I will be posting a series entitled "Transition from Employees t to Patients- A Testament to our Success."  Our employees strongly believe in what we do and this is evident in the fact that they are confident in placing their health and their family members' care in our hands. As CEO, I take great pride in this fact. For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, there is at least one thing that you should know about me by now - I like to share stories. So, from time to time, I will post testimonials from employees who have undergone an LSI procedure. Today's post is from Luz Riviera, Patient Relations Coordinator at LSI.


Luz's Story

"I know how it feels to live your life on the sidelines because the pain is too much to bear. But, for every day that now passes I know that there is hope. I know there is true help out there. LSI will always be a blessing in my life! They have given me my life back and that is a priceless gift!"

My name is Luz Rivera. At 37 years old, I have suffered from back and neck pain for as long as I can remember. I have been to every doctor, given every treatment a person could go through, but nothing ever took the pain away. I have taken heavy medication and injections to help take the edge off the pain. I tried sleeping but the pain was so bad at times I was not sure how to position my body in order to sleep. Most times, I woke up feeling as if I had not slept at all.
 
The pain at its worst felt as if weights had been placed on my head and shoulders and I felt as if the bones in my lower back were scraping against each other. I could barely hold anything without dropping it. I found it difficult to comb my daughter's hair. Getting up from a chair, getting out of bed, lifting my arms or legs would cause pain. If I tried stretching or straightening my back, the pain would shoot down my legs and up my back. At times, my hands and toes would go numb. To make matters worse, I had constant headaches. Frequently, I would have to stand and hold myself up for a few seconds before taking a step. There was not a day that went by that I was not in pain. I was physically exhausted, angry, and frustrated at not being able to get relief.  Eventually, I became extremely depressed; it all felt hopeless.

Since I was not responding favorably to any of the treatments that had been prescribed, I was told I had two options:  fusion or "learning how to deal with pain." I had already been to pain management countless times, but in my mind, anything was better than a fusion. I was sent to a rehabilitation center in Santurce, PR. where I learned to do stretches and exercises while being weaned off of the heavy medications. I felt the most relief when the therapists would grab me and pull in opposite directions. I felt like a pretzel, but the pressure was off of my neck and lower back... it was seconds of ecstasy. While at the center, I spoke to others who had just had open back surgery (fusion) and I was very happy that I had not gone through the process.
 
In 2005, I relocated to Tampa, Florida and I discovered the Laser Spine Institute in early 2007, where I later applied for a position. My first impression was how wonderful and friendly the employees were. I silently observed everything around me and I could not believe how everyone went about his or her day to day duties. Did they not understand the impact they were having on others? As The Patient Relations Coordinator, I saw people before surgery, some of them not being able to stand and then witnessed them walk through the door after surgery. After seeing and speaking with so many patients who had successful surgeries, I decided to have the two procedures that had been recommended. I thank God every day for helping me find LSI and putting them in my path. He truly does work in mysterious ways. I had my surgeries, cervical and lumbar in August of 2008 and I have been pain free since then.
 
Now that I look back, my life is so different.  I can sleep through the night. When I wake up I feel rested and refreshed. I go to work, run errands, dance and do not have to make excuses for not having enough energy to get through the day. I no longer take pain killers of any kind. I have no more headaches and I can stretch just like everyone else. I get emotional when I remember all of the wasted years of  being in pain, being in a bad mood, being depressed, taking everything and anything just to be able to get some relief, not being able to sleep without being uncomfortable and in pain. What I regret most is the fact that my children suffered with me during that time. They are now teenagers 14, 16 and 20 years old, but back then all they knew was that mommy was sick.

I can't make up the past, but I can live the future pain free. Bill Horne, Trey Traviesa and the staff at LSI are warm, compassionate and loving people. They truly do care and understand what life with pain is like. I know that there are many people out there being told they must submit to invasive procedures or risk having to deal with pain. I know how it feels to live your life on the sidelines because the pain is too much to bear. But, for every day that now passes I know that there is hope. I know there is true help out there. LSI will always be a blessing in my life! They have given me my life back and that is a priceless gift!

John A. Polikandriotis is the Director of Business Strategy and Research at LSI. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from North Central College, Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Ohio State University and MBA in Healthcare and Administration from Georgia State University.  John's extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience, combined with his strong work ethic and unyielding commitment to developing and executing quality research are instrumental  in achieving our goals of developing valid and reliable measures of patient outcomes and optimizing same.
 
His primary responsibilities at LSI include: -
 
•    Designing, implementing, collecting, and analyzing of patient outcomes data to support    generation of publications and presentations.

•    Using scientific research methods to assist all functions of the company in identifying means of expansion, attaining improvement, and optimization of performance.

Today, he will address the question:- Why hasn't LSI published medical research?
 
 
Since opening its doors in 2005, LSI has performed over 9,000 procedures.  Using this large patient population, LSI is currently taking the steps required to track and ultimately publish our outcomes in top-tier peer-reviewed medical journals. The protocol that LSI currently uses to monitor outcomes is as follows:-

1.    A baseline score is established. Before surgery,  
       patients are asked to fill out a survey that provides LSI
       with a pain score, a disability score and general health
       scores.
 
2.    2 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after surgery, patients are
       contacted and asked to fill out the same survey questions.

3.    With both sets of data, LSI can quantify improvements in pain, disability and general
       health, as well as monitor the time frame in which the patient was able to return to work
       and/or daily activities.

While we have performed many procedures, it takes time to collect enough data to meet the stringent and extensive requirements needed for a study to be accepted and published into a top-tier medical journal.  Two of the main categories are described below.

The number of patients studied

• The quality and significance of a research study largely depends upon the number of   patients in the study.  We believe that presenting data on a large number of patients is far more relevant than presenting data on a small number of patients.

