Mark,

We are awaiting the approval of your trial. Isn't church a salvation for those of us with RSD?

To answer some of the questions I have seen Rrae and other pose, and to help you and your wife in your continued quest....

No, your ANS SCS is not a TENS unit. Your ANS SCS is newer, superior technology, let's just leave it at that. (It's too complicated to go into.)

For insurance purposes, believe it or not, an SCS is considered DME or Durable Medical Equipment or in the same category as bedpans and wheelchairs. Can you believe it? Your employer or provider of benefits will have defined eligibility guidelines under DME. Your physican's pre-surgery coordinator should be able to make a single telephone call to your insurance carrier and get your SCS surgery approved and specifically determine what your carrier will cover. This determination is important. For example, because this is out-patient surgery, it is possible that the SCS device, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist's fees, and the home health nurse's fees are covered, but the surgery center itself are not covered, or that you have a significant co-pay or deductible.

In any case, it is good to make friends with your physician's pre-surgery coordinator. Call him/her now and politely nudge him/her and your trial will magically get scheduled at your doctor's first available opening.

It's important to get your trial started as soon as possible. Your trial needs to stay installed a week, and then you will need to wait the prescribed healing time before your permanent SCS can be installed.

Once again, this is when making friends with your physician's pre-surgery coordinator will pay off. Him/her will need to work you in to the surgery schedule again for your permanent SCS. I would strongly suggest that you get the first surgery slot of the morning. You will be nervous, and you will be on an empty stomach. There is nothing worse than having to wait four to six hours while your doctor performs lots of blocks on other patients. Also, if you have the first surgery slot there is no chance an emergency can delay your surgery

I have one more helpful hint from my SCS surgery experiences to share with you and your wife. We found it helpful to have a friend from church drive me to and from my surgeries. As devoted as my husband is to my care, we found that it was too difficult for him to see me in recovery at the surgery center. He just could not cope. So for us, we have a friend who has driven me. Each of us has so much to handle as we adapt to the changes RSD brings to our marriages. This has made our life easier.

Lastly, make sure that your surgeon is the best of the best, that he is not just your doctor who has suggested an ANS SCS, but that he does hundreds of ANS SCS implants. The key to a successful SCS is the experience of your specialist. If your doctor is not the best, travel to a surgeon who is. There are doctors who pretend to be.

Please ask me for any help you need. You have a huge group of people who care for you and are praying for your relief from pain.

I well and truly appreciate your post regarding these follow on thoughts pertinent to SCS. We are surrounded by many who have prayed us through all of the trials of surgeries post wreck, as I have been in an OR 24 times so far. While I am not fond of the experiences, I have been well schooled on surgical pain and long recoveries followed by Physical Therapy, and I am ready mentally [and I hope physically] for this series.

We have made use of those offerings of help given by friends to drive me or us to various appointments. I have become used to such help as my driving has gone very much by the wayside since being on morphine.

My surgeon is one of the best of the best and comes highly recommended by numerous physicians whom I know both professionally and as friends. Don't know what more to do than to trust.

Many thanks!
Mark , oh, and still waiting........

Well, yes, I did get my JAW back in place, but NOW you've got me all because you said yet ANOTHER silly word >> ~WHIZBANG GIZMO~
and we all know how I get when it comes to sillywords........ you win the prize for the day

PLUS, a few threads ago I was thrilled to see that we have somewhat of a 'horse club' within this forum and NOW i see we ALSO have a "Musician Club" too !! Can this possibly get any more enchanting than this!! What do you play? I play guitar (not so much lately but want to get back into it)..... played in a cute little hometown band for a few years. Hopefully Skooz will Skoot on back over here and let us know what she plays. I'm a sucker for good ol rocknroll. We played country too. At wedding dances, we'd belt out some good ol' polka even! ....... good times.

Anyway, thanks for the prayers.......keep em' comin!
I never let up on the prayers!

Rae

A hippie poptart playing a guitar.........

In honor of your sillyword of the day, here's to you Mark:



PS: You should be hearing from your Doctor SOON to schedule your trial implant !

Well Howdy Rae- Oops, there I go once again with a silly word.... will I never learn? At least you put grins on my face with your responses!! So much better than a grimace from pain, don't you think? And I thought I Loved your avatar with the SNEEZE!

You already know, in prior life, I did a little bit. Goodness, you know about skiing, dancing with my wife, hiking and such. Younger years, yep, horses, dogs, milked a cow or two, fed hogs, collected some eggs for my grandmother, and such. Met my wife in college where we were both in music, jazz. She's into woodwinds, me brass and guitar. Would love to be able to attend a dance you all play, but you would have to teach us the polka. Of course you already rock.

As for hearing on the scheduling of that TRIAL?????? Maybe Scotty will be have the technology to beam me up before I have a date set. It's been a bit and folks are asking, and asking, so when.... I tell them they now as much as I do. Oh, and yes, I have called to ask When?!?

As for me, well, I am waiting......... I guess you will have to design an icon for waiting. Do you have one?

More later, prayers appreciated,
Mark56

Here's your 'customized' new avatar !

Mark....waiting for the call .......



yep, we gotta get you an avatar dude.
As far as my sneezing boy......i'm sure some folks are probably tired of seeing his head blow up......so probably need to make a change?

I've already been heckled (in a good way) about the tetris game in my signature........ lol
a fellow member here said "How am I supposed to get anything done when all I can do is stare at your tetris game!!"

Yes, stupidity does somehow lighten the pain......

Well, OK, I have the glasses, and the guitar..... so I took a portion of the Avatar art you put up for me and voila, there I am. Guitar Dude. Psychedelic. That was a word from my youth although not my experience.

Oh, and by the way,.............. still....... waiting........

Thanks Rae!

O M G ! You just catapulted yourself STRAIGHT into major 'COOL' mode!!
You are actually gonna be the hippy pop-tart guy!
Your avatar (and your SCS success) will go down in history!

Peace, man.

I just heard from my physiatrist's office, and now have the date for my Trial SCS, 13 May at 9:00 a.m. Colorado time. Prayers are being answered, and also much appreciated.

Rae, being the hippy dude since the era in which I grew up was that time frame is just fine by me, especially since I was such a "white sock" uncool person during those years. Never even had long hair.....

Also, Rae, I do remember.... have my wife apply liberal amounts of extra tape to my back to secure those temporary leads during the Trial, right?

Peace be to you all,
Mark56

So, aside from the Springtime snowfall which greeted us this morning, the calendar reminds me that tomorrow morning is the Trial implant date! I look to it with anticipation and some dread, because I am frankly tired of seeing Operating Rooms. Here's to a good event, hoping all will work in this bod of mine and maybe, just maybe, the pain meds will be replaced at least in major part by the Stim Unit!

Prayers appreciated,
Mark56