Lowell – For a year and a half after fracturing her back in September 2021, 85-year-old Beverly Parsons of Maynard endured debilitating pain that became so severe it impacted her appetite and caused her to lose 25 pounds. Misdiagnosed with a muscle strain despite CT and MRI scans by two different physicians, Parsons all but lost hope.
“They just saw an old woman, but she has always been very active and fit,” Acton resident Beverly Mills-Wheeler said proudly of her mother, a registered nurse who cared for geriatric home care patients into her 80s. In fact, Parsons suffered her low back injury while caring for her 98-year-old husband, retired Dedham District Court officer Trevor Parsons, who passed away just a few weeks later.
“The doctors were just not hearing her,” Mills-Wheeler added, noting that her mother declined a prescription for an opiate medication when steroid treatment failed. “She used to love to walk, but all she could do was lay on ice packs 75 percent of the day – and when she did walk, she was very unstable. She became very depressed and cried every day.”
Ultimately, Mills-Wheeler made an appointment in November 2021 for Parsons to be evaluated by her own orthopedist. This fortuitous decision led to a referral and successful treatment by the Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital team of spine surgeon Anna Terry, MD, MPH, pain management specialist Alexandra Adler, MD and interventional radiologist Gregg Franco, MD.
On December 24, 2021, Dr. Terry treated the painful compression fractures in Parsons’s spine by performing kyphoplasty – the surgical filling of injured vertebra to restore its shape and relieve pain – at Lowell General Hospital. For the next year, Dr. Adler administered a series of lumbar facet joint injections at Lowell General Hospital’s Pain Management Center to improve her spine motion.
Hoping to eradicate Parsons’s greatly lessened though persistent pain once and for all, Dr. Adler collaborated with Dr. Franco who determined she was an ideal candidate for the new Intracept® Procedure. This innovative approach provides relief for patients suffering from vertebrogenic pain, a distinct type of chronic low back pain which is often made worse by physical activity, prolonged sitting, bending and lifting.
In April, Parsons underwent the Intracept Procedure which targets the basivertebral nerve with radiofrequency energy to prevent it from transmitting pain signals to the brain. The minimally invasive, outpatient procedure, which generally lasts an hour while the patient is under anesthesia, is implant-free, thus preserving the structure of the spine.
“Not only is the procedure proven to be safe and durable, but it enables patients to live without pain and without narcotics,” Dr. Franco said. “I really enjoy collaborating with colleagues and introducing new treatment options for patients so they can get back to living without the burden of chronic pain. Beverly’s improvement has been remarkable, which is rewarding for me personally and very exciting for all of us.”
Mills-Wheeler said her mother, who walked out of the hospital three hours after the procedure, is “thrilled with the results.”
“She went from being totally debilitated to having her life back,” said Mills-Wheeler, noting that Parsons recently traveled two hours in the car, climbed stairs, sat through her grandson’s graduation ceremony and then walked with confidence across sand to join in family photos at a nearby beach. In addition, Parsons has resumed driving, shopping and social activities at her over-55 residence, and she is planning to visit her native Nova Scotia this summer for the first time in 25 years. Perhaps most significantly, Parsons’s physician supported her in stopping an antidepressant.
“I almost don’t recognize her. She’s making up for lost time and looking forward,” Mills-Wheeler said while complimenting the entire caregiving team at Lowell General Hospital. “I have my mom back. Our entire family is very grateful.”
