Hi Sandy-
Don't worry- I know that everyone has a different comfort level, and I truly don't want you to think that I am preaching one thing for everyone! That's great that your daughter is a good student- I was a crazy AP person, and I think that it's good to be able to have control over some part of your life when you're going through this. It's good to have something where you can do well and have things go right. And it can get you far! I finished UCSD with a degree in neuroscience, and I had a full scholarship. (Sorry if that's bragging, but I worked my butt off for that and made it happen even with the RSD.) Right now I'm on waiting lists for nursing school.

I know that it is hard dealing with this and being a teenager. Being a teenager is hard enough, but then throw pain on top of it and it can be overwhelming. I have a SCS now, which I got after my first year of college. But the last year of high school was really bad for me and I had a lot of blocks. Those helped immensely, and then I moved onto RF ablations, which helped and lasted longer. I remember having one a couple of days before AP tests my senior year, and bringing a pillow with me to my AP lit test. The moderators thought that this might be some sort of banned item that you couldn't bring into the test and tried to make me leave it behind. I finally convinced them that there was no way I could be cheating with a pillow.

It is hard when your friends' focus in on what shirt to wear to a party on Friday night, and you are thinking about your upcoming procedure or meds. It can be a very different place that makes you feel very abnormal. My mom was very much in denial about me being depressed when I was in junior high and high school, which made it even more difficult. That's why I always ask parents of patients if they have ever considered getting their kids counseling. Looking back at it all, I know that this would have made a huge difference in how I dealt with everything, and my happiness. These days I really try to focus on the mental as much as the physical, and it really makes an amazing difference in my life. There are some really great books on mindfulness, and you can also even download guided meditations from the UCSD Center for Mindfulness.

http://mindfulness.ucsd.edu/mbsr.htm

These are great not only for patients, but for caretakers too. Stress is stress, no matter where it comes from!

I haven't conquered this, but I am at a much better place than I was. Throughout UCSD I had my SCS wires revised a lot. Around 3-4 times a year. But for me it was worth it. A couple of weeks worth of surgical pain to have reduced pain the rest of the time. My wires recently moved and the SCS isn't working as well so I need to have another revision. I have my bad times, and there will always be days where I can't move. But I am also happier than I have been in years. I have learned to let things come as they may, while still being proactive. And I like who I am today. That was really hard for me to learn how to do.

Hopefully this helps you a bit... to guide your daughter past some of the holes that I fell into while dealing with this when I was in high school. And if she ever needs to talk or ask a question of someone who has been there and done that, I would be more than happy.

Lynns