Success Stories

Pam Dixon

Pam Dixon had been experience leg pain for more than a year before she was referred to Dr. Brendel.  She had been through every test and multiple doctors, yet had found no relief.  One of the doctors she had seen could not find anything wrong in her tests and suggested that the pain was all in her head.  Pam knew that could not be the case, because the pain was so intense at its origin she could have marked the location with a pen.  The discomfort radiated from a spot below her knee on the left, outer side of her leg.  As the pain persisted Pam was unable to sleep or shake the pain that radiated from that one spot on her leg. 

When she started seeing Dr. Brendel he did an MRI and made quick work of diagnosing the pain as a nerve in Pam’s leg.   After a long year of pain and doctors’ appointments Pam had an answer, and fortunately the treatment was not highly complicated or invasive.  Dr. Brendel could relieve Pam’s pain by giving her a shot of cortisone that corrected the issue and relieved the pain for 3 years.  

Pam explains Dr. Brendel as extremely compassionate and considerate, always focusing on others instead of himself, and a good listener.  The whole team is pleasant and warm and the office is so clean and welcoming. Pam gives her ultimate seal of approval with these words, “When I walk in, I feel like I’m walking into my own home.”

The Nelson's

Jeanne and James Nelson have both been patients of Dr. Brendel at the Cumberland Clinic.  Jeanne had seen Dr. Brendel in late 2016 and James (who goes by Robert) is currently working with the doctor (as of the end of 2017).  Their experiences with Dr. Brendel his team have helped form a relationship based on complete trust.  The whole is team is very warm and caring and they appreciate the time Dr. Brendel takes to answer all their questions and explain procedures and options to them.

Jeanne
In 2016, around Thanksgiving, Jeanne suddenly was experiencing a severe pain on the left side of her body from the top of her shoulder down.  This made it difficult to sleep, because she favors laying on her left side.  She went into see her regular physician who was able to discuss her condition with Dr. Brendel, who made arrangement for Jeanne to be seen at the end of that day. As Jeanne and her husband leave Wisconsin every January and head to warmer climates it was a relief to be able to get in for appointments three times without having to re-arrange travel plans.  After her 3 appointments, the pain was gone, and has not returned.

James “Robert”
In 2017, Robert began experiencing pain in his right side.  His regular physician prescribed two cortisone shots and physical therapy, but the pain continued. In November, Robert had two MRI’s.  The first ruled out any issues with his rotator cuff. On November 29th Robert went in to discuss the results of the 2nd MRI with Dr. Brendel.  From offering the Nelson’s a beverage when they arrived at the clinic and allowing Jeanne to be involved in the conversations, to Dr. Brendel discussing the results of the MRI in lay-man terms they had yet another great experience.

Joan Pajula

Joan has been seeing Dr. Brendel for more than 5 years.  She was referred to Interventional Pain Specialists of Wisconsin because she was experiencing pain in her lower back that radiated down her right leg and was persistent after seeing a chiropractor. 

At Joan’s first appointment with Dr. Brendel he diagnosed her with Arthritis and was able to relieve her pain with 1 steroid shot on her right side. This course of treatment worked well, with Joan only needing a shot once a year. In recent years, the pain has started to affect her left leg as well, to treat this Dr. Brendel has added an additional shot at Joan’s yearly visits.

You would think with Joan only visiting once a year her experiences would be straightforward, but that has not been the case.  The whole team remembers her when she comes in, they even remember that her and her husband leave in January for warmer climates.  They make a great effort to get Joan in for her appointment and get taken care of before she leaves for the winter.  Not only does the team put her first and go above and beyond to listen to her concerns, Joan has also noticed that there is a feeling of comradery among the staff that make the office a pleasant place to be.  From the friendly staff in reception to the attending nurse who Joan refers to as a sweetheart each visit is warm and comforting.

After all these great experiences with Dr. Brendel and his team, it is no wonder she often refers friends to Interventional Pain Specialists of Wisconsin.

Tali Johnson

Tali Johnson is no stranger to doctors and back pain, as she has degenerative disc disease she has had to go to more than a few appointments.  When she began experiencing pain in her lower back from Sciatica, her back surgeon referred her to Dr. Brendel.  The pain was so debilitating that she could not sit or stand for more than a half hour without having to change positions.  This pain would make her feet go numb, and make most day to day activities challenging.

She went to see Dr. Brendel to do a trial for a spinal stimulator that could provide an alternative to the multiple surgeries that were being suggested.  She was able to wear the spinal stimulator on the outside of her body for three days to see if it would help her pain. Fortunately, the trial went well enough that the surgery was scheduled.

Dr. Brendel and his team made the whole experience wonderful.  He was reassuring and took the time to talk about the surgery in detail, and explain what Tali’s expectations for the surgery, recovery, and results should be.  After the surgery Dr. Brendel’s team would check in and follow up with Tali making the experience comfortable with their friendly demeanor.

It was life changing to go from being in such severe pain to being in so little pain that she no longer needed pain medication. Tali saw Dr. Brendel a few times for follow up visits, but has not need to go back since the pain has never returned while using the spinal stimulator.

Ray Vaughn

Ray Vaughn had been experiencing back pain for more than a decade when he started seeing Doctor John Brendel. Before the back pain started, Ray was an active guy and an avid golfer. From the time the pain started until after his 5th surgery his pain level was at a base 5, and often higher.  When he would try to golf, it would feel like a lightning bolt was shooting through his back. 

Not being able to do the things he loved, Ray worked with numerous doctors and neurosurgeons.  Having one neurosurgeon propose a drastic surgery that would involve fusion of up to 5 locations on his back, and another coming to a devastating final decision that he could not help Ray at all.

Ray started seeing Dr. John Brendel, or Dr. John as Mr. Vaughn refers to him, for routine shots. He found that Dr. John was very sincere and someone he could be frank with.  Ray felt he could trust Dr. John not to recommend any product or procedure unnecessarily. So, when Dr. John proposed replacing his old spinal cord stimulator with a new Boston Scientific one that could reduce his pain and give him hope again to golf, Ray was on board. This would-be Ray’s 5th surgery and the one that got him back on the green. With the help of the spinal cord stimulator and his routine of daily stretch exercises and walking a minimum of eight miles per day, Ray is back to his active lifestyle. The procedure was at the end of August and by November Ray was golfing again.  Ray says, “even when I get a bogey I have a smile on my face.”