Birch Peterson
Birch Peterson attributes much of his success to the clinicians at the Center for Pain Medicine
Birch Peterson, a hard-working father of two from Lunenburg, MA, was left in constant pain after many major surgeries to repair two ruptured discs, remove disc fragments in his spinal column and fuse two vertebrae. But the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine were there to help.
Specialists in the Center for Pain Medicine suggested an implanted neuro-stimulator, which would “confuse the pain signal from my spinal cord to my brain,” Peterson says. “You still have pain, but the pain sensation is changed and you don’t feel it in the same way – it’s more like a tingling or buzzing sensation.”
After spending much of 10 years in bed, Peterson was able to return to working, walking in the woods and canoeing. “The level of care is unparalleled,” he says of the Center. “They don’t and won’t give up. And they are there whenever you need them.”
