Originally Posted by chrelsey

Hi Booklover! Welcome to the forum! I hope you'll pull up a chair and get comfy - this is a great group of people - they are helpful, encouraging, witty, and just an all-around fun bunch!

First, congrats on the weight loss! That is a huge accomplishment, and I applaud you!

I, too, have a Medtronic's unit. My permanent implant surgery was on December 24th of last year, and in mid-January I began a diet and lost almost 30 pounds, which got me to my goal weight. Like you, I also noticed that my battery pack - which had once been well-hidden inside a pocket of "extra me" was now sticking out, was very sensitive, and slightly uncomfortable. Then in April we discovered that my percutaneous leads had migrated, and in June I had revision surgery for the laminectomy and paddle leads. Since I knew my Neurosurgeon was going to have to take the battery out to disconnect the old and connect the new leads, I thought that would be a good opportunity to relocate my little friend so that it would be less conspicuous. Wrong. As it turned out, my NS felt that because of the amount of scar tissue that was already formed in the "pocket," it would be better to leave it where it was.

My advice is to really, really, REALLY let your surgeon know what you would like done and why. I wish I had been more vocal with my NS. I know that he felt like he was taking the least-invasive approach for me, but I would have preferred to have the short-term pain of a new pocket healing, rather than the long-term uncomfortableness of having my battery sticking out. I don't think I emphasized that with him enough.

But as you had mentioned - and as my husband has often joked - I could simply put all of the "extra me" back on and the problem would be solved! Hmmmmm . . . now that I think about it, a month or two of eating all the Mexican food, pizza, ice cream, etc. that I want wouldn't be a bad thing, right? Just kidding! I'm really enjoying being able to wear my jeans that had previously been relegated to the "doesn't fit me anymore closet!"

Best of luck on your journey, and keep us posted!

=Becky