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November 18, 2011

It wasn't long ago that Jean Haase couldn't even walk down the street with her family.

"There was nothing I did that didn't involve pain. Walking was painful, sitting was painful, laying down was painful," Haase said.

The 43-year-old was tested for a variety of ailments, from depression to cancer. She was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an illness that causes long-term, body-wide pain in the muscles and tissue.

"It got to the point that if you just touched me... I would scream in pain," Haase said.

Haase finally found relief in a clinical trial. Doctors surgically implanted an electronic stimulator around a nerve in her neck. The device kicks on every five minutes sending signals across her brain, in effect, canceling out much of the pain. Doctors have used similar stimulation for treating epilepsy and depression.

"We thought, let's try this on patients who have not responded to the best medical therapy possible," said Dr. Benjamin Natelson of Beth Israel Medical Center.

The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. Doctors are even using anti-depressants now to try to treat it.

When this experimental device cycles on, Haase feels it. Her throat constricts and her voice becomes hoarse.

"So it makes it a little bit harder to breathe... especially if I'm talking or running," she said.

But after years of being miserable the mother of tow says it's a small price to pay for relief.

"I went from having no life to having a life," Haase said.

Haase still has fibromyalgia pain, but she's back at work as a teacher and able to take care of her family again.

Fibromyalgia is controversial. Some doctors don't believe it exists.