metro
BI
ANNIVERS ARY
OFFER
Pain Goes Rogue
PRIVATE
FULL ,BAR
DINING
FULLSERVICE
CATERING
Room
A mother chronicles her son's battle
with neurological disorder.
VEMBER
I
apt
RECEIVE
RECEIVE
10% Off 10% Off
HOLIDAY-
TRAYS
AVAILABLE
Total Food Bill
Dine-in only. Not valid with
Specials. Not valid with any
other offers. With coupon.
Expires 11/30/12.
(Lamb Chops Included)
Total Food Bill
Dine-in only. Not valid with
Specials. Not valid with any
other offers. With coupon. I
Expires 11/30/12.
I
(Lamb Chops Included)
I
4301 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD • WEST BLOOMFIELD • CROSSWINDS PLAZA
248-538-6000
1796230
With prices so low, you won't believe you can feed your pet such good food so reasonably!
7F AE.5
or a long and healthy life for your pet.
irg
The best grain-free commercial dog and cat food...
Orijen, Wellness Core, Acana to name a few.
Our deli has in-store made treats for dogs and cats.
* Special order birthday bone cakes & treats available.
For the happiest,
healthiest,
longest pet life
possible
-da
ROO DOC MAW
79 W Long Lake Rd
Bloomfield Hills MI 48304
248-341-3731
Like us on Facebook
sae
MAESTROS—
DOG I-IAUS
248-341-3731
Hours Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri 10-6 • Thursday 10-7 • Saturday 9-4
$ 369 ma
2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC
, Sport Sedan
Mercedes-Benz
30 Month Lease
S4163 due at lease signing
2- 7
to
\ • .41
---f, rim
See
RICK ZERNER
419.824.0)1*
tilteha tks-
5570 Monroe St.•Toledo, OH
www.vindevers.com
'Available only to qualified customers through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services at participating dealers through November 30, 2012. Not everyone will qualify. Excludes title,
taxes, registration license fees. Cash due at signing includes 1st month's payment of $369. 25,000 mi./yr. allowed, with $.25/mi. thereafter. No security deposit required. Must
take delivery of vehicle by November 30, 2012. See dealer for complete details. Subject to credit approval. ©2012 Authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealers.
1766170
16
November 15 • 2012
Ruthan Brodsky
Special to the Jewish News
I
t started when their 13-year old
son fell on his tailbone horsing
around with his brother. When
the pain increased over time instead of
dissipating, their professionally train-
ing kicked into gear. Wendy Weckstein,
a physical therapist, and Sander
Weckstein, M.D., an adolescent psychi-
atrist, began searching for a diagnosis
and treatment for their son.
"We were very
motivated;
says Weckstein.
"Watching Devin
suffer from excruciat-
ing pain, we refused to
accept that this could
stop his life even when
the pain made it impos-
sible to spend an entire
day at school. I watched
as our straight-A student
in the gifted program strug-
gled to pass his classes:'
With no success finding a
doctor in the Traverse City area where
they live, the Wecksteins widened
their search. A pediatric orthope-
dic friend in Grand Rapids carefully
examined Devin and said he may have
a neurological disorder known as
Reflux Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD),
also called Complex Regional Pain
Syndrome (CRPS). He recommended a
pain clinic two hours from their home.
At the pain clinic, Devin received
three separate sympathetic spinal
blocks, an invasive surgical procedure.
It provided no pain relief and the
search for a workable treatment began.
This pain syndrome is often under-
diagnosed because few physicians have
experience with CRPS. The situation
is complicated because doctors from
different specialties use different ter-
minology when treating the same dis-
order. Moreover, patients are often told
"it's all in your head" or "the pain isn't
real: leading to frustration for both
patient and families.
Weckstein kept a journal throughout
this experience tracking Devin's experi-
ences and recording family challenges.
Her new book, The Burning Truth
(2012), was written based on her jour-
nal entries.
She will speak at the JCC Jewish
Book Fair during the local author's
event from 10 a.m.-noon Sunday, Nov.
18, at the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield.
"We don't know why this pain takes
place, but most cases are reported after
an injury or trauma; says Sean Conroy,
M.D., medical director of pain medi-
cine for the Beaumont Health System.
"Symptoms include a severe burning
and aching pain that grows worse over
time and the skin becomes blotchy and
red. Some patients respond to early
treatment. Life is debilitating for those
with long-lasting chronic pain.
"There is no cure for the con-
dition, although physical and
occupational therapies are
important to the management
of CRPS," he says.
Wendy Weckstein and
Devin traveled the country
seeking treatment for the
next couple of years. They
encountered some that
were aggressive and dan-
gerous, including low-
dose IV ketamine infu-
sion. Devin responded
to this treatment with
hallucinations, facial paraly-
sis, coordination loss and vomiting.
"It was heart-wrenching to watch
him, and I wondered how much more
he could take before he decided it was
easier to live with his unremitting pain
than undergo such procedures:' says
Weckstein. "Many of the treatments
were controversial, including a pre-
scription for medical marijuana:'
It was serendipity when a friend told
them about a program developed by Dr.
David Sherry at the Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia (CHOP) that encourages
intense physical and occupational thera-
py while working through the pain.
"This was the treatment that gave
renewed life to Devin," Weckstein says.
The program was six hours daily of
painful physical therapy and occupa-
tional therapy with rigorous desensi-
tization until normal movement was
maintained. It also requires patients to
participate in intense home physical
therapy programs.
Devin's pain level was reduced
substantially, but there were bumps
along the way. A flu shot, for example,
initiated another round of high-level
pain. With coaching from the CHOP
program, Devin was able to control and
bring the pain level down.
"My goal is to bring awareness about
this disease:' says Weckstein. "I also
want to prevent others from making
our mistakes. I hope that our son's story
and positive determination will inspire
others to not give up hope:'
❑