Meet Nan

As a psychiatrist, Nan had a lot of experience helping people through tough times. When she became a patient, however, she gained even more insight into coping with challenges.

Nan’s difficulty involved chronic pain that developed after she fell and dislocated her right elbow. A surgical procedure seemed to help, but then Nan began to experience severe neuropathy in her arm and hand. A few years later, a second injury—this time to her left hand—meant she did not have full, pain-free use of either arm.

Chronic pain affected nearly every aspect of Nan’s life. She even worried about being able to care for her psychiatry patients, since simple tasks like using a computer and writing prescriptions were hard for her. Nan wondered if she would ever find an effective treatment that did not involve long-term use of pain medications.

Nan’s search for help finally led her to Michael Schaefer, MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at University Hospitals, in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Schaefer recommended StimRouter, and the results were dramatic: a reduction in pain of about 75%!

Today, Nan has returned to engaging fully with her family, her favorite activities, and her patients. In fact, her pain journey has given Nan greater empathy for people going through difficult times.

Nan has also shared her story with University Hospitals:

• Read the full article here.

“I didn’t want to live on pain medicines. I wanted to help others, but I couldn’t help myself.” — Nan, StimRouter user