Dear Sinead- Going into my long history of surgeries since the wreck..... all 28, I learned each was a careful step in hope the issues would be addressed without the need for more. The 6 January 2006 first deep invasion of my spine for discectomy/laminectomy/fusion was emergency and related to my body's descent into cauda equina syndrome as my body was shutting off every thing below my waist, even elimination while the pain was so so horrific that all I could do was scream myself unconscious [holding a pillow to my face to muffle the screams for my family]. You know the rest of the story from there, that ultimately with the spine corrected, the nerve was nevertheless permanently damaged... leading to more surgeries and at last the bliss of SCS implant. Oh my dear friend, I hope your path on this road is shorter than mine, that your handling of pain is easier, and that your doctors focus on YOU so as to relieve you as quickly as possible.

Prayin mightily,
Mark56