Originally Posted by jen7009

I just passed a milestone I hadn't really been thinking of but am SOOOO excited to have passed, and I just had to share with someone(s!) who would know what I mean and why it's so exciting.

I'm now 4 weeks and 4 days out from my SCS implant, and I have been diligently following BLAST and doing my best to be careful. I went back to my (desk) job 2 weeks ago, and things have been pretty routine. Over the past week or so I found myself occasionally having a small startle/smidge of panic and thinking "did the stim area change again? Is it still on?", because for a few minutes I forgot the SCS was on. I am a really big worrywart so the fact that I didn't actively notice/think about the stim for even a few minutes was HUGE!

Then, the best part. This past weekend, I drove over to my Grandma's with my hubby. We hung out and I puttered around with Grandma for most of the day, and when we got ready to leave I got in the car and suddenly realized...

I had gone an entire day without thinking about/noticing/worrying about my SCS. It was on, it helped me be a "normal" person, and I didn't have to spend the whole day thinking about my pain, or whether it was working to dampen my pain--I just lived. Did I still hurt? Yes, of course/unfortunately. Was it better than the pain before the SCS? Absolutely. And am I eternally grateful for this respite? Beyond a doubt. Even if I only get this one experience of being able to "forget" my pain for a while, it was a sublime experience I didn't think I'd ever be able to have again.

So, to milestones--and to forgetting without knowing we've forgotten! For a moment or a day or a lifetime, I'm celebrating!