StimRouter gave her a second wind after a stroke robbed her of mobility in right arm and leg

Julie’s story, as told through the eyes of her caregiver and loving husband, Hank

My wife Julie suffered a stroke that affected the entire right side of her body — from the top of her head all the way to her feet. She lost her ability to speak and lacks mobility in her right leg and arm. Her arm was a constant grinding, like rubbing two rocks together on the inside of your arm; if she could speak, she would tell you it’s way worse than that. You couldn’t even touch her skin because of the pain.

We tried everything from morphine to hydrocodone, e-stim patches and just about everything you could think. The pain medicine was horrible; it did more harm to her than the actual stroke. The only solution was to keep her arm in a sling, keep it up and try to do physical therapy.

One day, Julie’s physical therapist introduced us to StimRouter. When we heard about it, we were extremely hopeful and excited, but reserved because we had been let down by all the other options.

She’s a stroke survivor. Anything she can grasp onto at this point to make her life better means the world.

After Julie got the StimRouter, she was overjoyed with how much more she could use her arm and how well it worked to relieve her pain when it was on. Her pain is diminished significantly and she is using a lot less pain medication.

I can tell you her physical therapy sessions are way better now. She’s able to do things she wasn’t able to do before. The StimRouter motivated her to work harder on her arm and try to get better.

Prior to getting the implant, she didn’t have that motivation; it was a downward slope, slowly falling into the abyss with no way out. This product is her way out, it gives her that hope: as long as I have the device on, I will be OK.

StimRouter gave her a second wind; before this, we were talking about amputation, really seriously debating it. It’s a long road no matter what, but at least now, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

She has one job and that’s to get better and I’m all for it! For other people in Julie’s situation that are considering StimRouter, I’d say definitely try it, definitely give it a chance, don’t give up, you don’t know what the future is going to hold. Give it a go, go all the way, you have nothing to lose.

For our family, it means the world to us; it gives us a second chance. It’s giving my wife a second chance at being a mother, a wife and having a life together.