SCS Implant Recovery

Hi Rena, I am sorry you are not feeling so well. I know nothing about surgery with the SCS, I have a pump, not knowing anything about the incisions and such, I would venture a guess that it is a little too soon. I really would not think that you are even healed up. Even if your incisions on the outside may look healed don't forget you have to heal on the inside too. It was a good 6 weeks before I felt half way decent when my pump was put in. I had a six inch incision on my low back and then about the same on my upper stomach, above the beltline. My pump was put in with a race of being in between a change of insurance companies and my dr convinced me the new company I was changing to would not pay for my pump. I had less than two weeks to have it implanted. I did not have any time to research anything and I had other health issues going on. Needless to say I was quite shocked after surgery because my dr made it sound like it was not a big deal having one put in. He lied is all I can say.

Give it a little more time but if the pain does not lessen by next week, then perhaps a call to thr dr should be made. You need to make sure there is no infection or anything going on. Try to hang in there. I know its not fun recuperating from surgery of any kind.

You are so welcome. I know many times in the past when I have had surgery I would get so tired of doing nothing. Every time I tried to venture off, I paid for it and knocked myself back several days. I seem to always learn the hard way, lol. That is pure human nature I think, lol. Just hang in there and when you get real aggravated just think about how much better you will feel when totally recovered. Better to go forward than backwards.

Take care.

Good Morning Carole,

Thank you for you email, it always puts a smile on my face and makes me think that things are going to be okay!

My PM doctor told me that I would not be spending the night in the hospital, however, when I had my consult with my neurosurgeon, he told me that this was major surgery and that I would spend the night with a pain pump to control my pain. I don't know if he wanted me to spend the night because I have a paddle or what his reason was, but he wanted me to stay. Being on the pain pump was great! I woke up actually, never really slept in hospital) but at 6 am I was going to the restroom by myself, walking the halls and even got myself dressed! The nurse told me that my insurance would only let me stay in hospital for 23 hours. The nurse that morning told me to call my sister to come get me as she just had to check one patient out before she would get to me. I see the PA in the hall and I begged him to come in and let me go home, ( yes, I was crazy because of the good'ol pain pump) my sister finally told me to get back in bed that I was acting a little crazy!! So... I listened to my sister, who is wonderful, and settled down. The PA comes in and tells me to wiggle my toes and said that I could go home. Never once did he ask if I went to the bathroom or checked my blood pressure that was 85/47! I then come home and thought that the ambulance would come and take care of me, but like you said, how was I going to get on the stretcher, and they would just send me home in a few hours. I thought I will just take my meds and I'll be better in the morning, because that is what the PA told me. He made it sound like I was going to be a new woman in 24 hours.

I am so glad that you told me that my insides still have to heal really put my mind at ease, so thank you for that )

My Valium helps me out a lot, but I am almost out and the doctors think that we are druggies if we ask for more meds!
It's odd that my doc and my representative were my best friends in the world until they got the $$$$ from insurance company, so now I am just a nagging patient that they really don't care about!

I can't imagine that you have teenagers at home and that you are not able to do things over their summer break! I am sure that they understand and that they know that you are doing the best possible and that you are a great mother to them. One day, we will be back to our normal selfs again.

I know that this SCS implant works great for some people, but my concern is that I am having pain in my leg that I did not have pre-op.

I hope that you have a great Sunday, and that you get some rest and relief ~~ you sound as though you are a very strong person.

I know that I have been going on and on, but I think that sometimes I need to vent to people, especially to those that can understand what we are going thru.

Thank you again for helping me!

Rena

Rena,

Perhaps you should ask your rep if you can meet with him to go over charging. It might also not be charging because you don't have your charger in the right place. I had a hard time with mine at first (didn't get a great signal) because it turns out that I have to place my charger lower than I thought because the upper half of the battery is plastic, not the battery itself, so instead of placing the charger directly over where I feel the battery under the skin, I have to put it just over the lower half.

Because of the incorrect placement it took me 8 hrs to charge 50-75% of the battery & I kept losing the connection (ie it would randomly stop charging). Fortunately I had a doctor's appointment to get my sutures out the next day & the rep was really helpful. Although my battery does charge slower than most in general, because my battery is in my chest & because of the curvature of my chest (since I'm female), the connection isn't as good as it is if it's implanted in the butt or abdomen.

Also, I find that if I charge once my battery gets down to 50%, and not <25, the charging is much less of a hassle, although at my current settings, this does mean that I have to recharge about every 3 days.

hugs,
Skeye