M Health Fairview expands care for chronic pain to Lakes Medical Center
Olivia Hall, 26, a mortuary science student, says that when she sees suicide listed as someone’s cause of death, it’s often followed up with a note that reads “suicide due to chronic pain.” Hall knows firsthand how excruciating and debilitating chronic pain can be and why it’s known as the “suicide disease.”
In 2021, a surgeon nicked a nerve, causing irreparable muscle and tendon damage in Hall's right arm. For two years, Hall couldn’t use her arm and was in and out of the hospital for pain control. She was prescribed opioids, pain medication that’s known to be highly addictive, and had multiple spinal cord stimulator devices implanted to block pain signals, but the pain persisted. Hall’s physical and mental health diminished as she felt like she was running out of options for pain relief.
Hall sought medical care for pain flares in emergency departments. Some healthcare providers increased her opioid medications while others told her that she was “too high” and abusing the medications.
“Chronic pain can cause some people to overdose on their own medication because they’re trying so hard to not be in pain,” Hall said.
Persistent pain that lasts 12 weeks or more, often even after the underlying cause of pain has been treated, is considered chronic pain. It can affect any part of the body and can be constant or flare up, as Hall’s did. Chronic pain isn’t a health condition that doctors can test for, measure, or see on an X-ray.
Care for chronic pain
Everything changed for Hall when she met Cody Tidwell, MD, an anesthesiologist and pain management expert with M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Medical School. Tidwell was determined to help Hall find a long-lasting solution to her pain.
By the time people get to Tidwell, they have often had their pain dismissed by loved ones or healthcare providers who aren’t specialized in treating pain they can’t see. It’s important to Tidwell that his patients know that he believes them and their experiences.
He said that pain can start small but quickly spiral into something that touches all areas of your life.
“Let’s say you twist your ankle, for the next few days, you’ll be favoring your other side,” Tidwell said. “Then maybe that hip starts to hurt, so you start using a cane and now your shoulder hurts, so you take time off work. Now it’s harder to go out with your family or pay the rent.”
To expand access to care for people north of the Twin Cities, Tidwell recently brought pain management care to Wyoming, Minnesota. He runs the pain clinic out of M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center.
Tidwell encourages people experiencing chronic pain to ask their primary care providers for a referral to an M Health Fairview Pain Clinic.
Pain management experts can help with a treatment plan that works for your body. With Tidwell’s help, Hall came off most of her medications and had a spinal block, which is a medication injected into the body to temporarily block pain signals. Hall said the block gave her instant relief.
“It's super quick in and out,” Tidwell said of the procedure. “The patient gets two to three months of pain relief. Sometimes it's a one-and-done thing that can get people over the hump, so they can start doing physical therapy and then PT is all they need.”
Other times, people come back every eight weeks or so for another injection. For most people, the treatment plan includes movement. Sometimes blocking your pain allows you to move.
“I help you get back into that normal motion of life,” Tidwell said. “A lot of times, if you can maintain that, most things will take care of themselves.”
Physical therapists can also help with pain-free movement, but physical therapists have different specialties. Some might focus on helping you get stronger or run faster. Tidwell refers his patients to physical therapists who specialize in pain management.
Hall says if she can help even one person like Tidwell’s advocacy helped her, then she’ll be happy. She hopes to start a support group for other survivors, specifically women, and get in front of medical residents to emphasize that despite chronic pain being physically invisible, people who deal with it should have their voices heard and believed.
“It's OK to advocate for yourself, and it's OK to be frustrated, and it's OK to have a bad day,” Tidwell said. “I think people need to hear that you are allowed to have a bad day, but don't let that keep you down. Let tomorrow be a better day.”
