My journey to SCS
 

I thought I would start a new thread with my progress now that I am getting closer to my trial. In the past 2 weeks I have met with my pain DR. (who I LOVE) followed by X-RAYS (lots and lots of them), blood work, psych eval, MRI and am scheduled for 2 diagnostic medial branch block injections on 11/15 and 11/17 with a follow up on 11/22 to go over all test results and schedul my trial......who knows I may have an SCS by CHRISTMAS!:):):)

Good For You!
 

Great Idea! :)
Having your own thread like this makes it easier for us to 'find' you to see how your progress is coming along and to ask questions.....it's also good for YOU because you'll be able to look back on your posts and see how much your quality of life has improved along the way!

When I look back on some of my earlier posts, I realise how bad off I really was BEFORE I got my SCS! I've come a LONG way in this past year!
When we are living from day to day, we don't really appreciate how much of an upswing we are on until we go back and look at the 'old days'....:)

It would be fantastic if you could get yours before Christmas!......also in case your insurance deductibe starts over at the beginning of the year.....you wouldn't have to meet a new deductible. :p

You'll get plenty of great support around here!

Rae
:hug:

Oh it'll be exciting if you do. I'm wondering if they will allow my daughter in to take photo's of my op so that I can put them on here to help people.

prior to my accident I had a full, busy life. My accident was on February 26, 2009. I was in the hospital for a very long time and have had 1 eleven hour surgery. When I came home from the hospital I lived in a hospital bed in our living room but have since switched to a special electric recliner that has special foam to form around my body and and adjusts just like a hospital bed. I spent about a year completly blitzed on pain meds; duragesic, vicodin, valium, soma, gabapentin, lyrica, mirapex, etc. etc. etc. and I had every kind of side effect you can imagine. I was so blah all the time that I was missing my boys childhood and I was becoming desperatly depressed by both the pain and physical limitations. After I decided to stop all meds I knew that my life would become more difficult as my ability to multi task or even focus while in pain is minimal but I also knew that my ability to be cranky or "complain" was going to disappear too as I was making the choice to come off all meds. I have learned not to complain or even bring it up because it is sort of a given that I am in pain and I came to believe that I would always be in pain and would have to find a way to co-exist with it however when I am really hurting I have a REALLY hard time not being cranky and bitchy and having this forum and the ability to talk about my pain and commesurate with others who know just what I am talking about is an absolute GODSEND and has helped me feel less alone in my pain and has helped me better cope with my crankiness. I have learned so much on this forum and I thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

Twinmom its good to hear your story and that you find this forum helpful. It is amazing. Its great to speak with people that know EXACTLY what you are going through and can associate with each other.

I do hope you get an early Christmas pressie with your SCS;)fingers crossed:hug:

Hi Twinmum
I am like you hoping to have my trial and implant before xmas. it is booked at the moment for 2nd and 9th of december just waiting to make sure all paperwork is completed. when i read your post i did so with gritted teeth , i cant imagine being able to even say good morning to my kids without my pain relief so i really admire you for how you are copping with your pain. i hope you get your trial before xmas!! my hope from getting the scs implant is that i can become more part of my kids life in the playground , more hugs, playing etc rather than the spectator i have become over the last two years. my accident happened at the end of my pregnancy but kids are great and they do give us the courage to keep going to get through this.
keeping my fingers crossed you get your christmas wish to.
jenna

You WILL!
 

You will you WILL YOU WILL YOU WILL!!!! :Head-Spin:

:hug::hug:

I so feel for you. You may feel you have missed out a lot on your children's growing up, but there's a whole load of stuff to look forward to ..

We're with you (hug) xx

You all rock!!!!!
 

:circlelove:I just love and appreciate all of you so much! thank you for being an amazing circleof love,light and wisdom around me!!!:grouphug:

Rrae, you are such angel!!!

