In the summer of 2007, Judy Rentz was in her neighbor’s yard in Knoxville, Tennessee, helping with a landscaping project, when she felt a dull ache at the base of her spine. For Judy, an energetic and passionate gardener, aches and pains from the exertion of yard work were nothing new. A month later, however, the backaches had only gotten worse. Her primary care physician prescribed mild painkillers and referred her to an orthopedic specialist, who prescribed more medication and physical therapy. None of it helped, and by that autumn, her back pain was further exacerbated by muscle pain from fibromyalgia. By this point, Judy could barely stand upright, leaving her bed only to attend weekly church services and choir rehearsals.
It was not until over a year later, after endless rounds of x-rays, MRI scans, neurological tests, and diagnostical dead ends, that her pastor recommended Dr. Lakatosh from Knoxville Tennessee, a physiatrist, who identified Judy’s condition: pudendal nerve damage. Judy was finally able to put a name to the mysterious ailment that was causing her so much agony, and felt hopeful that an effective treatment might soon be in sight. Unfortunately, it would only be the beginning of a 15-year ordeal of unimaginable suffering and a tortuous journey through a medical system unable to recognize, let alone correctly treat, her disorder.
Pudendal neuralgia is a chronic pelvic pain caused by damage or irritation to the pudendal nerve, which runs from the genitalia to the lower buttocks. It is a condition, primarily affecting women, and because it is difficult to diagnose, people often suffer for years without relief. It is frequently referred to as “the suicide disease,” as despairing patients (severe depression is a common symptom) often end their lives to escape their agony. In her memoir, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE, Judy Rentz leads readers through every grueling step of her ongoing battle with this debilitating illness, from the doctors who dismissed her suffering (“I broke and crumbled to the floor, asking how I was supposed to live? He hatefully answered walking out the door, ‘See a psychiatrist!'”) to the numerous treatments and surgeries that have subjected Rentz to a rollercoaster of temporary relief followed by a decline back into misery.
To say that Judy’s story is difficult to read would be an understatement. The heartbreak of her physical and mental anguish is rivaled only by the frustration of her struggles with her health insurance company and the ignorance and disregard of doctors unfamiliar with her condition, who routinely accuse patients with pudendal neuralgia of being opioid addicts exaggerating or faking their pain. Rentz has written FIGHTING TO SURVIVE to raise awareness of pudendal neuralgia—many who suffer from it are unsuspecting of the cause—and despite its grim subject matter, it is an optimistic story that offers comfort and hope to other sufferers.
Written in a conversational, personal voice, readers will quickly find themselves hearing the author’s engaging, colorful voice in the text. Uneven but undeniably compelling, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE is essential reading for anyone—and women in particular—suffering from chronic pain.
~Edward Sung for IndieReader