Two thoracic fractures repaired in January 2003. Dr. Simpson had already been diagnosed with osteopenia and was taking [use generic name—Fosamax]. She’d been sitting hunched over during a Thanksgiving Day party. The next morning, her fractures made it “difficult to get out of bed.” After her Balloon
ellen simpson, m.d. >>
E L L EN
S I M P S O N ,
M . D .
Retired pediatric cardiologist Age: 86 Diagnosis: Osteoporotic fracture Location: San Francisco, Calif. USA
osteoporotic fracture
Kyphoplasty Procedure, she likes to show off her ability to bend and move. Her friends tell her she, “looks 15 years younger!”
A lung ailment slowed Mr. Luperine down for four years, causing doctors to prescribe a corticosteroid. Unfortunately, the drugs caused him to lose bone mass—a common side-effect of steroid regimens—and he developed osteoporosis. His resulting spinal fracture was so debilitating that a pain pump was implanted to manage the pain. Following a Balloon Kyphoplasty procedure to treat his fracture, the pump was removed, and Mr. Luperine is now happy to “be living and getting around again.”
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ron luprine RON
LUPRINE
Retired banker Age: 62 Diagnosis: Steroid-induced fracture Location: Castro Valley, Calif. USA
steroid-induced fracture
While vacationing in France, Mr. Van Mol was flying his hang glider when something went terribly wrong. The sail collapsed, causing him to slam his back into a high tree, and he suffered an L-1 spine fracture and a broken arm. After a painful nine hour car ride back to Belgium, he was treated with a Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure using a biomaterial. “I immediately started walking. In two weeks, I was able to ride on my motorcycle again.�
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jan van mol J A N
V A N
M O L
Creative agency owner Age: 36 Diagnosis: Traumatic fracture Location: Louvain, Belgium
traumatic fracture
Four fractures from multiple myeloma repaired in May 2003. Fighting a blood cancer like multiple myeloma is frightening enough, add one of the devastating consequences—spine fractures—and life gets very difficult. Over the course of six months, Ms. Siegel lost 6 inches of height from the fractures in her back. “I was bed ridden for over a year. I was on [strong opoids] for pain.” After the Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure, which repaired four of the five fractures, she “threw away all the pain killers. The cancer caused me to fall apart, this procedure, put me back together again.”
christine siegel >>
CHRISTINE
SIEGEL
Teacher Age: 57 Diagnosis: Myeloma-induced fracture Location: Greenbrae, Calif. USA
myeloma-induced fracture
Four fractures from osteoporosis repaired in August 2003. Ms. Kern lives with her wheelchair-bound roommate in a house that overlooks a beautiful valley in Northern California. At 4:00 AM one night, after helping her roommate to bed, she awoke in severe pain. Over the next four months was in and out of the hospital on morphine to control the pain from back spasms. She couldn’t eat and lost over 30 pounds; “they thought I had a bowel obstruction.” She begged for a back x-ray to be taken and reviewed by an orthopedist. Sure enough, they found her fractures. After her Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure, she says the difference is like, “night and day.”
chris kern & andy >>
C H R I S
KERN
&
ANDY
Former x-ray technician Age: 84 Diagnosis: Osteoporotic Fracture Location: Fairfax, Calif. USA
osteoporotic fracture