Patient of the Month

Sylvia Beachy

Pain should not be a way of life. But for Austin native Sylvia Beachy, life was just that – a seemingly never-ending battle to manage the pain in her neck and back. She began having chronic lumbar pain in her late 20s and simply “lived with it” for years before opting for surgery.

Sylvia underwent years of physical therapy coupled with injections, massage therapy and pain management, and she remained as active as possible – walking, swimming and hiking – all in an attempt to mitigate the pain. While Sylvia campaigned for lower back surgery for years with doctors in Austin, none of them felt she would benefit much from surgery. Desperate, she heeded the advice of a friend and, in 2004, trekked to Plano to see Dr. Rey Bosita at the Texas Back Institute.

Dr. Bosita in clinic.

“I immediately got the feeling this doctor truly cared about me and respected what I was going through,” said Sylvia.

Sylvia was ultimately diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis in 2004. The next year, 2005, brought new diagnoses with C5-6 and C-6-7 internal disc derangement, and 2006 saw cervical radicular syndrome (radicular pain) with pseudoarthritis in C5-6. Sylvia admitted she wasn’t happy with results of a previous surgery, and Dr. Bosita recommended treatment that ultimately alleviated her pain and corrected many of the issues with her neck.

“Nobody stepped up the plate until I met Dr. Bosita ,” said Sylvia. “He handled my case straight up and, as a courtesy, suggested I have my neck x-rayed while there even though my appointment was for my lumbar spine and booking surgery for the decompression. I was very happy I didn’t have to beg and convince him to check my neck. It sure paid off given what he found out that day from the x-rays.”

After years of doctors’ visits, constant pain and multiple surgeries, Sylvia is now excited about life and thrilled with her experience at Texas Back Institute. Despite undergoing several surgeries with Dr. Bosita, she enthusiastically says it was all worth it. “Dr. Bosita and I worked as a team, and I’m amazed at the range of motion I have for a neck even with a triple fusion!”

Here is Sylvia with her dog, Colt, a St. Bernard/Huskie mix that weighs 75lbs,  is super strong and very protective of her.

While Sylvia is delighted with her own results, she’s also impressed with how Texas Back Institute treats each and every patient. “Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for Dr. Bosita. The due diligence TBI does before sending anyone into surgery is extensive,” she said. “TBI learns as much as they can about you as an individual patient. It’s all for your health, your benefit, and your success.”