CFPM: Helping Diabetic Patients Manage Their Pain
By: Lauri Revilla
Harold Rodriguez was struggling to raise his children as a single parent when he began suffering from debilitating pain in his calve. At first he thought it was just a spider bite but when weeks went by and he couldn’t get out of bed, he decided it was time to go see the doctor. His physician informed him that he was suffering from a diabetic neuropathy and referred him to Dr. Chowdhury at Center for Pain Management, where he was able to get relief from his suffering.
“My pain was extreme. I had to be hospitalized for the pain – I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies,” recalls Mr. Rodriguez. His nightmare ended when he started receiving pain medication and spinal injections from Dr. Chowdhury and the team at Center for Pain Management. Harold says he will always be grateful for their patience, understanding and comforting care. “I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Sometimes I feel like I’m the annoying old man, but they never make feel that way. They are really understanding and know what I’m going through,” says Rodriguez.
Like Harold Rodriguez, over 15-18 million Americans suffer from diabetic neuropathies, according to The Neuropathy Association. “Diabetic neuropathy is an abnormal effect of the nervous system, mostly peripheral nerve fibers with the possible exception of the brain,” explains Dr. Tajul Chowdhury, M.D. “It is a major cause of morbidity for uncontrolled diabetes.” This chronic condition affects an individual’s day-to-day functionality and can lead to depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, impaired concentration and sleep difficulties. “The most common picture is that of peripheral neuropathy,” explains Dr. Chowdhury. “It is usually bilateral at the limbs in the stocking/glove areas and the symptoms include burning, lancinating pain that is worse at night with numbness, paraesthesia and hyperesthesia.”
Center for Pain Management offers one of the most innovative technologies in the field to diagnose and treat diabetic neuropathies. The SUDOSCAN device is a new test that evaluates sweat gland function through galvanic skin response in less than three minutes. With the use of this tool, the team at Center for Pain Management can detect what kind of neuropathy is causing the patient’s pain so that treatment can be tailored to his or her particular condition. The treatments involved are to control diabetes, increase circulation to the limbs, neuropathic drugs, sympathetic nerve block, injectable vitamins and possible neurostimulators.
Dr. Tajul Chowdhury established the Center for Pain Management to offer cutting-edge procedures for pain management in the Rio Grande Valley. After receiving his M.B.B.S. from Rajshahi Medical College in Bangladesh, Chowdhury received additional training at Boston University and Havard Medical School and completed a year of general surgery training at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has over 30 years of experience in anesthesia and over 20 years in the subspecialty of comprehensive and interventional pain. He established Center for Pain Management – a freestanding interdisciplinary outpatient pain management facility in the Rio Grande Valley in 1994. The clinic has been helping patients suffering from post-surgical pain, herniated disks, work-related injuries, headaches, cancer pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetic neuropathies, failed back surgeries and shingles ever since.
The staff at Center for Pain Management understands that their patients are going through a great deal of suffering. Patients come to the center because of their compassionate attitude, as much as for their effective treatments. Obtaining relieve from their pain can be life changing for most individuals. “I will forever be grateful to Center for Pain Management,” says Harold Rodriguez. “Just being able to get out of bed and take my four year old son to school by the hand is life changing for me.”
If you would like more information about Center for Pain Management visit http://cfpm.net or call: 956-631-9041.
