Phew! It has been a crazy month! At the end of November, I had the Spinal Cord stimulator surgery. Today, as I sit in front of an angled computer, it was 4 weeks ago. I promise you it feels longer!!
I had to first undergo a trial before the surgery. I wore the device for a week and needed to have very high success with it in order to move forward. Well, I did. I will still have pain and it won’t completely take it away but it will surely give me a better quality of life where I am not going to be controlled by my pain all the time.
The surgery went very well. The device’s battery is in my lower back and the leads are weaved through my spine into the base of my head. I am unable to move my head and neck for 6 weeks after the procedure because the leads can possibly move out of place and my neurosurgeon said that he put them in an excellent spot.
I don’t remember how long the surgery was, maybe 2 hours? However, when I woke up…..the pain….ugh! It made breathing a hard task to do! Everything was killing me. Due to my Scoliosis history and the damage left from previous spinal fusions(4) I am sure there was trouble there somewhere causing trauma.
At least I was able to go home and get more comfortable right???…no. When I tell you that I couldn’t sit up, walk, sleep, do anything in the bathroom without assistance…that’s an understatement. EVERY. LITTLE. MOVEMENT. HURT.
I had to go back and get my settings reset because I was walking around like Nelle, the bent neck lady from Haunting of Hill House. There was no way that was OK. When I met up with the rep, he set me up with the most comfortable settings and told me I was OK and try to straighten my neck without moving my neck..? Really? I was ready for the hellish 6 weeks I was about to endure because a week in and it was already going sideways, literally.
At least I was always in good company
Man….Scoliosis messed everything up. Ugh!! I am almost positive, that if I didn’t have a twisted spine, my recovery wouldn’t have taken such a violent road. Having this device will certainly change my life, it already has. I am able to control the frequency, intensity, and location. Lyssa is still alerting me, and I already have had severe migraine attacks due to weather, and it has helped decrease the intensity of the pain in my head. So I am definitely doing better. Just having trouble with the recovery. I am actually having a little bit of trouble writing this because I have to keep the computer at a very far distance because I can’t look down, yet reaching out hurts so there’s that.
Still my 2 new scars are healing well and the area where the device was placed is also doing well. Apparently I don’t have much “fat” back there to provide some support so the device will always show as a bump in my lower back so that will take some getting used to. I have to wait until February for running to even cross my mind, but I am soo READY! I can’t wait. I am very eager to see how my chronic pain(s) react and feel when I run now that I, ME, have control.
While I stay on the road to recovery, I continue to move forward and keep going until I reach my goals. Every day it’s something different, from putting a cup away, to reaching without assistance. It’s about the little things. And I have gotten through this absolutely exhausting recovery with those who send cards and such, and those who constantly check up on me and wish me well. I thank YOU.
-gelcys
Empire Unleashed 
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