#spinalcordstimulator

The other day, I put my shoes and socks on. By myself. Without squeaking, griping or cussing. Now since I have been on this planet many years, that may seem like a trivial thing. Doesn’t everyone do that? Well, no. For the past several years I have not been able to put on socks and tie my shoes without either a lot of pain or some assistance. That was the first indication I had that the Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) was actually beginning to make a difference for me.

Today was my post-op visit, being almost two weeks past surgery. It was also time for a consultation with my support team. But more about that as we progress.

This blog will be a record of my journey, hopefully a journey back from the land of the pain to the land of the living. As I was considering having this device implanted in me, I looked all over the web to see if there were any blogs, videos or chat rooms for people who have had this done. I found nothing. I had heard about this device from my pain doctor, from company representatives and I had read all of the technical information I could find. But I really wanted to hear from someone who had had this done. But there was no one out there on the web. So I decided to be that person, and that is why I am starting this blog. If you are considering this procedure, or if you have chronic pain and have never been given this as an option, please read my story. Ask me anything - I will answer the best that I can. 

How did my pain begin? Well, get in the time machine with me and go back to 1984. I was a few years out of undergrad, working on a graduate degree and working full time with three group homes that provided services for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and mental illness or behavioral issues. These people had been put into state institutions. Our mission was to teach them to live in the community once again. Well, one day, one of the residents jumped on me from behind, grabbing my neck and pulling me backwards. At that time, I was very shaken, and I did not know about the injuries lurking in my spine. Fast forward past surgery, Worker’s Compensation and the Space Shuttle blowing up, and I was back in the saddle, so to speak. I finished my graduate studies a year later than I had planned, but I was back to work and feeling ok.

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