Dr.'s office called today and my surgery for my cervical and lumbar SCS's is Aug. 19. His nurse said he can't get enough surgery time till then. Seems I'll be needing more surgery time than usual due to getting two SCS's. By the way, they are also Boston Scientific, so I'll get to join Mark in the "bionic butt" club.


The surgery date seems so far off. At first I was very bummed, but I decided that I'd rather wait for the right doctor to do it at the surgery center he feels is best for me. I believe in God's timing for everything, so will try to patiently wait until then.

Fionab: so glad to hear you have a date. I hope the time goes by quickly! Visit us here often and we'll help you get to Aug 19th! msdilbert2

Dear Fiona, I am so happy for you that you will be joining our club of bionics on Aug. 19!!!! Now here is a nice bit of trivia for you as you approach that wonderful date---- Aug 19 is the 37th anniversary of the wedding of Cleo and me. I know it seems such a long way off, but WOW that is neat to share such a date with you!

Will be praying for your comfort in the interim as you wait, and as you aptly stated, having the right medical team in the right surgical center is optimal for your care and recovery!!

ASAP
Mark56

I am so excited that you have your surgery date Fiona .
I have my stim for my face . on the 30th of this month it will be 8 years without any problems ..and AWESOME pain management this stim has given me back my life !
So Aug is a special month I see you have your date and that same day is Mark and Cleo's anniversary... 37th no less wow. !! Cheryl has her date for final implant Aug 5th and ...My 25th wedding Anniversary is Aug 24th.
we should have an online celebration all month long lol.
Sending prayers for you Fiona. and of course like msdilbert2 said..we will help you pass the time ..waiting is hard!
Congratulations on the date! are you going to name yours?? Mine I call T-REX.lol a story for another time .
Positive energy and blessings to you .
PEACE
BMW...Tina

That'll be a special day for both of us, Mark. Hopefully by then you'll have some good advice to give me on how to handle things post-surgery. Unfortunately my husband has a week-long business trip just 3 days after my surgery and he has to go (has been planned for a long time). With no family or friends around locally, I'll have to fill the pantry and make sure I'm stocked up on pain meds. and goofy movies to pass the time. Maybe it's better that way...I'm a real cranky pants the first few days after a surgery, so maybe it's best to leave me alone

Seems like there's a few of us that will have SCS anniversaries in Aug.

What's with the naming thing? I must have come in on the end of that discussion. Do we get to name them?

I'm counting the days till surgery. I keep reminding myself how, during the trials, I temporarily was blessed and remembered for a while how good it feels to have less pain...that's what I'll focus on.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support

Hi Fiona-

Having help in your home post surgery, especially if out-patient will be a big thing in securing your more immediate recovery. My wife, our children, friends from next door, and our church have been invaluable in allowing me the means to rest and have a helping hand in progressing through this.

You are pursuing that double SCS implant, cervical and lumbar, so the intensity of your experience is so likely to be more keen. Taking all of those "baby step" moves such as mere getting out of bed using the barrel roll variant the hospital staff will teach you is so important as you go slowly and carefully. Making sure your leg strength is up to par presurgically is important for getting up and down from bed, up and down from toilet, and other things we take for granted. Walking as much as your doctor allows pre-surgically will enhance that all important core strength. If you can get into a therapy pool and exercise under their watchful care for building core strength pre-surgically would be a plus, especially since you have time until Aug 19.

Getting clothing on hand that is easy to open from the front and is soft will be helpful, since you will be doubly affected. I have on hand nice soft pairs of sweats I can pull over legs and something loose to wear up to that buttons up front. Of course, a soft front open robe will help around the house at first will help. Your strength will begin to return in baby steps as you take slow care to restore post-surgically.

Prunes, the prune club, remember? You are going to want to stock up on prunes and use them throughout this trek if the morphine/opiate meds have messed with you before hand. The more regular you are, the more likely to return to use of those all important functions post surgically. Everything will slow down due to the anesthesia on top of the pain med regimen you have followed pre-surgically. Everything. Urination was kinda slow to return, and it took longer. The bowel function is rumbling now, and flatulence is occuring, but still awaiting the main event, hoping it will not be as painful as was the case after my prior lumbar surgeries. One thing we did for prior lumbar surgeries was install a raised toilet seat with bar side handles in our restroom so I could more easily make the maneuver to use and then get back up. I found this one did not require the install, since I prepared so heavily beforehand..... maybe.

If you can have a trusted someone to look in on you or to whom you may reach out, you may feel a lot more comfortable, cranky or not.

The naming thing came up between BMW and Calewark as best I recall, and came about because of BMW having the first in U.S. Trigeminal Neuralgia install for face pain; thus, they came up with T Rex as BMW's "friend." She and Calewark have pressed the naming idea as the means to acknowledge that wonderful relief known now by BMW for a good many years. It's fun! Settled on mine as P.J. for Praise Jesus as BMW suggested, a thought that was first on my mind as I stood in our family room crying after Cleo, my wife, asked how I was feeling during the first few days of the trial and I recognized I had no pain. So P.J. for me!

I hope and pray your preparation for this new life adventure will bring you ultimate peace and comfort, and that the days between now and Aug 19 will see you fully ready to attend to your post-surgical needs.
Peace to you my friend,
Mark56 P.J.

Thanks Mark, for all that great advice. The good news is that my husband has been able to get out of his business trip so he will be here to help me post-surgery. Have to admit I was rather apprehensive about doing it solo, but have done it before (after my fusions, etc.), so was trying to focus on getting myself thru it (with the Lord's help), rather than getting bummed about my husband going on travel again. But all is working out.

Now, as far as a name...hmmm...with having 2 implants...how about "the twins"??? Any suggestions?

So glad, Fiona, that your husband will be able to remain home/nearby to assist. It really is important to after surgery care!

The Twins, I love it! Especially since we have twins in our family. You have my vote for the Twins!

May all be well with you!
Mark56

I'm sorta' leaning towards "the twins" myself, unless someone has a better idea. My husband thinks we're a little strange , naming our devices, but I think this is an insider joke, if you know what I mean.

Hope you're feeling better today. I'm pondering going out and getting a raised toilet seat....maybe I can do like I did when I bought my shower seat and pretend it's for a sick relative I have a bedpan that goes under the bed and my husband jokingly calls it my "scottish skidoo". He uses any chance he can to make jokes about my being Scottish. Wow, we do share some rather odd things on this forum, don't we

Mark...have been meaning to ask you and keep forgetting, where in Colorado are you? I lived in Denver for a while, some years ago, with YWAM. Beautiful country out there.