After a decade of unanswered questions about her spine pain, Kim finally found a diagnosis and lasting relief, with Dr. Javery at Grand Rapids Pain.
By the time Kim sat across from yet another doctor, she'd stopped expecting an answer. She'd have settled for someone simply believing her. Ten years is a long time to describe the same pain to a new provider and watch them come up short, and by the end of it, Kim, now 66, wasn't looking for a miracle. She was looking for someone to take her spine seriously.
Ten Years of Being Told It Was Nothing
Spine pain has a way of hiding from the people trying to find it. Imaging can look unremarkable even when a patient is in genuine distress, and the source of chronic spine pain isn't always where the pain itself seems to point. That gap, between what a patient feels and what a scan shows, is where Kim spent a decade.
Dr. Javery was the first person to close it. Kim says he was the first provider to actually identify her spine as the source of her pain, after ten years of looking. It's a small sentence with a lot packed into it: a decade of appointments finally landing on an actual explanation.
Injections, Ablation, and Still Searching
A correct diagnosis doesn't always mean an immediate fix, and Kim's treatment plan reflects that. Before a spinal cord stimulator ever entered the conversation, she and Dr. Javery worked through more conservative spine pain treatment options first: radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a procedure that uses heat to interrupt the nerves sending pain signals, and a series of targeted injections.
Both approaches are common starting points in spine pain management, and for some patients, they're enough. For Kim, they helped, but not completely, which is what led to the next step: a spinal cord stimulator trial.
The Trial That Told Her Everything She Needed to Know
A spinal cord stimulator trial is exactly what it sounds like: a temporary, external version of the device, worn for a short period to see whether it actually changes how a patient feels before committing to a permanent implant. For Kim, the trial wasn't subtle. She felt substantial relief while the trial device was in place, and when it came out, her pain came back almost immediately.
That contrast was the answer she needed. It's one thing to hope a treatment will work. It's another to feel it work, lose it, and know exactly what you're choosing to get back. Kim moved forward with spinal cord stimulator surgery to have the permanent device implanted.
Two Years In, and Still Choosing It
Kim is careful not to overstate her result, and that honesty is part of what makes it credible. Two years after her implant, she says her pain has not disappeared entirely. But she's just as clear that the device has made a meaningful difference in her daily life, enough that she says she wouldn't want to live without it.
Dr. Javery adds a detail from his side of the chart: they haven't needed to perform another intervention for her in more than two years. For a chronic spine condition, that kind of stability is its own outcome. Kim also credits the office itself, describing a staff she considers knowledgeable and consistently supportive, and one she says she wouldn't trade for another practice.
Watching What She Eats, Without Overpromising
Kim has also started paying attention to food. She's been working to cut back on what she considers inflammatory foods as a way to help manage flare-ups alongside her medical treatment. She's noticed a pattern worth mentioning: feeling well throughout a recent trip to Italy, then experiencing a flare-up a few days after returning home.
Kim herself is careful about what conclusion to draw from that. It's her personal observation, not a proven explanation for why the flare-up happened, and she doesn't present it as one. It's simply one more thing she's watching as part of managing a condition that, even now, she doesn't expect to disappear completely.
Ten years is a long time to wait for someone to listen. For Kim, that wait ended with a diagnosis, a plan built in stages, and a spinal cord stimulator that hasn't erased her pain but has changed what her life looks like around it. If you've spent years searching for a pain management clinic near me that takes spine pain seriously from the first appointment, Grand Rapids Pain is built around exactly that kind of persistence. Schedule a consultation to talk through what a plan built around your spine could look like.
This blog is intended for general informational purposes. Any health-related information shared is not meant to provide or replace professional medical advice and does not establish a patient-provider relationship. Individual outcomes vary. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
