Health Wonders - Fall 2008 - (Page 3)

Medical Evelyn Busser is Mystery A woman sets out to find what’s causing her strange symptoms Evelyn Busser has gotten back to watching her grandkids play baseball. living proof that persistence can really pay off. The 65-year-old Orwell resident passed out while riding as a passenger in her son-in-law’s car last February, losing consciousness for several minutes. In addition, she had been suffering frequent bouts of numbness or pain in her feet and legs. “It felt like someone set fire to my legs,” she says. A battery of tests was performed to try to identify the cause, but they proved inconclusive. By the time she visited the University Hospitals Neurological Institute at Geauga Medical Center, she was anxious to know what might be wrong. Rose M. Dotson, M.D., a boardcertified neuromuscular specialist and medical director of Geauga Medical Center’s Neurological Institute, performed an electromyography and nerve conduction study, a procedure that involves testing the electrical activity of muscles and nerves. The test helps physicians pinpoint the location and type of problem. This time the diagnosis was clear—Busser had peripheral neuropathy, a disorder that typically causes pain or numbness in the hands or feet and can often be treated medically. “In many patients, peripheral neuropathy causes numbness, tingling or pain,” says Dr. Dotson, “but in some cases weakness or even paralysis can occur.” Busser is now taking medication to help alleviate her symptoms, by treating the pain and the documented underlying cause for the problem. According to Dr. Dotson, the treatment of neuropathic pain is a process, and medication dosages are frequently adjusted over time to best suit each patient’s needs. Busser still notices occasional numbness in her legs, but now she is able to stand up and walk for a few minutes until the sensation goes away. “I’m not completely healed, but I’m 75 percent better than I was,” she says. “Whatever Dr. Dotson suggested is working, and I’m so thankful I found her.” Busser, a cancer survivor who describes herself as a “lady of leisure,” is looking forward to gardening and spends five evenings each week watching her seven grandchildren play baseball. ● Neurological Know-How Headache, stroke, pain and other conditions related to the nervous system can sometimes evade precise diagnosis and treatment, but University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center has brought a new level of sophistication to deal with these problems and more. Under the medical direction of Rose Dotson, M.D., a fellowship-trained expert in neuromuscular disease, the Neurological Institute at Geauga Medical Center also provides expert care for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and neuromuscular diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), autonomic dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy. For more information about services, call 440-285-7757. Fall 2008 3

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Health Wonders - Fall 2008 New Health Center, New Technology, to Debut in '09 Medical Mystery Taking a Team Approach to Fight Cancer A Geauga Doctor Gets a Snowboarder Back on His Feet Free Seminars on Orthopaedics and Memory Loss Meet Our Physicians

Health Wonders - Fall 2008

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