Your Care is your Choice and Alan chose PARS
Nineteen years ago, Alan Ball left his Florida farm and headed north. His employer, General Electric, was transferring him to West Virginia. He sold his land and left his hometown for a new beginning.
Shortly after Alan’s arrival, the tragedy of 9/11 struck our country, putting a halt in his career. The company didn’t want to bring new workers into the plant at that time, nor were they considering transfers. Having already sold his Florida home, Alan decided to stay and start a new career. He worked construction, built homes, and performed electrical work for several local businesses; he even worked in the oil fields to stay busy. He was able to find a new location for his farm and was married soon after. Alan had made his home in Ripley, West Virginia, and he was there to stay.
Working labor intensive jobs can be incredibly rewarding but can also take a toll on your body. Add in riding horses and motorcycles, and you’re bound to deal with some sort of pain. That is what happened to Alan. About six years ago, he started to feel the painful side effects of his lifetime of hard work and play.
The pain started in his lower back and worsened over time. Alan made an appointment to see his doctor, where they discovered he had kidney stones. Although the stones were treated, his pain remained. He found himself at the emergency room in the middle of the night, unable to tolerate the pain.
After years of trying physical therapy, pain injections, and seeing several doctors, Alan was finally referred to PARS. He first went to the PARS Jackson County Spine Center, where he saw Lindsey Parsons, FNP-BC. Alan said, “I remember Lindsey pulling the scans up on her computer and actually showing me what was wrong. No one had ever done that before. How could I not trust her?”
Lindsey scheduled an appointment for Alan to meet with one of the PARS neurosurgeons in Parkersburg, Dr. Khosrovi. HK, as the patients call him, reviewed Alan’s studies and decided the best course of treatment. In August 2017, shortly after that appointment, Alan was scheduled to undergo a three level posterior lumbar discectomy and fusion, a major back surgery. Alan felt comfortable throughout the entire process. “They call and check on you. I’ve never been to another place where they treat you with that much respect and actually talk to you and tell you what’s going on.”
Soon after surgery, Alan noticed immediate results. “I woke up lying on my back, and I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t in pain anymore. I was up and walking around the next day.”
Alan has made a living off of working hard and being passionate; in his career, his hobbies, his farm, his family, his friends, and his health. He made it a priority to get better, and he didn’t stop until he was. Alan works in his garden, does odd jobs for friends, and he even plans to ride his motorcycle to Florida this year. He says that his greatest benefit from surgery is “being pain free. I never thought I would be again.” Alan chose to get his life back, and that is the best choice he could have made.
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