Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant Update

I had my permanent spinal cord stimulator implanted on Monday. The surgery and outpatient stay went very well. I was pretty anxious as I had a previous horrible experience with myy lumbar fusion. I have come to the realization that if I ever have anything else done it will be here at home. Patients are still treated like people here and not like cattle that are being herded to the slaughter.  The nurses and staff were excellent and my surgeon was wonderful!

This week I have spent recovering. The stimulator has been working very well. The incisions on the other hand have been a royal pain. I have had to wear an abdominal binder and back brace to keep me from moving in directions that would cause problems with the leads. It takes about six weeks for them to scar down permanently. Until then, they can migrate to places they are not supposed to. Therefore, patients have to limit their movements to keep that from happening.

The hardest part for me has been to remember not to put my arms above my head. The bending and twisting I can remember but I will try to reach for something before I even think about it. I have had to limit wearing the brace this week due to the fact it keeps rubbing and putting pressure on my incision. I know that will go away and I will wear the brace as much as possible but I am not going to torture myself. I am very careful when the brace is off.

Every day has gotten a bit better. Yesterday I started having some sort of sinus funk which made me cough terribly hard. That set off pain in all my chest muscles and my incision. I was miserable all day yesterday. Today the discomfort is a lot better.

I am very pleased with the SCS so far. It has given me much more stable relief for my pain than anything has in a very long time. I still have to take my medications but now I am very comfortable where as before I had days that I was so miserable I did not want to get out of bed. I never knew from one day til the next how it was going to be.

Now I feel like I can get my life back. I am looking forward to being able to do some things that I was not able to before without severe pain. I know this is not a magic cure all but it will help me have a better life with my family and that means a whole lot to me!