I'm having the 2nd lead implanted this Wednesday under my new pain mgt doctor. He seems very nice and was completely understanding of my pain.

I'm feeling quite nervous about the procedure given the last attempt was a failure with a 1hr procedure becoming 3 hours and the struggle to get the lead inserted in the spinal canal due to floating bone fragments blocking its passage. I worry the dura could be pierced again or worse, damage caused to the spinal cord itself. That said I'm less nervous about this than if it was a fusion instead, so I'm working on finding some positives and to be grateful for.

My poor husband has been seriously ill with Legionnaires disease (again) and it's been a very tough 6 weeks. He will not cope well if something unexpected happens to me.

I'm still cutting down on various meds, down to 10mg SR oxy, but been put back on a Norspan patch 20mg and already suffering the dreaded severe itch allergic reaction. The skin underneath the patch is red raw and looks like a burn mark. I Was prescribed also a new drug tapentadol 200mg a day. In the same family as tramadol apparently but supposedly better tolerated.

Took the prescription off to my regular pharmacy and had it filled on Tuesday afternoon, luckily I thought 4 tablets of 50mg high to begin with so I only took 1 on Wednesday morning. I began to feel a little nauseous but then got a phone call from a stranger saying my mother had collapsed at the shopping centre. I dashed off down there and saw her into an ambulance, went home and fed her cat and then down to the hospital emergency where we waited for 4 hours before she was seen, I was further ill and put it down to stress. They allowed mum to go home providing she see her GP the next day, so took her home and my sister and I got her settled and my sister stayed with her overnight, I went home and was ill again, still didn't think much on it. Thursday am took my morning tablets but not the new drug as I completely forgot it!! At noon I went to mums and took her to see her GP. I got back home to find urgent calls from my pharmacist, it turns out they had dispensed the wrong medication and what I was given I'm highly allergic to. How lucky am I that I only took the one tablet and forgot the next day, my old dad must have been up there looking over me I'm sure of it. I never forget to take my medication. I'm building up to taking 4 of the new drug tapentadol took 2 today and will do 3 tomorrow so by weds I will be up to 4 a day.

Anyhow it's been an eventful week with mum, Lyndon and me so this coming week just has to be better....