37.3 million Americans – about 1 in 10 – have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1 The chronic disease can take a severe toll on an individual’s quality of life, affecting their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Some people with diabetes also suffer from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a deliberating and progressive neurological disorder that affects approximately 30% of the diabetes patient population.2 DPN can be caused when high blood sugar (glucose) damages nerves, most often in the legs and feet, leading to chronic numbness and burning or stabbing pain.

Dr. Silky Patel, an interventional spine, sports and pain management physician in Houston, will be available to discuss the impact of DPN and the latest innovative way to treat the condition. Ms. Farrah Stewart, a patient of Dr. Patel’s with painful DPN and a spinal cord stimulator, will join in the conversation to share her experience and the impact spinal cord stimulation has made in her life.

Conventional medical approaches, such as compression socks, topical creams, and prescription medications, do not always resolve DPN symptoms. But there is hope for these patients. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been FDA approved as a therapy for treatment of painful DPN of the lower extremities. A National Institutes of Health review finds that spinal cord stimulation for painful DPN is an effective and safe option for treatment.3

SCS is a proven long-term and effective therapy for managing chronic pain.4,5
• A spinal cord stimulator is an implantable medical device that works by disrupting the pain signals traveling between the spinal cord and the brain.
• Patients with DPN are 17 times more likely to experience significant pain relief if treated with SCS compared to conventional treatment.6,7,8
• 86% of patients experienced treatment success after receiving SCS therapy for one year.9
• SCS can offer proven long-term therapy for managing chronic pain, with the majority of patients experiencing meaningful pain relief through five years of treatment using the device.9
Interview is courtesy: Medtronic

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Facts, Stats, and Impacts of Diabetes. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/diabetes-facts-stats.html
2. Sloan G, Alam, U, Selvarajah D, Tesfaye S. The Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy. Current Diabetes Reviews. July 2021
3. Henson JV, Varhabhatla NC, Bebic Z, Kaye AD, Yong RJ, Urman RD, Merkow JS. Spinal Cord Stimulation for Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review. Pain Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):895-908. doi: 10.1007/s40122-021-00282-9. Epub 2021 Jul 10. PMID: 34244979; PMCID: PMC8586096.
4. Kumar K, Taylor RS, Jacques L, et al. The effects of spinal cord stimulation in neuropathic pain are sustained: a 24-month follow-up of the prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial of the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation. Neurosurgery. 2008;63(4):762-770. Discussion: 770.
5. Kemler MA, de Vet HC, Barendse GA, van den Wildenberg FA, van Kleef M. Effect of spinal cord stimulation for chronic complex regional pain syndrome type 1: five-year final follow-up of patients in a randomized controlled trial. J Neurosurg. 2008;108(2):292-298.
6. Medtronic. Medtronic Pain Therapy Clinical Summary M221494A016 Rev B. United States; 2022
7. de Vos CC, Meier K, Zaalberg PB, et al. Spinal cord stimulation in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy: a multicentre randomized clinical trial. Pain. 2014 Nov;155(11):2426-31.
8. Slangen R, Schaper N, Faber C, et al. Spinal Cord Stimulation and Pain Relief in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Prospective Two-Center Randomized Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care. 2014;37:3016-3024.
9. Van Beek M, Geurts J, Slangen R, et al. Severity of Neuropathy Is Associated With Long-term Spinal Cord Stimulation Outcome in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Five-Year Follow-up of a Prospective Two-Center Clinical Trial. Diabetes Care. 2018;41:32–38.

#dpn #diabetes #diabetesawarenessmonth #diabetic #pain #silkypatel #farrahstewart #painmanagement

The post November Is Diabetes Awareness Month LEARN ABOUT AN INNOVATIVE OPTION FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS TO CONTROL DEBILATING PAIN appeared first on Good News!.

Many people believe that once cancer treatment ends, life goes back to normal. For cancer survivors, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

That’s why a series called Survivorship Today : What It’s Like to Live with Cancer was created to share stories of people across the country who have been affected by cancer and advance our collective understanding of what it’s like to live with the disease today. The series helps bring attention to their personal triumphs and challenges, because with greater understanding, we can inspire more action and better support.

When AJ was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, he was told he only had a few years to live. Now, seven years later, he has joined Survivorship Today to share the physical and emotional challenges he still experiences even after treatment has ended.

AJ still experiences limited use of his right arm and hand, reduced sensation in his right leg that impacts his gait, fatigue and other issues that can make everyday tasks difficult to perform. As a lung cancer survivor, he faces even greater challenges in the height of COVID-19. Research has shown the virus is associated with a high burden of severity in patients with lung cancer, and AJ finds he is once again feeling isolated and his family needs to take extra precautions.

He also used to be fixated on making it from one milestone to the next, but soon realized those feelings were stealing not only his happiness, but also the happiness of those around him. Today, AJ tries to live each moment in the present, being fully immersed in what he’s doing. He practices daily meditation, listens more and says his relationships have become stronger than ever.

There are nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the U.S. today, and thanks to advances in research, that number is expected to increase to 26 million by 2040. Despite this progress, research is only beginning to understand how cancer impacts us over time.

Joining AJ is Shelley Fuld Nasso, CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivors (NCCS), who can discuss NCCS’ 2020 State of Cancer Survivorship survey and ways to better support survivorship needs, particularly during the time of COVID-19.

AJ and Shelley discuss why they got involved in Survivorship Today, and what they want others to know about life with cancer today.
Interview courtesy: Bristol Myers Squibb
Survivorship Today is a series by Bristol Myers Squibb

The post SURVIVORSHIP TODAY SERIES EXPLORES REALITIES OF LIFE WITH CANCER IN 2020 appeared first on Good News!.