It all started with a sneeze. I was dealing with allergies and I went into a sneezing fit and with the last sneeze I felt excruciating back pain. The next day I could barely walk do to the pain in my back, but I went to work anyway thinking that the pain would eventually settle down. The back pain settled, but then y coworker noticed me limping, but I wasn’t aware that I was limping. By the fourth day, I was so miserable that I had to call into work due to the pain and weakness that I felt in my leg. I went to a doctor and she offered me strong pain medications, injections and physical therapy. I do not like taking pain medications and I didn’t know how I would be able to participate in physical therapy because I was in so much discomfort. I knew something was wrong with my body and I wanted it to be fixed. I heard about Dr. Francis from a close friend of mine whose husband had just had surgery with Dr. Francis. I told her about what was going on and she said that I needed to see Dr. Francis and he would be able to help me. I argued at first because my pain was in my leg and I didn’t know how a spine specialist could help with my leg pain. I went ahead and called and I was offered an appointment the very next day. Dr. Francis already had an idea of what was wrong with me as soon as he saw me walking down the hall and dragging my foot. We decided that surgery would be the best option due to the weakness I was already experiencing. I went home the same day of surgery and began walking that day. I only needed pain medication for one day after surgery because I found that walking helped my postoperative pain more than anything. The more I walked the better I felt. I am pain free and I continue to walk and monitor my progress with a fit bit. I am so happy to be back to normal and I am getting ready to enjoy my retirement.
Brenda Douglas – Sugar Land, TX
