Jane Cantrell
“Dr. Gerlach is friendly, knowledgeable, and straightforward. He is one of the best doctors I have ever seen.”
Jane Cantrell exemplifies the John Muir quote, “The mountains are calling, and I must go”. She loves camping so much that she lives in an RV with her husband of 17 years and their two shiatzus. Living in the RV allows Jane to explore nature all across the United States. One of her favorite trips is an annual 4th of July outing to the Crazy Horse Campgrounds in South Dakota where she meets one of her sons and some of her 9 grandchildren. In addition to camping and family, Jane enjoys walking her dogs, going to movies, and loves riding motorcycles. Jane is a very strong woman and a cancer survivor. In 2003, she had completed chemotherapy and was on a celebratory motorcycle ride over Trail Ridge Road when she fell getting off the bike and suffered a fracture in her lower back (L4-L5 vertebra).
Jane must have seen at least 10 doctors, but because she had scoliosis they were not able to help her find relief. Jane tried everything – steroid injections, massage, physical therapy, an inversion table, and chiropractic treatment – but nothing helped. She had ribs popping out, muscle spasms, frequent migraines, and felt terrible. She made an appointment with Dr. Gerlach and was hopeful that he could help. “Dr. Gerlach is friendly, knowledgeable, and straightforward. He is one of the best doctors I have ever seen.”
Jane had already tried all of the conservative treatments so at her appointment with Dr. Gerlach they discussed surgical intervention. Jane would need a big 7-level surgery to straighten the scoliosis curve and fix the injury to her lumbar vertebra. Because the surgery was so big, it was completed in 2 sessions on subsequent days. Jane spent 5 days at Longmont United Hospital.
Jane was fitted with a back brace which made her feel more stable and confident and that she wore for about 6 months. She used a walker for the first couple of weeks and was getting better with each day. She was off her prescription pain medication and taking the dogs for short walks about 4 weeks post-surgery. The pain from the injury was gone, but she still had a little pain from the surgery for which she took Tylenol. Jane went to physical therapy twice a week for about 3 months.
Jane is feeling better and better. “I got done what I needed to get done! Everyone was professional and friendly and knew what to do. Their confidence in treating me made me confident! I feel like Dr. Gerlach and his spine team members are my best friends now! “ Eight months after surgery Jane went for a motorcycle ride. “Be sure you know what to expect and that you really want back surgery because it’s a long road for healing – but Dr. Gerlach fixed my issues. I got the best surgeon I could have possibly gotten. “ Jane is excited to feel good and get back on the Harley again. Ride on Jane!
You’re not ready to climb Mount Everest. But you are ready to get back to the life you lived before your injury. OCR is here to support you on the road to recovery!
