Denys Kendall….Back to Feeling Like a Person!
Denys Kendall never thought he would need spine surgery. He was jumping out of airplanes, serving his country in Iraq and living the life of a true adrenaline junkie. Denys served in the Army for 4 years, starting off in Special Forces and eventually moving into the First Cavalry at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX.
Unfortunately for Denys, while receiving a series of vaccines to protect him from contracting anthrax, he developed a severe staph infection. The infection settled in his hip eventually eating away at the sacroiliac joint and the lower area of his lumbar spine. During the removal of an abscess, by surgeons outside of Texas Back Institute (TBI), one of his nerves was severed causing pain and weakness in his leg.
Denys’s pain got to a point where he knew he needed to seek attention from an expert and he began seeing Dr. James Cable, a pain management specialist at the Texas Back Institute to help determine what treatment options were available for his specific condition. After performing a physical evaluation and reviewing Mr. Kendall’s case Dr. Cable referred him to his colleague Dr. Ralph Rashbaum, co-founder and orthopedic spine surgeon at the Texas Back Institute specialized in chronic pain management and interventional pain management.
Dr. Rashbaum and Denys discussed the possible treatment options and determined a spinal cord stimulator was going to give him the best possible results. Luckily for Denys, the FDA had just approved the use of a new stimulator device that automatically adjusts to movements in his posture, making it virtually effortless to use.
Dr. Rashbaum recalls, “Denys came to Texas Back Institute with unrelenting pain radiating down his leg. He was the perfect candidate for the RestoreSensor because he is a very active gentleman and the sensor works well for people with active lifestyles.”
The decision to undergo the spinal cord stimulator implant was not an easy one for Denys, however, after doing his own research and his trust in Dr. Rashbaum Denys moved forward with the procedure. “Dr. Rashbaum was very straightforward with me, and I love that,” said Denys. “He gave me realistic expectations but he was very confident this was going to be a life changer. Since my procedure the device has been doing its job like a champ.”
When asked what he most looks forward to doing now that his back pain is under control Denys states, “to me, it’s not so much about what activity, it’s about getting a life back! I can be a person again and that for me is invaluable. Dr. Rashbaum is a savior! He saved me.”