Long time no see

Hello my HW Family,

I'm sorry I haven't been here too much for a while (and have to admit that may continue off and on for a while longer).

Just for an update, my stimulator is still doing its job quite well, with the exception of the mornings (& when I have over done it twice). We have determined that the morning issue is due to my high fluid retention over night. I know that sounds strange in the spinal canal, but apparently it can be a pretty serious issue for people like me. I am doing ok though.

My biggest issue with the new stim is that I "forget" I am only two months out from surgery and over do it. I have caused problems for myself twice now and the rep really gave me a talking to this time. I am doing absolutely nothing wrong now so I won't have to have another surgery.

I am off of my Robaxin completely now...so that now makes me off of the ambien and the Robaxin. It feels good to be down two scripts! I have finally realized though that I may not be able to get off of the others anytime soon. Every time I start to drop the dose frequency on the oxy ir, something happens to make me have to go back again....generally the overdoing it! I just have to give it time. Btw, the dr did give clearance for me to reduce my dose frequency as needed on that one. Of course, the mscontin is still the exact dose and the ultracet will likely always be needed.

I'm still very happy with the stimulator overall and have even decided to take a trip to Hawaii at the end of May (with my daughter). I have never wanted to travel, but I think it is about time to try something new. The tickets are bought and the condo is rented...all I have to do now is show up. My husband is great with it and will be keeping my wonderful four legged family members here at home. My mother, step-father, and young nephew will be going too, so my sister is thrilled I will be there to help keep an eye on him. He's a handful, but minds me pretty well.

I could still use some prayers for a family issue if you guys are so inclined. I won't give the details for privacy reasons, but prayers are always good.

I hope all of my HW family is doing well!

RM, so glad to keep getting reports that are all positive from you. Keep us the good work with your stim.

Take care...Susie

Hooray I am so glad to hear such a positive story with a stim,, Keep up the good work.

Kathy

Hi again. To answer a few questions...I never had staples and I had to wait two weeks to have my SCS turned on to start with. That was to allow swelling to go down and is standard for my NS. I have ad a couple of adjustments and each has resulted in greater coverage with more relief. I actually found out late yesterday evening that "4 on my SCS current programs has been "moved into correct position" and is giving PERFECT relief. It's amazing how the tiniest movement can change all of the settings. This is why the rep was so severe when she was correcting me for overdoing it.

As far as the surgical sites (2 months out)...they are still quite sensitive, but not near so much as they were. The one on my upper back is vertical and directly under the bra strap area. It has healed much smooth and much quicker than the one on my hip, which is horizontal. That one has a thick scar that feels quite sensitive.

One thing I have noticed is that my battery seems to move some....which is strange, but it is not tacked into place the same way as the paddle. It may be because I have lost quite a few lbs since the surgery too. For some bizarre and wonderful reason I am dropping weight quite easily. Perhaps it is the stimulation affecting the nerves in or near my stomach or simply that the feel of the different stimulation patterns keeps my mind occupied and I don't think of food as much. Or.... It could've some stressful home situations, but I am generally a stress eater, so I'm not too sure. No matter, I'm thrilled to be dropping some of this horrible weight. It helps with walking (which is so greatly improved since my last surgery that you almost can't tell I was ever required to use the cane for all walking).

People are quite amazed to see me if it has been more than 3 months because they don't know what to say. It's also quite nice that I don't have the pain sweats like I was having before. Without these changes, I would have never even considered a trip like Hawaii.

They still insisted on getting me a wheel chair for the airports because the trams and other transportation devices (especially in Atlanta & Los Angeles) are difficult to hop on and off and walking that far could ruin the trip before it even got started. I want to go and enjoy the time with my daughter while she is still young enough to want to spend time with me (13). She's chatting every day about what she will show me and what we can do. She has been several times, but this feels new to her because she can "show" me the sights.

Opnwhl4, I'm so glad you are getting over your surgery so quickly. Please tell me how you are doing overall. I'm really interested, but may have missed the posts since I haven't been on the boards too much. I'll try to do better now.