HOUSTON – Houston mom Sara Ellis needed a cane to help her walk. Sometimes she even had to use a wheelchair.
“I would use it anytime we were going to go out to like, rodeo, for example, I’m in my chair because there’s no way I can get around there because it’s a lot of walking and my body just can’t do that,” she told Houston Life.
With chronic pain limiting her life, Ellis found herself missing out on all kinds of special activities and events with her daughter, from cheerleading practice to Girl Scouts.
“I was a Girl Scout, so was my mom, and my grandmother, and my daughter is too. I couldn’t go on the camping trips because I couldn’t really get my wheelchair in most places’” she said.
Determined to find a solution, Ellis turned to the team at AK Pain & Spine Center, and they introduced her to a therapy that she says changed everything.
“When I first walked into AK Pain & Spine Center, I was using a cane, and my daily pain level was at about an eight. I could barely go from my bed to my front door to answer the door,” she said.
AK Pain & Spine’s Dr. Ankur Khosla is an interventional pain physician. He told Houston Life that Ellis was in the same boat as many of the patients who come through the doors at an AK Pain & Spine clinic.
“She had chronic nerve pain, and you know, each patient or person is going to describe that a little bit differently. To some people that might be neuropathy, some people that might be inflammation, numbness, tingling. Each person is going to use a different descriptor. But, at the end of the day they’re carrying this with them day in and day out,” he said.
Ellis said a procedure called spinal cord stimulation helped turn off her pain. This technology uses low dose electric stimulation to the spinal cord, “which acts like a noise canceling headphone” for the pain, explained Dr. Khosla.
Ellis told Houston Life, “I was able to ask lots of questions...I’m a highly anxious person. I was able to see how the procedure is done, which put my mind at ease. And the fact that Dr. K does this day in and day out really helped put my mind at ease and be comfortable enough to have the procedure done.”
As it is with many of the patients who come to AK Pain & Spine for treatment, Ellis said she wishes she found Dr. Khosla “...years ago. It’s very life changing. I’m much, much happier. I can do things. I can take my daughter to cheerleading and actually go to her competitions and sit in the stadium seats for several hours and not be in pain.”
So, where is the cane now that Ellis used to use?
“On the side of my nightstand to use as a beating stick if need be. If you try to break into my house, you’re going to get hit upside the head with a walking stick,” said Ellis with a chuckle.
If you are in pain, Dr. Khosla said don’t wait. “It’s quite easy to get in at any of our locations or with any of our providers. The time is now. It takes one phone call. We’ll get you in within the same week, and we’ll come up with an answer, and more importantly, a care plan and a solution to put this behind you.”
Give the team at AK Pain & Spine a call at 281-896-0013. The first 25 callers will get a free initial consultation. Just say you saw them on Houston Life. You can visit AK Pain & Spine online for more information.