That is cool, Treca! Our youngest son is just a few months back from deployment, is Army, out of Ft Bragg. He and his wife are now expecting our first grandchild. Everyone is excited for sure. It is great the Army brought your hubby home for the surgery. Help is important as you recover, because you are quite limited in what you can do. Gee, we have a friend who is CPO in Seals and they brought him home early when his wife miscarried. The service cares, and when they can, they try to help their people. So our thanks to you and your husband as well.

Now to log rolling in order to get up. Since you are having paddles installed, and if you have not had heavy back surgery before, this will be a new experience. For one, they are likely to do a laminectomy, removing part of the lamina which lie along the spine so as to expose a route to guide the paddles into the space for securing. Now as I recall you are looking at cervical implant, whereas mine was lumbar. My laminectomy was mid-back, around T8-T9 and, well, when folks take bone out, it makes for a bit of pain.

Depending on where they implant your control unit, since cervical, they could go for a chest, low armpit, or route your connecting wires to a pocket on your hip or tummy, all of this should be fully discussed with your surgeon. All questions answered, taking into account the clothing which you wear where and how, like the waistline area being sensitive, just as an armpit location could be troublesome with underwear. A friend had it implanted for face pain, and the wires were routed to a pocket in her chest, and she accomodated by saying she would just watch the neckline of clothes she wore thereafter.

My control unit is implanted just below my waist in my right hip area to the rear a bit, so with the paddles in the middle of my back, I had an upper incision, a lower incision, then the route they made under the skin to lay in the wires connecting up all of the works.

I have previously had fusion surgery work twice, and it hurt like heck recovering. The mere act of arising from bed was torture because it seemed as though I was pulling my body in half [of course I wasn't, it was just the disturbed muscles complaining], so I was taught the log roll technique of getting up. I tend to sleep on my left side facing the wall on the left side of our bed, so rolling that way as a log with my legs straight was not a terrible issue. Once oriented facing the wall, the trick was going to be levering myself into a sitting position with my legs dangling appropriately over the bed. So, laying on my left side I drew my legs up toward my chest so I approximated a seated position although laying on my side, then my legs were very close to the edge of the bed. Using my arms, I levered myself up as my legs dropped over the side, and VOILA', I was sitting.

Then you use leg and gut to work your way into a standing position. I doubt this will be the problem for you that it was for me with your surgery higher on the trunk of the body. Anyway that is the technique. They should teach it to you in recovery so you can get out of bed still hooked to the IV, if you have one at that time, and you can hold the IV pole to steady yourself as you start to talk walking steps slowly, steadily and surely. Everything is slow at first, everything. Pain will be an issue. Easy steps make for less pain. Once you begin walking more steadily, then you will be proving your ability to move on through recovery either to discharge and home or your room, if you are going to be kept over for observation. I was sent home at the early evening after having arrived for surgery around 6am that morning.

Once you have either the trial or the permanent implant, at first taking movements slowly is key. I was told at trial to be VERY careful with movement because the leads were just sutured at the skin and very well taped to keep them in place. They did not want the trial/temporary leads to wander or be pulled out, so I was told to take movement during the trial carefully.

Rae's suggesting a reacher is good. Having a body pillow against which to lie in bed is a good thing. Doing walking was for me a good thing during the trial. Using the control, which, by the way was EXACTLY the same style remote control I now use with the permanent Boston Sci implant, was important to experiment with the programs I was provided. So much to think about, to test, try. Mostly I was told DO NOT REACH above my head so as not to cause migration or pulling of the trial leads, then after permanent implant the paddles.

Your doc is going to give you LOTS of information regarding Trial and Recovery. After Trial, the removal of the trial leads will be a very easy tug on the wires which protrude through your skin after the sutures have been clipped, then it will be, as it was for me immediate return to the pain which had been blissfullly controlled during trial by the trial implant. How I hated that moment. Pain was resumed, the very pain which had made me a candidate for the procedure.

ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS are VALID. You are in a safe place here. Ask away, knowing we will support you and your husband through this process, oh, and by the way, I hope to be able to resume dancing with my wife, as we danced for years after FINALLY consented to lessons to satisfy my wife's desire for dancing. It became such a shared fun for us that we went to dnaces and balls all over the place. My wreck took away the thrill of the dance floor for me and I look forward to resuming it [even though courtesy of nerve damage, I feel nothing below my knees].

I offer you my prayers Treca. This will be a blessing for you in my hopes,
Mark56