HMMMMM. Well as I expected, there are going to be some delays with my SCS trial. I was supposed to go in today for the first of 2 medial branch blocks that were to be diagnostic procedure to assist with lead placement for the SCS trial. I had to wait until this morning to call them and I will have to postpone my appointment until after I see my ortho and get my permanent casts. As I said in my other post my fractures are "non-displaced" and if they dont remain that way I will need surgery and my legs are onlyin temporary casts due to the swelling so before I can go in for a procedure I must first have an okay from my ortho and have my permanent casts. So the "waiting continue........... hang in there with me:)

bummed out
 

Well, poop!:hissyfit: i just talked with my pain doctor and unfortunately I will have to wait until my legs are healed completly before I can go forward with the medial branch block injections as they use steriods in those injections and steriods can cause delayed healing in broken bones.......... I am guessing that I just added at least 6 weeks to my wait time.:yikes: and that is kinds of a big bummer. I see the ortho today@ 1:30 and will have the facts then I suppose.......bummed out:thud:

Twinmom:hug: what a bummer indeed. Im soooooo so sorry for all that is happening to you. Its just so unfair. I hope that you heal as quickly as possible and get to that trial asap.

Yep that's a bit of a downer
 

SO SORRY!
Your body has been thru some huge trauma with what happened over the weekend......
We'll just do our best to make the best of this yes?
Priority is to concentrate on those legs healing......and to do whatever they recommend to avoid blood clots, etc.

I can't imagine ANYbody being able to actually go thru with the SCS trial with what you are facing right now......
The weeks WILL pass and we'll all still be here......so just stick with us and we'll bide the time.

Try to keep your chin up.....
We're here for ya if you just need to vent......let it rip :o

Caring
Rae
:grouphug:

I am scheduled for the SCS trial on Nov 23. I am nervous and kinda excited and afraind to hope. I had the SNB in October and it was good for about 10 days. I hope this works for bothof us as well as it has for the others in this thread.

I told my clinical physcologist about this site yesterday, and she was very impressed ... I told her I wished I could pass it on to every person who comes though the door of the Hospital I am under as you have all been, not only a huge help, but a huge inspiration too!

Hello Yukiko!
 

Welcome to this wonderful forum! It's great to have you!
I'm sorry you suffer from RSD tho! :(

It's a good 'sign' that the SNB injection worked so well for you! That's a good indicator that you'll benefit from the SCS (according to my Dr)......
I only got 1 day relief from the nerve block, but I am very happy with my SCS.
It's a good thing we can do a trial before making this big decision.!

There seem to be so many folks getting the SCS these days! It's becomming way more commonplace than it once was.

Hopefully your trial will prove very successful for you so you can get back a quality of life.
Start a new thread so we can 'find' you easier here amongst all the posts! The support here is fantastic and we are constantly learning from one another.

So glad you are here!
Rae
:hug:

Counting down the days with you xx

I have been reading and catching up on everyone. I have had family in town for the holidays and limited internet access but I have missed you all terribly. Not much has changed for me, I am still in a holding pattern. I can not move forward with my SCS trial or nerve blocks until my legs are 100% healed. My right foot is doing fine and does not bother me at all but my left leg is a HUGE nuisance, the cast sucks and the added limp it causes me further aggravates my back and I am just stuck with it for now. I hate that I will be in this cast for 10 or 12 weeks and I hate even more the fact that it hasnt even been 3 weeks yet!!! I will keep you all posted.

So good to hear from you!
 

Hi Twinmom.....its good to hear from you. Im so sorry that all isnt well with you yet. And only 3 weeks gone!! It must be just awful for you trying to keep positive and I must say I commend you immensely :hug: I pray that you will have relief from that left leg:mad: and that the weeks will pass quickly so that you too can benefit from the trial and implant....

Take care

Jackie :hug:

Hi all, I just finished reading everyones updates. I am glad to hear that Tara's surgery went well and Rae!!! you are a NANA!!!! congrats. My twins were born on November 22, 2007 and if I calculated right your grandson was born on Nov 23? which means every few years he will get to have his birthday on Thanksgiving day just like my boys. Jackie, it sounds like you have been battling some pain demons of your own lately, hang in there and thank you so much for all your positive encouragement. Irljen, can't wait to hear more about your stim and how it is going. Not much has changed for me, I have had a lot of "xtra" pain since my fall in that I have to deal with the foot/leg pain from the fractures and the all over body pain from hitting the floor hard enough to break bones! all that in addition to the normal pain and burning. I will see the ortho doctor today and have my cast replaced as the swelling has gone down and it has gotten quite loose, I am hoping for a walking cast as getting around has been a huge bummer. I will know more today about how long I will be in this cast and when I can resume the process for my SCS but I am guessing it will be after the first of the year so I am starting to focus on having an amazing SPRINGTIME with my SCS and I can hardly wait!!!!


