Saffy! This is a really good forum and everyone has a lot of information from their experiences! I have had my stim since 2008 and am about to have surgery number 3 to get different leads put in (the same thing Sarah is having). I am so sorry about your pain and I hope that the stim helps you with it. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want because everyone is very helpful and supportive! I ended up having to get my stim because I was injured in a car accident. It really helped me alot and I was able to walk and exercise and have my normal life back again. It helped me with my back and leg pain and I was off my pain meds after I had the permanent stim put in. Of course, it is not an overnight process and did take awhile to have things heal but everyday I just got better and better. I was also scared going through it the first time because I did not know anyone that had it done before and at time I did not have a very good doctor. The stim has been a huge blessing for me and when it works right I dont have to use my walker or the wheel chair. I am not around as much right now because I am also trying to keep up with my college classes and my surgery is going to be scheduled after they check my heart on the ct scan tomorrow. I just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the group. Like I said, feel free to ask us questions, and you can also ask me questions too on forum or messaging. Take care and I hope that what I shared will help a little bit too 'sTara