CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - LiveWell

When Ruth, a 56-year-old server at Cracker Barrel from Lumberton, Texas, began experiencing pain in her hip and leg about two years ago, she first sought help from a chiropractor. Unfortunately, eight months and thousands of dollars later, Ruth was still in pain every day. Leery of trying another expensive, ineffective treatment, she decided to see a pain management specialist. After administer- ing two injections that did not help, the physician gave up, telling Ruth there was nothing else he could do for her. Then, Ruth found the miracle she was looking for. A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION "I saw an article about a luncheon seminar at CHRISTUS Pain Management Center in a newspaper someone left at work — I believe God meant for me to find that paper," Ruth says. "I went to the seminar with hope of finding other treatment options for my pain. And that is where I met Dr. Ehdaie." At the seminar, Sassan Ehdaie, MD, Board-certified Pain Management Physician and Director of the CHRISTUS Pain Management Center, listened carefully as Ruth told him what she had been through. At her first appointment, Dr. Ehdaie reviewed her X-rays and treat- ment records and decided to try another, more precisely targeted injection. When that shot proved unsuccessful, he began to look deeper. "He examined me again, asked me to stand up and pressed on my hip," Ruth says. "When I felt that pain again, he immediately said he could fix it right away." Having pinpointed Ruth's pain to her piriformis — a muscle situated within the pelvis and behind the hip joint, which was irritating Ruth's sciatic nerve — Dr. Ehdaie administered another injection into Ruth's hip, and as she says, "That was it!" "I just started bawling," Ruth adds. "The relief was immediate. It was the first time I was pain-free in more than a year and a half. I could walk, I could sit, I could bend — it was incredible!" BACK ON HER FEET More than a year later, Ruth is working a 40-hour week at Cracker Barrel, and despite being on her feet all day, remains pain-free. What impressed Ruth most about her experience at the CHRISTUS Pain Management Center was Dr. Ehdaie's open dialogue with her and his dogged determination to track down and free her of the source of her pain. "He did not give up on me," Ruth says. "You have to remember, I was told by another specialist that there was nothing to be done for my pain. Dr. Ehdaie took the time to work with me, not just prescribe pain pills or surgery. He and the entire Pain Management Center staff truly wanted to help me, and they didn't give up." To learn more about the CHRISTUS Pain Management Center, visit www.christushospital.org/painmanagement. Sassan Ehdaie, MD, Board-certified Pain Management Physician and Director of the CHRISTUS Pain Management Center "The CHRISTUS Pain Management Center offers comprehensive diagnostic testing and evaluation of chronic pain. We will develop a pain management plan tailored to your condition, type of pain, and personal goals and preferences." Ruth Ayers' search for relief from her sciatica ended when she met a pain management expert who really listened. Pain-freE at Last! 7 LiveWell | June/July 2014

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