Reclaiming quality of life

After 40 years of teaching, Larry was happily living aboard a sailboat, enjoying his retirement. He went on daily walks amidst seagulls and the ocean drift, until one morning, he woke up with pain in his lower back. The pain quickly moved into his leg and progressed to the point where it was difficult for him to move around or stand up. To avoid excruciating pain, he even had to rig up lines to pull himself out of bed.

The presenting situation and solution
Over the next couple of months, Larry saw five different healthcare experts, including his family doctor, physical therapist, and hip and back specialists. None of them ever spent more than ten minutes with him. They couldn’t offer a diagnosis or treatment to alleviate his suffering, which got so bad that he had to move in with his sister. Feeling as though he had run into a dead-end, Larry was becoming resigned to the reality that he would likely have to abandon his plans for many of the things he had planned for his retirement… until his sister told him about PHM.

Larry met with one of our doctors, Dr. Simon, who did a complete hour-long exam. Dr. Simon found what he thought to be the culprit – a spasm on one of Larry’s neck muscles that was connected to a group of nerves further down the spine. A diagnostic anesthetic epidural shot confirmed Dr. Simon’s hypothesis that the issue was in the L4 and L5 vertebrae, the two lowest vertebrae in the spine. The shot offered Larry instant relief, bringing him to tears. For the first time in a year, the pain was gone.

Dr. Simon came up with a clear plan of action that holistically addressed the complex hip, arthritis, and cervical symptoms Larry was experiencing, which Larry’s PHM Personal Care Team then jumped into gear to implement. We lined up one of the best back surgeons in Los Angeles to operate and fast-tracked his surgery. Our team expedited Larry’s imaging, preliminary appointments and workups, and diagnostics.

Larry’s surgery was successful, and today, Larry remains pain free and back to life on his boat. Given his trust in PHM, Larry chose to become a member of our ClearImpact service where his team continues to monitor, guide, and support his overall health and well-being as he enjoys his retirement.

Human connection
Larry came to us when he was running out of hope. When you are in pain, it is hard to process all the information being thrown at you and make decisions about your health. Given the constraints of the health system, doctors often have very little time to offer comprehensive support or make a connection with their patients. Among the recommendations for Larry were “radio frequency ablation to burn your nerve endings off,” and “hip replacement”. Without a trusted guide, he was overwhelmed.

PHM changed all that. Larry experienced true human connection. He knew he could count on us at any hour of the day or night. He had the peace of mind that he was receiving expert collaborative care. Larry was given the clear information, expertise, and emotional support he needed to make the right decisions to restore and preserve his quality of life.