Stiff person syndrome: Queensland woman walks again thanks to revolutionary treatment
Updated
After being bedridden for 12 years, a Queensland woman with a rare condition is able to walk again thanks to the work of Brisbane doctors.
Rhonda Hodges has stiff person syndrome and in an Australian first, doctors at the Mater Hospital inserted a pump that injects a drug into her spinal cord giving her mobility again.
The 61-year-old from Toowoomba had been told her problem was all in her head.
It was not until a chance meeting in June with a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, Doctor Saul Geffen, that her future changed.
"When I saw my toes bend, I went 'yes!'", Mrs Hodges said.
Dr Geffen said before the surgery Mrs Hodges was unable to walk, use the toilet herself and would shake uncontrollably and then become very stiff and rigid.
"I knew from my experience that it would have been impossible for somebody to pretend the symptoms," Dr Geffen said.
Rhonda Hodges said she remained determined to find out what was wrong despite being misdiagnosed.
"Well I was really ticked off," she said.
"I really was, because I knew it wasn't in my head and I was so furious with the doctors saying it was in my head."
Dr Geffen arranged for her to see neurologists at Brisbane's Mater Hospital where a path was charted for her to have groundbreaking treatment.
"People like Rhonda are the reason I do the job I do, Dr Geffen said.
"It is the reward to really change people's lives that makes this a wonderful rewarding career choice."
Neurosurgeon Rob Campbell conducted the surgery — inserting a pump that administers the drug baclofen.
He said the procedure was used to treat other conditions, like cerebral palsy, but had never been used for stiff person syndrome in Australia.
"The step forward here has been to push this envelope wider — to deal with this condition, this rare condition," Dr Campbell said.
He said the world is full of rare disease and it is important for doctors to keep an open mind.
"Labels that are inappropriately attached to patients in diagnoses sometimes are very hard to shift, " he said.
Mrs Hodges had thought she was destined to go into a nursing home, but instead she is planning her visit to her grandchildren in Townsville for Christmas.
"So this is just a miracle," she said.
"It did take a terrible toll on the family, but now that I'm better they just couldn't be happier."
The medical team is hoping Rhonda Hodges' story will resonate with other people in Australia who may suffer from stiff person syndrome.
Topics: doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-procedures, science-and-technology, health, toowoomba-4350, qld, brisbane-4000
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