sorry i havent been around for a while. my father had a cardio cath that went badly (his heart stopped on the table) so i flew back east for the open heart surgery only to learn that he had a couple of teeth that had to be removed prior to the surgery so i came home to wait for that to be resolved, then i will try to return. in the intrem i had my cervicle scs replaced. it is believed that the really old batteries burn out when a second (new unit) is cauterized within the area. we had decided prior to my surgery that if we were going to go in and update the battery than we were also going to update all of the leads (the old lead system is far less effective). the surgery was more challenging than expected because my surgeron quickly realized that my initial doc had basically tossed a bunch of extra wiring into my spine so a bunch of scar tissue had evolved. anyway my new stim is working really well...i am just dealing with the rehab one day at a time.
just wanted to jump on and say hi and tell everyone i am sorry for not being in touch.

Oh my, Wakegirl, I am so truly sorry to hear about your father! I will for sure keep him in my prayers!! As for you geting your cervicle scs replaced, extra wiring?? OMG into your spine!!! then scar tissue had developed?! my, my.. you poor thing! Prayers being said for you as well WG!! I however am happy to learn that your new stimulator is working well! Welcome back and please post to let us know more about what is going on with your father and you!! No need to apoligize, we understand sweetie! Hang in there!! ~Love, Desi

Wakegirl,
I am so sorry about everything you and your family are going through ((hugs))
Please give your father a big hug from me.
Take care and please keep us posted if you get chance
Love
Alison

thank you everyone for the replies it is always nice to know there is some place i can go and just say here is what is going on but i am hanging in there without all of the drama...my family tries but with all the stress everyone is under because of my dad's malfunctioning ticker i feel like my timing is awful at best. anyway thanks
yeah if anyone is considering getting an scs in colorado let me know...i know 1 very good surgeon and 1 i think got his md from a cracker jacks box. i looked at the x-ray they took during my revision surgery and i literally have a bundle of wires stashed against the center of my spine. my doc said it looked like an eletrictian had wired a wall and added a bunch of extra wiring that went no where in particular thinking that if he was called in at some point in the future to do additional work the job would already be half done. it was bizare to say the least. the scar tissue was another bonus treat from my first doc..he used this sneeky clip method to secure the wiring so when they went to yank the wiring they found bundles of scar tissue around all of the clips.
i definetly learned the hard way that just because the doctor is the only one available in the area who does the procedure doesnt mean he is any good at doing the procedure. being a ginea pig is not a good idea when messing with your body.
thanks again