Man receives region's first spinal cord stimulator implant

Jeffrey Hardick remembers the day his life changed in 2001.

"I was lifting sheet metal, and I got a pain in the back there, so they took me to the hospital, and I got an injection," recalled Hardick, of Bangor, Northampton Co.

Over the years, the pain got worse. Hardick underwent numerous surgeries on his back and spine. Then, in 2009 - déjà vu. But much worse this time.

"I lifted a piece of sheet metal, and my back popped," Hardick said. "I passed out. I was down to the ground."

That's when life became unbearable. Hardick was told there was nothing that could be done to alleviate his excruciating back pain. He popped pain pills and fell into a deep depression.

"I was up to 270 pills a month," said Hardick. "I had to stay in bed all day, and I would just stare at the ceiling."

Jeffrey's wife, Terri, and daughter, Nicole, also suffered. The family used to walk and hike together. Hardick thought those days were gone forever, until a friend told the family about neurostimulation surgery.

During the procedure, an electrode is implanted in the patient’s back near the source of the nerve pain. A movement sensor is put under the skin of the buttock.  The implanted electrode creates electrical impulses that block the transmission of pain from the nerve endings before the pain impulse reaches the brain. 

The technology has been around for years, but it's been improved recently to adjust automatically to a patient's movements and needs.

The newest implant was approved by the FDA last November. St. Luke's Hospital was one of 13 sites selected throughout the country to receive the first devices immediately afterward. Hardick had his surgery a month later.

"As soon as they turned it on, it was like a light switch," said Hardick, who is now off his pain pills, feeling great and making up for lost time.

"I honestly can say I had a Christmas miracle," Hardick said.