Medical Moment: A new treatment for diabetic neuropathy - WNDU

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - November is National Diabetes Awareness Month! 37,000,000 Americans person diabetes - a information wherever your assemblage doesn’t marque insulin, oregon doesn’t usage it well.

50 to 70 percent of radical with diabetes besides conflict with a superior information called “diabetic neuropathy.” Diabetic neuropathy is nervus harm that causes numbness and symptom successful the legs and feet.

Now, a caller attraction uses stimulation to dainty it.

Alice Ortiz calls herself a metropolis miss turned country. But surviving connected a 10-acre workplace and keeping up with cows, goats, and chickens has been pugnacious for the past six years.

Alice has diabetic neuropathy.

“It started with like, tingling and a small spot of burning and numbness,” Ortiz recalled.

But the symptom got worse. Much worse. Making it hard to adjacent beryllium connected her feet.

“Diabetic neuropathy took implicit my life. I mean, surviving with symptom 24/7 is not, it’s not easy,” Ortiz explained.

Ortiz was treated with medication. She tried Gabapentin. She tried Cymbalta. She tried Lyrica. None of them worked for her.

“Unfortunately, until recently, determination truly was nary adjacent step,” said William Raoofi, MD, a symptom absorption specializer astatine Mercy Medical Center.

Now, a attraction that is recently approved for diabetic neuropathy is bringing relief!

“I picture it as, benignant of, like, a cardiac pacemaker, but for the nervous,” said Dr. Raoofi.

It’s called the Nevro HFX, a spinal cord stimulator that transmits mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord.

“It’s done done a precise tiny needle that’s enactment successful someone’s back, akin to an epidural,” Dr. Raoofi said.

The instrumentality is connected to a pulse generator that sends the electrical existent to the spine.

“It was similar a airy switch,” Ortiz said. “The symptom wholly went away.”

Now, Alice is capable to abrogation and cruise with her family, and finally, tin get into her imagination ride.

“I ain a Jeep. I thrust it each the time. And that was connected my bucket list. There’s thing retired determination that I cannot do,” Ortiz finished.

Spinal cord stimulation has been approved for different conditions similar backmost pain, but has lone been approved for a twelvemonth for diabetic neuropathy.

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