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Diane

Take a moment and think about all of the things you do on a regular basis — go to the grocery store, take a walk around the neighborhood, drive your car. Now imagine not being able to do any of those things due to chronic pain. For Diane Phipps, of St. Louis, Mo., that was her reality.

Diane, a multiple myeloma survivor, suffered from chronic back pain for more than a decade. “I was very frustrated that I wasn’t able to exercise and partake in normal physical activity because of my back pain,” says Diane. “I was gaining weight, I was depressed and I felt like I wasn’t living my life to the fullest.” As a 29-year Army veteran, living a stagnant lifestyle was not something she was used to.

After being prescribed countless pain medications and receiving multiple injections that provided no relief, Diane believed she would never overcome her pain. That is, until she met Chris Beuer, MD, a pain management specialist and medical director of the Pain Management Center at Christian Hospital.

The Pain Management Center provides comprehensive services to patients with chronic pain that negatively impacts their quality of life. The treatment options available include advanced methods such as pain pumps, spinal cord stimulators and decompressions, as well as injections and medications. Dr. Beuer most commonly treats pain located in the neck, back, hips and knees, along with post-operative pain and diabetic neuropathy.

“Diane is a typical patient who comes to the Pain Management Center,” says Dr. Beuer. “She went to other clinics, tried various medications and injections and nothing seemed to work.” After conducting an examination of Diane and learning more about her pain, Dr. Beuer decided her best course of treatment was a spinal cord stimulator, which sends a mild electric current to the spinal cord to alleviate pain.

Diane first underwent a six-day trial, where two small wires were implanted into the back through a needle. This 20-minute outpatient procedure lets patients return home the same day. A week later, Diane’s pain was almost completely gone. Due to the success of the trial, Dr. Beuer permanently implanted the stimulator.

Every year, Dr. Beuer implants roughly 100 spinal stimulators. These advanced procedures are proven to be substantially superior to medications, injections and further surgeries. “The issue with many pain medications and injections is that they don’t provide permanent relief, so they’re rarely a solution to long-term, chronic pain,” says Dr. Beuer.

Since having the stimulator implanted, Diane has been able to take back control of her life. “Thanks to the Pain Management Center, I am finally pain free,” says Diane. “I’m enjoying life in a way that I couldn’t before. Now, I’m able to drive, go shopping and volunteer. I was even able to participate in a Veteran’s Day one-mile walk.”

Christian Hospital provides state-of-theart pain relief treatments to local patients in the community.

“I would recommend Dr. Beuer and Christian Hospital’s Pain Management Center because they treat the person rather than just the pain,” says Diane. “I felt like they looked at me as a whole person and not just someone with a bad back. They knew me. I told them about my life, what I’d like to do, what I can’t do, and they came up with a plan that would help me specifically. My physical and emotional health is so much better. I have everything to look forward to and I’m not looking back.”

Valerie

Valerie

As supervisor of social services at the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center, Valerie Valiant, 51, of Florissant, Mo., spends her days empowering individuals and families in the community to overcome barriers. However, it wasn’t until her own hospitalization in the midst of the pandemic that she could personally attest to the high level of care and expertise being offered right here in north St. Louis County.

Lima

Lima

Lima was at a North County coffee shop when she suffered a health episode. She experienced the compassionate and expert care of the Christian Hospital Emergency Medical Services team.

James

James

James and his wife found themselves needing help when they suddenly became guardians for their four grandchildren. Christian Hospital’s Pathway to Health program helped them access care.

Judy

Judy

Every day, Judy Rutledge and her dog walked four to five miles through her pastoral neighborhood in Forestell, Missouri. She had always found great joy in leading an active lifestyle. So when Judy began experiencing severe back pain, she was determined not to let it slow her down.

Ron

Ron

Ron Komlos doesn’t think about lung cancer anymore since a robotic lung lobectomy determined he was cancer free. His mind has been set ever since on enjoying life thanks to the cardiothoracic team at Christian Hospital.

Dwayne

Dwayne

‘Amazing and compassionate staff’ at Christian Hospital care for SLCH employee’s heart.

Diane

Diane

Imagine being not being able to do all of the things you do on a regular basis — go to the grocery store, walk around the neighborhood, drive your car. Chronic pain made that Diane’s reality.

Earl Berry

Earl Berry

"I was a little bit concerned because I didn’t know anybody else that had a valve inside of a valve, but each visit back to Dr. Ray’s office reassured me, as he said it was absolutely doable,” says Earl.

Sherrie

Sherrie

Lifesaving experience changes perception of Christian Hospital.

Cheryl

Cheryl

In July 2021, Cheryl Koch, 74, of Florissant, Mo., was eating at a restaurant when she noticed her food wouldn’t go down. Concerned, she returned home. Her chest was tightening, and her blood pressure was alarmingly high. Her neighbor called 911, and the paramedics told her she needed to go to the emergency room (ER) right away.

Donna

Donna

An Innovative Treatment Bringing Relief for Chronic Knee Pain

Donta

Donta

After experiencing blurred vision at work followed by a restless night’s sleep like nothing he had ever known, along with abdominal pain and “feeling pretty much out of it” – Donta Moore, 34, of Florissant, Missouri, knew along with his wife’s insistence that he needed to get to Christian Hospital.

Steve

Steve

Steve Barnett believes in miracles. He was discharged from Christian Hospital on Dec. 1, 2021, after battling COVID-19 for four months in four different hospitals, including more than six weeks in one of those facilities intubated on a ventilator in a drug induced-coma.

Hamilton

Hamilton

Hamilton Terrell III had been dealing all day with some soreness in his in mouth when he experienced an unexpected surge of pain so intense that he couldn’t speak. He knew he needed to get help fast. 

Chenitra

Chenitra

Chenitra Grimes-Washington returned with family members to thank the team who helped save her life.

Mike

Mike

Mike began feeling very sick late one night and his wife rushed him to nearby Christian Hospital. He credits his care team for saving his life and taking extra steps to find the cause of his illness.

Azizah

Azizah

“I am more than elated and happy that Christian Hospital has changed so much that I would recommend anybody go there,” says Azizah Nuri-El Minnis from Ferguson, Mo., who recently visited the hospital’s Breathing Center.

Vanessa

Vanessa

Caring staff at Christian Hospital eases anxiety.

Robbi

Robbi

GI Patient Finds Lifesaving Diagnosis at Christian Hospital

For nearly six months, Robbi Sanders, 40, of St. Louis, suffered from extreme stomach pain, resulting in dramatic weight loss and the inability to even leave her bed. The hospitals she visited couldn’t determine the cause of Robbi’s pain, prescribing her with antibiotics which provided her with only temporary relief.

Lafayette

Lafayette

Lafayette Gatewood III, 56, of St. Louis, Mo., has been a high school teacher and football coach for 28 years. In July of 2019, Lafayette was on the football field at practice, like he is most days, when he developed a blister on his foot. With a history of diabetes and kidney failure, he became particularly worried when his foot swelled up.

Norma

Norma

Norma’s experience changed everything she had ever thought about Christian Hospital.

Find a doctor or make an appointment: 800.392.0936
General Information: 314.653.5000
Christian Hospital
11133 Dunn Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63136


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