Outcomes

•  Long term outcomes - We believe that there is greater significance in presenting outcomes of patients months and years after surgery, rather than weeks.

• Measuring proper outcomes - Outcomes that are measured should be important not only to the medical community, but also to patients. These include disability and pain improvements, quality of life improvements, time to return to work or daily activities and complications.

Publishing our ground breaking outcomes in top-tier peer-reviewed medical literature is a goal that LSI is working towards achieving in Q4 2009, since by that time we will have accumulated sufficient data.

Last week, I visited Arizona to celebrate the opening of our Scottsdale facility. While there, I had the opportunity to spend some time with professional athlete, Peter Jacobsen.  As I watched him interact with fans, I began to think about the celebrity culture in this country and the dynamics of the relationship between celebrities and fans.  Despite the fact that not all celebrities are arrogant, a number of persons are of the view that they are a bunch that could care less about their fans. You've probably seen or heard about celebrities who tend to become annoyed when you ask them for an autograph.  Such response is usually not well received. So, many times we seem to like to talk about celebrities in a negative light and fewer stories of good deeds are spread.  It probably has something to do with our culture. We just love watching a good train wreck, like a Nascar crash or a hockey fight!
 
So, I couldn't resist the opportunity to spread the good word about my friend, Peter Jacobsen, who is more like the guy next door than a celebrity. Peter is a true gentleman, always making time for autograph seekers, greets them with a friendly smile and a warm hug, and is happy to pose for a picture. When you observe him, it is evident that his actions are genuine, never faked because he knows if it were not for these adoring fans, he wouldn't be able to do what he loves for a living. I've never seen any professional athlete or celebrity come close to Peter when it comes to the way he relates to his fans.  What I find equally amazing is how much his real life persona matches his TV persona. 

Some of you may know that Peter is the LSI spokesperson. He had back surgery at LSI and only 10 days after surgery, he was in the lead at the Toshiba Classic, and later won the 2008 Wendy's Champions Skins Game. Since that time, hundreds of people have contacted his company to find out where he had back surgery. Many have been surprised to receive a call from Peter to wish them well and tell them about his experience at LSI. His warm and friendly personality makes him approachable and we are happy to have him as our spokesperson.

Regardless of what walk of life we come from, we all look to others for guidance; athletes are no different.  Peter is truly a model example on how to treat fans and I encourage emerging professional athletes to take a page out of Peter's book. Remember the old saying, "Be like Mike," I say, be like Peter.

By most standards, 2008 was a challenging year. So many bubbles were burst, and it's hard to say which was the worst. Unemployment rates climbed rapidly as businesses downsized or seized operations. Real estate lost tremendous value and homes were foreclosed at a record pace. Banks failed at alarming rates and Wall Street watched the stock market lose 40% of its value.
 
I read recently that the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein scolded one of his executives during one of the market's worst weeks. The executive said, "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Blankfein responded, "Let's put this into perspective. You are getting out of a Mercedes, walking into the Federal Reserve to get a bailout. You are not in a Higgins boat landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy." In the midst of this crisis, we're told that it's likely to get worse before it gets better.
 
So, it is natural to wonder where in the world is the good news?

The good news is that we are alive and living in the greatest country in the world. This past weekend, I watched the news as the Israeli army began its ground assault on the Gaza Strip and I thought, oh no, here we go again! Why do they have to do that now? Then I heard reports that Hamas had been launching missile after missile, sometimes as many as 60 per day into Israel.  I thought, what in the world would it be like to live under constant attack? I couldn't fathom being in the midst of such violence and turmoil. At that moment, the fact that we are so lucky to live in this country was reinforced.

Though I know times are really tough, I also know that in order to maintain our sanity, we have to find a silver lining somewhere. So, my suggestion to you is this - if you have your family and your health, you can get through all the rest.  We have demonstrated our resilience time and time again, both individually and collectively and I genuinely believe that we will bounce back, as long as we pay attention to the lessons that we learned from this experience. As we face the current economic crisis and brace ourselves for the future, I also suggest implementing simple things in your lives for relaxation.

For me, music is a source of comfort and offers a break from life's harsh realities. I especially love Joe Cocker's music because it is unique, passionate, and gives me hope that maybe one day, even I could be a musician. One of my favorite songs is "I Can Stand a Little Rain." If you haven't heard it, you can listen to it for free at Rhapsody.com. This particular song will remind you that whenever you think you can't go on, "you've made it before; you can make it some more."

Today, I encourage you, don't give up hope! So many patients have told me that when they heard about LSI, it gave them hope and when they came here for surgery, we gave them their lives back. So, please recognize and cherish the things that you have and keep looking for that silver lining.

I would like to thank everyone who has commented on my posts and shared their experience. In previous posts, I have mentioned how much I like to hear stories. They are important to me for several reasons, two of which I will share with you.
 
First, having suffered from pain, I like to share my personal story with others who have had a similar experience. It is both therapeutic and enlightening, as I am sure that many of you know. Second, as the CEO, hearing stories keeps me attuned to our patients and renders personal meaning to the work of the LSI team. Many of us can relate to a father, mother, or child in severe pain and how it affects their family and life in general. While each story is unique, the common threads of pain, frustration, hope, success and victory often run through all of them; the difference often lies in the order in which they occur.

Several people have told their stories in LSI's monthly newsletter, the Spinal Column.  From time to time, I will post links to some of these these heart-warming stories, which capture patients' journeys from pain to recovery. This month's issue features Barbara Warren, who traveled from the desert city of Peoria, Arizona to the shores of Tampa, Florida to find relief from years of excruciating pain. To read Barbara's amazing story and other interesting articles in this month's issue of the Spinal Column, please click here.