Hi guys! I know I've been gone awhile, but I have been exhausted! I started physical therapy on the 29th of March, and it's been pure hell!

At first, they started with the desensitizing which was torture alone, but then they started introducing the treadmill, bike and a thing called Nu-Step. The Nu-Step isn't that bad, it's the other things are awful!

When I'm walking on the treadmill, the battery moves and pinches me inside. I can still feel the paddle and it jabs me in the back. When I'm on the bike, I can't bend my knee past a certain degree, so it absolutely kills! The first day after the equipment was introduced, I was standing up and I felt a bone pop. I spent the next day and a half in bed with it elevated being very careful going between ice and heat.

I finally saw my pain management doctor last week and was asking him about the pain I was experiencing with the phsycial therapy. His only answer was that he would have them slow down. He said that they have a 6 week goal usually, but that he will let them know that I would need at least 6 months. He didn't make any decisions about his end of the treatment plan, but said he'd see me back in 3 weeks. He isn't sure what to do next, as the blocks didn't work and the stim isn't working. He did prescribe methadone and so far, it seems to be helping but makes me extremely queasy and dizzy. It also gives me terrible headaches.

Yesterday at phsycial therapy, I told the therapist (different one each time - grrrr, this is so stupid - it should be one assigned per person!) that certain equipment was casing pain - physical pain, not pain like my RSD. She tried to tell me that RSD is what is causing it, and that the paddle isn't "hurting", it's just everything is intensified because of the RSD. This pain is different, but they just won't listen. She put me on the treadmill and was playing with the speed. Well, my knee started to buckle, I caught myself with the side rails, but she put her hand on my back. I am ashamed to say that I grabbed her right around her wrist (I don't think I hurt her too bad), and reminded her not to touch me. The one therapist I had seen two days before had never treated a patient with RSD and had not treated anyone with a spinal cord stimulator such as mine.

I have rescheduled my appointment with the Cleveland Clinic until May. I was suppose to go on Monday, but I can't do it. I am so flipping sore that it is unbelievable!! I did schedule an appointment with the surgeon that re-implanted the stim and placed in the paddle for the 13th. I had to call his office because even though the Pain Management doctor had ordered/referred me to him for this surgery, he didn't place the restrictions on me and we need to know what I can and cannot do for phsyical therapy. I don't understand why the pain management doctor couldn't figure this out, but I am glad I did call the surgeon's office. They are shocked that I still am swollen real bad. They are getting me in quickly, and the good thing is that they are coming to the hospital/clinic just a few miles from my home to see me!

The MedTronics reps haven't contacted me, nor have they checked on how things are going. I had advised them that even with the changed settings done some time ago was still causing my heart to feel weird again. I feel like they have really dropped the ball on this. I have a lot of money in my ***** and have had so many problems that you would think they would check in on me. I know I could pick up the phone and let them know again, but at this point, I feel they should want to see how I am doing. I still get my surveys through email for the MedTronics Company and I fill them out very negatively. One would think they would read the surveys they send out...

On a happier note, my daughter's goat gave birth to a boy on April Fool's Day. We have named him Christmas Acres April Fool, Fool for short. He is doing great and is quite the handsome boy! He is well loved by his mom, half-sister and "adopted" boer brothers. I have some amazing pics that I will post in the next few days.

Thank you all for being so supportive and thank you so much for checking on me! At least here, I feel loved, understood and supported.