Jesus Omar Belloso, a 49-year-old mechanical worker, was suffering from “such a pain that I would not wish it even to my worst enemy” before he came to the Spine Institute Northwest. Due to a pinched nerve, by the time he turned to surgery he had given up “virtually all” activities because of back pain that led to numbness. “I had to give up all [activities] because I could do nothing, the hand felt numb,” Jesus remembers. He could not drive, sleep, or even hold one position for an extended period of time — whenever he moved to try to alleviate pain, it flared in a new body part.
While it was Jesus who experienced the physical pain, he says that “the person that suffered the most was my wife, because she had to drive and many times I gave up helping her with the children, because I couldn’t pick them up.” He also was unable to work, which he says affected his family “not only health wise” but also in emotional and economic terms. He most wanted simply to “smile again and regain the joy of being able to move my arms, my legs, and to discover that life still existed and be happy.”
Despite his intense level of pain, Jesus was nervous at first about being referred to the Spine Institute Northwest. The idea of having surgery gave him considerable trepidation. Fortunately, talking with Dr. Solomon Kamson, and researching Dr. Kamson’s background online, gave him the confidence to move forward. As Jesus explains, Dr. Kamson “showed me with a pencil, how small the hole was going to be behind the neck, and that motivated me.” Knowing that he would not need a large incision made a big difference for Jesus. The procedure went forward as he had hoped: “If it’s necessary to operate, [it] is an operation that does not hurt — I didn’t feel pain at all.”
In the time since his minimally invasive spine surgery, Jesus went from a regular pain level of anywhere from 7 to 10 to a level of just 2. He began returning to his normal activities three months out from his procedure, and is continuing to feel better and get back to his family life and his work. “It has been six months since I’ve got the operation,” says Jesus. “My family is feeling happy because I’m not suffering like I was suffering before the operation.” His hopes came true, as well — Jesus is smiling again.
Listen to Jesus’ description of his experience with Spine Institute Northwest and Dr. Kamson: