Lisa Pemble
Team approach solves pain
When Lisa Pemble of Albany first met Michael Massey, DO, medical director, CentraCare Neurosciences Pain Center, she was on the floor in pain. At age 38, Lisa had type 2 diabetes and experienced leg numbness. She felt like she’d tried everything.
“I would fall, and it was really hard to walk up and down steps,” she said. “I literally had to take step by step holding the railing. At night, I’d wake up with excruciating pain. I couldn’t sit or lay. Heat, ice, there was nothing I could do. Pain pills just put me to sleep, they didn’t ease the pain. I wanted a natural solution. I didn’t want to be on prescriptions for the rest of my life.”
As a nurse, Lisa knew how to manage pain but was feeling like she had tried everything. “Dr. Michael Beste was my doctor in Melrose who suggested I see Dr. Massey and his team,” Lisa said.
“At my first appointment, I met with Dr. Massey and his team --- the pharmacist, nurse and physical therapist --- all in the same day. They reviewed my case and we were all in the same room together when they delivered their treatment plan to me,” Lisa said.
They discovered as a result of the diabetes, the nerves in Lisa’s legs were not only the cause of the pain but also the reason her legs were giving out, causing her to fall. Before leaving, the pharmacist told her about a nerve pain medication, how it works and how long she’d be on it.
After going home, Lisa began to see improvements. The physical therapist gave Lisa exercises she could do at home to help manage her pain. Lisa started seeing a dietitian in Melrose and as a result of her dieting and exercising, her blood sugars went down.
Today, her dogs, Bella and Zoie, help her remain active. She manages her pain with exercises and has accepted that she will likely have some pain issues but knows tips on how to deal with them. She is off all diabetes medicine and insulin.
“I think the way they did things was great. I got to do it all in one day and got answers,” Lisa said. “I would definitely recommend this team approach. When I walked in I had no idea my pain had to do with my diabetes. Now, I don’t have any pain ---- it’s like a complete miracle. And I’m not on pain medicine anymore.”
