Nothing Less Than A Miracle

Pain – it can be so much more than just an unpleasant physical sensation. In fact, sometimes it can be just the start of something much worse. Picture this – you wake up one morning in pain. Not an uncommon scenario. But this time, the pain that is so severe that almost everything you love to do, all the activities that give you the most joy in life, are suddenly out of reach – all in an instant.

This is exactly the situation Lisa Brecht found herself in one day when searing back pain brought her active lifestyle to a screeching halt. The following years would be a challenging but life-affirming journey from the depths of despair to new heights of achievement and appreciation.

A Little Bit About Lisa

Lisa describes herself as “old school.” Though she lives in the city now, she is a country girl at heart. She grew up in the Cambridge/Isanti area of Minnesota, which at the time was still a rural farming community. Her youth inspires memories of dirt roads, baled hay, and running everywhere in her bare feet.

The physical and energetic nature of Lisa’s younger years ultimately led to her developing a very active and athletic lifestyle in adulthood. She is an avid outdoor fanatic, routinely going biking, hiking, camping, and backpacking. She also loves playing tennis with her husband, who plays in a league with the United States Tennis Association.

But running is where Lisa’s heart truly lies. She started out running short distances, being an accomplished sprinter in high school and college. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to try out distance running, and immediately fell in love with it. Lisa experiences a feeling of euphoria while running and it quickly became a vital part of her daily life.

Then one day, everything changed.

Like Lightning

One morning, in her late thirties, Lisa woke up after a lovely night’s rest. But she immediately realized something was wrong.

“I woke up and felt a severe, fiery pain shooting down my back,” said Lisa. “It felt like being struck by lightning. I have never actually been struck by lightning, but I don’t know how else to describe it, the pain was so terrible.”

Lisa could barely move, let along walk, so her husband had to carry her to the car before driving her to the hospital. After being examined, Lisa was told she had a herniated disc pressing on one of her nerves. After jumping around to numerous clinics and receiving numerous opinions, Lisa was told she needed surgery to fix the issue. But that was just the beginning. Over the next 10 years, Lisa underwent a laminectomy and five different spinal fusion procedures.

When Chronic Pain Takes Control

By this point, Lisa was utterly disheartened. Despite the many surgeries, she was still experiencing a lot of pain and mobility issues. Her life as she knew it was completely changed.

“I often describe it as the 7th circle of Hell,” Lisa said. “Athletics and movement were part of my soul and having that taken away was devastating. I tried physical therapy and traction therapy, but that just was not enough. When the idea of going to a pain clinic was brought up, I was very hesitant because I felt like I would be starting over after everything I had already been through. But when your body stops speaking the same language as your mind, it’s all just pain, immobility, and hospital stays.”

On top of not being able to engage in all her favorite physical activities, Lisa found that even everyday tasks were suddenly difficult. Everything from using the bathroom, to doing the laundry, to tying her shoes had to be planned in advance because she could barely move on her own.

But Lisa was never the type to sit down too often, and she was not about to take this situation sitting down either. She refused to settle for this kind of life.

Hope Rising

To get the ball rolling on her journey to recovery, Lisa decided to go ahead and try the pain clinic route. She was living in Champlin, MN at the time and a quick Google search revealed that Twin Cities Pain Clinic in Maple Grove would be her best choice.

Her spirits were immediately lifted during her first visit. She met with Austin Heneman, a highly experienced certified physician assistant, who quickly eased her concerns and ensured her a solution would be found.

After some brief consultation, Austin told Lisa that she would be an excellent candidate for a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure.

An RFA applies heat to facet nerves that are being compressed by inflamed joints. The heat destroys the nerve endings, preventing them from sending pain signals to the brain.

“I just loved how aggressive the Twin Cities Pain Clinic team was in identifying an appropriate treatment for my pain,” said Lisa. “They were very thorough yet prompt and stayed in close communication with me. My test procedure went off without a hitch and I was just so excited at the prospect of pain relief without a hospital stay and lengthy recovery. The level of expertise at Twin Cities Pain Clinic was simply mind blowing.”

The ALMOST Obstacle

Things were moving along at a fantastic rate now, and Lisa was getting excited for the actual RFA procedure. But then she received an unexpected, and dreadful, phone call.

“One day, out of nowhere, I received a call from my insurance company notifying me that the ablation procedure order had been denied and that they would not cover it. I was overwhelmed with grief to the point that I fell to my knees and sobbed. I had done everything I needed to do and come so far, only to see my hopes for a better future fall apart in an instant.”

Luckily, this was not the final word on the matter. While reviewing the denied procedure order, a member of the Twin Cities Pain Clinic Prior Authorization department noticed a small but important error on the part of the insurance company. An error that was the difference between an approval and a denial. Before doing anything else, the rep called Lisa.

“I got a call from Twin Cities Pain Clinic ‘regarding my insurance denial’,” Lisa recalls. “My heart leapt when I heard this. The rep explained the situation and said they were taking care of it. I basically cried all over again, but this time out of joy! It meant more than I can say that someone on their team cared enough and put the time and attention into getting this fixed for me.”

The procedure would move forward as planned.

The Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure

Lisa’s radiofrequency ablation was performed by Twin Cities Pain Clinic Assistant Medical Director, Dr. Sherri Haas. Dr. Haas is an exceptionally talented physician who has distinguished herself in the pain management field, so Lisa’s case was in good hands.

“There was one moment in particular, right before the procedure, that really assured me that everything was going to be ok,” said Lisa. “Dr. Haas mentioned that she was also a runner and empathized with what I was going through. She then looked me in the eye and said, ‘I can keep you running.’ I was so encouraged I nearly wept, again!”

In short order, Dr. Haas successfully completed the procedure and Lisa was ready to head home. Before leaving, Dr. Haas reminded Lisa that nerves grow back after a while. But if any pain returned, they could simply repeat the procedure.

That news was perfectly ok with Lisa. “I left the surgery center feeling so good, I wanted to do a cartwheel,” Lisa recalled. “If I needed to repeat the procedure someday to maintain this level of relief, I was on board. On top of that, Twin Cities Pain Clinic made everything so incredibly easy the first time around, I had no reservations about a second procedure.”

The Return of Lisa

After her procedure, Lisa wasted no time getting back into action. Naturally, she started running again almost immediately. Lisa has always loved having aggressive goals to shoot for to keep her motivated, so she began training for not one, but TWO half-marathons, just because she can.

Lisa also started playing tennis with her husband. But to play at his high level, she needed to start training like she never had before. She was using muscles she forgot she even had because she had been unable to move for so long. Now, Lisa can be found sprinting, twisting, and darting all over the court without issue!

“I have my life back,” exclaimed Lisa. “I can do pretty much everything I could before, and I no longer have to worry about whether a simple movement might hurt. Now I can jump up off the couch if I want to. I truly can’t thank the team at Twin Cities Pain Clinic enough. Throughout the entire process, I felt welcomed, cared for, and that everyone had my best interests in mind. I can think of only one way to say it – what they did for me was nothing less than a miracle.”

Learn more about radiofrequency ablation.

To schedule a consultation online, CLICK HERE, or you can call (952) 841-2345.

The content and patient quotes in this testimonial story describe true personal experiences, reflecting real life stories from an individual who was treated at Twin Cities Pain Clinic. This story is for informational purposes only and should not be considered typical of all patients’ results. Individual experiences may vary, and Twin Cities Pain Clinic cannot guarantee specific outcomes. The subject of this story contributed of their own free will and was not provided any monetary renumeration in exchange for their participation. This testimonial story does not constitute medical advice and you should consult a healthcare professional for medical diagnoses and treatment recommendations.