A quick background.....

About 6 years ago I started suffering from severe pain in both knees.
Assuming that this was because I had overdone it on a treadmill, as I had the goal of walking 100 miles a month. Over-ambitious, Under-intellectual. I had just turned 40 and was attempting to 'get in shape'.

All the medical focus was on the knees, since this is where the pain was.
As time went on, the pain began radiating outward and ultimately consumed both legs and this became my NIGHTMARE.
To this very day, I do not have a solid diagnosis. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with my knees. I did, however, suffer from a hand fracture shortly before this all began.
My medical record chart states that I suffer from 'Bilateral Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy/Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, also referred to as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy in both legs.'

Through the process of elimination......test after test after TEST, autoimmune issues have been ruled out. Procedure after procedure after PROCEDURE, all forms of therapeutic approach proved unsuccessful. Thus, I became a candidate and subsequently a recipient of a Medtronic dual-lead percutaneous Lumbar Spinal Cord Stimulator as of February 24th, 2010.
This device proved successful in eliminating approximately 75-80% of my level 8 pain on the universal pain scale. Thus I was able to be tapered off of the highest dose of the very potent opioid therapy Fentanyl Patch. During the course of this very frustrating, disabling pain battle, I suffered bouts of severe depression/borderline suicidal ideation.

This is my background in a nutshell.

This is NOT to say that the SCS has been a Silver-Bullet cure.
I still contend with breakthru pain, 'good and bad days', psychological fluxuation, set-backs, and overall challenges on a daily basis, as do most chronic pain sufferers.
The spinal cord stimulator is a full-on commitment requiring ongoing maintenance and attention. Yet, as in my case, I am grateful for this unit because my children have their 'mom' back, my husband has his 'wife' back, my job has it's 'employee' back, and I have my 'sanity' back.

This forum has become my 'safe-haven' and I am grateful for each and every person I have met and become close with. There is an essence here that can only be understood by those who also have pain. This forum allows me to live out a part of my life that only few can truly comprehend. The type of pain we share is usually not 'seen' by an onlooker. We suffer a pain I refer to as a 'Silent' iniquity and despite the love and concern of our family and friends, even they can not grasp the full scope of what this is like.

.................................................. There! I've spouted enough for one day.
Now that I have a thread of my own, I can continue on, with the current challenges and confusion I am facing. But for now,.....I've got to go feed meatballs to my favorite plant......