Age: 51
Hometown: Portage, MI
Surgeon: Presence Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Procedure: eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®)
Surgery Date: October 3, 2014
Life Prior to Surgery: Rachelle struggled with severe back pain. She was accustomed to living an active lifestyle, but the pain prevented her from standing for more than 30 minutes at a time.
Rachelle attempted to alleviate the pain with acupuncture, physical therapy, and prescription pain medications, but she was unable to manage it.
Rachelle’s occupation in sales requires her travel and drive frequently and she yearned for a permanent solution. Rachelle’s coworker introduced her to her husband, Doug, who works for NuVasive®, Inc. Doug encouraged Rachelle to go to Chicago to meet with a surgeon. Rachelle flew to Chicago and consulted with a spine surgeon who recommended the minimally disruptive XLIF procedure.
Situation Today: Rachelle underwent XLIF surgery in October 2014. She spent three days in the hospital and was driving only 10 days after surgery. Only 11 days post operation, Rachelle was able to walk two miles. Rachelle is now working again and taking care of herself. She is temporarily wearing a back brace for extra support, but she is no longer in pain when she bends over!
Rachelle attributes her speedy recovery to her wonderful support team. Her Patient Ambassador, Suzanne, mentored her, encouraged her to have the surgery sooner than later, and texted her while she was in the hospital. Rachelle is also very grateful for Doug, as he provided her with the guidance and reassurance she needed and attended her surgery.
Now that Rachelle is living pain-free, she is taking on new projects that she was unable to do before surgery. She is upgrading the drapes in her home and has even been on a ladder. Rachelle is also back to creating personal “to-do” lists for her projects. This is something that she had not been doing for at least 8 months presurgery, but is finally feeling as though she’s able to accomplish all that she puts on there!
Rachelle is going through the process to become a Patient Ambassador. She recently received her packet and is excited about the opportunity to help others!
14-NUVA-1736