Best,

Nikki

To Twinmom from Twindad
 

Hi Twinmom-

I am so sorry to read through your thread to see you have had so much trauma from a wreck, and then to have to wait for SCS trial until bones knit. The wait must be SOOOOoooooo difficult, but once the day arrives when trial is there, you will know, YOU WILL KNOW right away whether it is for you, right there on the table.

Our first set of twins are now 26 and great. Our second set turned out to be one survivor, but she is our last and such a blessing, our Em, at 18 and in college. You have MUCH enjoyment ahead of you, and after what will hopefully be a successful SCS, you will know life anew.

I will add you to my prayers dear Twinmom. Blessings on you,
Mark56:grouphug:

It's great to hear your update!
 

Twinmom!
Thank you for the congrats!! And WOW I did not know we BOTH have Thanksgiving bundles of JOY!! How exciting!

I have so much to say.....but I must rush out the door!

I'll talk soon!
Your positive outlook completely amazes and inspires me!!

Rae
:hug:

Mark, I so love to hear from twin parents whose kids are grown because that means you SURVIVED!!!! there have been many occasions when I think I won't! my boys are only three and have been working in collusion since day 1 and that makes me fear they day that they are 16! Thank you for your wods of encouragement and please make no mistake about me I work hard to be positive but I am human and there are many days when I am underneath it all and gasping for breath. I think that the boys have helped me look for the positive side of all of this, with every new thing they do, every new word or imaginary friend I am reminded that I NEED to find the positive in this situation if for no other reason than the difference of a few minutes on the morning of my accident in that pre-dawn for meant I had already dropped the boys off at daycare or they would have been in the car with me and I try to remember that when I really feel trapped underneath it all. As I said though, I am human and I do get down about "it" and I get angry at "it" when things come up that I can't do, you know the running/jumping/playing part of being a mommy,it gets hard to sit on the side lines and watch other people/family/friends get to do that part of it knowing I can't right now.

I do have some good news though!! I went to see my Ortho doc on Wednesday and too my great surprise they took me out of a cast and put me in a "boot" and the X-ray show that the bone is healing nicely (GO! GO! Osteoblasts!) I was secretly fearing this appointment because I was certain they were going to say: "so sorry but it is not healing and you will require surgery, etc. etc. etc" but low and behold!!!! all is going great, healing nicely and AHEAD of schedule!!!! So I was able to call my pain doc and get rescheduled (yeah!). I am now scheduled to have a follow up with Ortho Dr. on 12/15 and Pain Dr on 1/12 with my MBB scheduled for 1/17 & 1/19 w/ a follow up 1/24 to schedule my SCS trial!!!:D:D:D

Hi Twinmom
great to hear you got some good news twinmom and that you don't need surgery is fantastic news. I have two girls as well age 2 and 5 and struggle to do much with them and like you am hoping my scs will allow me to participate more in the fun things than i can do at the moment. my surgery is next thursday so will update you with all the info as soon as I can. I hope you continue to mend and i hope your not in too much pain. :hug:

Yay Twinmom
 

Praying that all will be well and that delay of your implant work will be brief.

Our idnetical twin boys are 26. They are cool.

Yeah, I remember the days of the twos and threes, what wondrous days those were. We played and played and played.

:hug:Z,
Mark56

I have a scs got inplanted 2/9/2011. Having problems use alot of voltage. need charge ever other day. Now need surgery again. hope your is doing better.
ron h

Scs
 

Hi Ron,
Welcome to our forum, you'll find some great support here but above all some good friends who understand what you are going through and what you've been through.
I had my SCS in December and I'm doing great, if you dont mind me asking, whats your next surgery for, are your leads moving? I have to have a 2nd scs put in.

Wishing you the very best
Sophie

Welcome Ron!
 

It's good to have you! I hope you stick around. We grow so much from one another.
What type of SCS do you have? I might have a couple ideas to toss your way cuz I recall having similar issues....
Sure wish there were a way to avoid another surgery. You've only had your unit 3 months
Hope to hear from you again

Rae
:grouphug: