadth of care . Here are a few examples of how the AHN neuroscience team is providing world-class care right here in our community .
Paula ’ s Story :
Getting to the root of debilitating pain
On March 1 , 2015 , Paula Celeste Bruno-Umlah woke up with muscle weakness and tingling in both arms . She thought it was a pinched nerve that would go away on its own . Instead , it quickly got worse .
The next morning , unable to hold a pen at work , Paula was taken to a hospital nearby . “ They tested for stroke and heart attack ,” she says . She ’ d suffered neither . Two days later , unable to walk , she had her husband take her to AHN Saint Vincent .
After in-depth testing , a spinal tap , a nerve conduction study , and electromyogram , her doctors concluded that she had chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy ( CIPD ), a rare disorder where the body ’ s immune system attacks nerve cells .
A plan was put in place that included intravenous immunoglobulin ( IVIg ) infusions to help normalize her immune system . “ It took me 11 months to re-learn the activities of daily living . The team at AHN Saint Vincent made it possible ,” Paula says . “ They were compassionate and caring through all the pain , uncertainty and anxiety , and continue to help me achieve new goals .”
Paula is now back to work full time , receiving infusions every six weeks . “ My husband and I use humor , sarcasm and love to embrace this new way of life .” she says .
Alexander Whiting , MD , AHN neurosurgeon , Kenny Christiansen , patient , and Timothy Quezada , DO , AHN neurologist , at the 2024 AHN Saint Vincent Gala .
Kenny ’ s Story :
New technology brings renewed hope
Growing up in Erie County , Kenny Christiansen had no symptoms of epilepsy . But halfway through his MBA program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania , he began experiencing body sensations he couldn ’ t explain . “ Like a wave running through me from head to toes ,” he says . He was having what he later learned were seizure auras . Those sensations turned into complex partial seizures . Within six months , he started having grand mal seizures . A few years later , he had one while driving . His car went off the road and into a ditch . That ’ s when the focus of his life changed and his treatment journey began .
Over the next 10 years , he sought out neurologists in five cities across three states , but never found a doctor or treatment plan he was comfortable with .
In 2019 , life brought Kenny back to Erie . One of the first things he did was meet with the neurology team at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital . “ The neurologist and neurosurgeon presented a way to attack this disease that I ’ d waited 15 years for ,” he says . “ With less risk , a quicker recovery , and a proven track record , I was all in .”
Paula Celeste Bruno-Umlah , patient , speaking at the 2024 AHN Saint Vincent Gala honoring neurosciences .
Once the origins of Kenny ’ s seizures were pinpointed , he underwent minimally invasive , robot-assisted laser ablation surgery to destroy the epilepsy-causing brain tissue . “ The difference in my life between then and now is amazing ,” Kenny says .