Okay, I told Rrae I would work up the gumption to make this so. Here we go with a thread which will hopefull elicit posts specific to the ANS EON Mini SCS.

I used to be a hard charging executive type zipping from coast to coast giving my best for a company that had been very exciting for me as a career. I had stayed with them 27 years. Climbed ladders. Served to the best of my ability, and thought I had arrived. Keeping fit was an imperative for me and I did much in the way of mountain biking, alpine skiing [my son and daughter were my ski buddies although they preferred snowboards], hiking, hunting [I had a skill set which was fun, mostly from the concept of tracking hard to locate and elusive quarry much more so than the end game], DANCING with my God given blessing of a wife of 36 years [I had been a wall flower for many years and finally relented and TOOK dance lessons to give this greatest of pleasures to my wife], playing sports with my family, you know like volleyball [sand court in the backyard], basketball, baseball, plus the usual array of gym equipment we had collected over the years. Short answer, I was having fun in this life I had been allowed.

Then there was this rapidly unfolding, trauma producing, and TERROR inspiring event of a car wreck I lived on I-70, a road which happened to separate me one morning from the flight I was to take to L.A. for more of that business which provided for my family. I was the car in front of a multi-car high speed roll over event which in a flash changed my life. My car became a non-musical accordion in which I sat. A friend who, unknowing, drove by the wreck said he prayed for whoever had been involved in "that one." So, I had the customary litany of stuff affect me: the concussion, the arms which were no longer doing right things without pain, and a back which produced agony which drove me to agony which pulled screams from my throat only a pillow to my face would muffle. Therein my life had changed. One moment thinking it had been good not to stop for that Starcoffee so I would not be in a hurry, the next wondering what had happened. 24 visits to the operating room later, here I am!

Now one would think in five years and so many medical occasions medicine could reconstruct me as some sort of a Borg wannabe or maybe a bionic super something. Not so! There has been pain. A movie I have watched over and over again with fun has been Knight's Tale, and one of the squires has this oh so humorous thing about telling someone else he is going to inflict "pain, such pain." I am there. Seems I must have attained a new level of education in pain. Do they award degress for this? Something honorary?

My wife has patiently accompanied me to most of my medical appointments. She is my rock [well, from a non-religious perspective] and I adore her. She has endured my screams, my guttural cries, gnashing of teeth, writhing on the floor..... all of the experiences that have driven any of the rest of you to this forum. She has been there and I am ever grateful.

So surgery after surgery, pill after pill, therapy upon therapy, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, this and that and STILL I go through this pain that BURNS and spasms that JERK my limbs. Funny, but it seems I have chronic neuropathic pain, the incidence of which is empirically demonstrable through one of those fun sessions with the EMG machine. At least we have a clue it is not all in my head..... well, not all of it.

So, this brings us to this morning. It is 29 March 2010. I sit here telling my wife I will get off of the computer right away because we go for the second meeting with my next surgeon in line, the fella who may implant the ANS EON Mini in me through that two step surgical process involving at first trial, and then the real deal.

I have been through the scared stuff. I have known and well remember the pain of deep penetration back surgery multiple times. I can do this. The EMG and MRI have been done and the surgeon will review these with me today... at least I hope he will. I will let you know what I learn.

Now to the point. It would be nice if anyone else out there has received ANS device implant work and what their experiences may have been. Was it favorable? Were there issues? Are you pleased? Is that ever present pain level more manageable now? How was it working with the ANS reps? Have you regained any of your former life, and if so in what ways?

I will share if you will. Oh, and next, in early April I get to meet with the psychiatrist to learn whether I meet the standards of an acceptable candidate. Cross your fingers or pray for me if you will.

Keeping my humor, I hope,
Mark56