Hi Fiona

Sorry to hear your still feeling quite sore. I didnt use ice packs but I do believe Ive read that others on the site have. Its not easy dealing with this pain on top of our regular pain, but it will get better. Im now 15 days over my surgery and I can honestly say the sites are slightly better. Very stiff in the morning but after some meds it 'oils' up. I do hope you can get a good nights sleep. Our husbands are terrific looking after us, unfortunately, I like to be my own boss so this fetching and carrying he has to do just isnt helping me ,(dont get me wrong he is fantastic)but I feel so redundant and so lazy, but Im told it has to be this way until all settles down ie 6/8 weeks!!!

Look forward to hearing how you are doing throughout your recovery and If I can be of any help just let me know

Take care:)

Jackie :grouphug:

My implants are on now!
 

Almost forgot to say, I'm able to have my implants on now...keeping them on low setting so as not to make things more sore than they already are. My left implant incision is much sorer than the right one for some reason. Also, have some major muscle soreness in other areas...I think this is due to the weird positioning they had me in on the surgical table. I was laying on my stomach with about 3 pillows positioned in various places under me, and my face was put into some sort of weird piece of foam. I begged for them to remove them as the best position for me to remain pain free is perfectly flat with no pillows anywhere, but they said they were necessary for doc to do his surgery. So, quite a few areas of my body (mainly muscles in neck/head area and chest area) are hurting just as bad as the incision sites. When woke up in recovery could hardly open my jaw as that surgical positioning really affected my TMJ. Seems to be getting a little looser now.

Boston Sci. rep. came in and worked with me before surgery and after surgery, before I left hospital. In this haze of pain, have to pay close attention to use the correct remote.

Any suggestions on marking them/making them different from one another so I can tell at a glance which one is cervical remote and w hich one is lumbar remote?

Maybe some smiley stickers might do the trick!!? :winky: then every time you look at them you know that with your SCS in time it will keep you smiling!!

Wow
 

Fiona! You are on already?

WOW

AS a child, I read Dr. Seuss whose twins, Thing 1 and Thing 2 wrought all sorts of havoc. Howabout paint or mark 1 on a remote and 2 on the other? Twins you know. HAH! Could even be the names of yours Thing1 and Thing 2.

Rest,
Mark56 PJ :)

Marking your remotes
 

Very easy. I used blank labels .... marked one CERVICAL and the other LUMBAR and taped them on the back.

Hope your healing goes well ;) :hug:Vanna

Oh Vanna!
 

You are going to be SOOO helpful to Fiona!
Having the TWINS!!

I SO appreciate you being here! You've had your implants for well over a year now.......so we're gonna dub you the 'Veteran' of the bunch! :grouphug:

I recall how very VERY helpful you were to me before this SCS forum was formed. We were sharing on the RSD forum.
BTW there are SO many wonderful folks over there!
Several of them have had the SCS and/or Pain Pump.

They've been my 'Saving Grace' and they put up with several of my 'rants' back when i was going thru my ordeal.......
They embraced me with a comradere~ i never knew possible.....

Blue Gel Packs
 

Hi Fiona- Reread and thought about your post. First, I used flexible Blue Gel Packs we keep on hand in the freezer for headaches, muscles aches, and applied a towel between the packs and the wounds. It helped control wound achiness.

I can't figure your fever and chills, but defer to your docs. Mine did not leave me with such an issue and sent me home chock full of antibiotics and a scrip for more they demanded I take due to over caution about infection.

My wounds were good sized and sutured closed not glued this time. Gauze dressings were applied, mandated, and a change of dressing schedule was provided so weeping of the wounds was neither a clothing nor bed issue. I am glad you are working on using a work around the care of wounds issue.

Prayers for you,:smileypray:
Mark56 PJ:):hug::grouphug:

Fever is coming down. Husband off to CVS to pick up Lidocaine patches to cut up and put around the incision sites...supposedly will help dull down the pain. I'm taking Cipro for a week, post-surgery. Having a hard time sleeping, what with trying to roll over and feeling the incisions. I put a sticky on one of the remotes as someone suggested (sorry, can't remember who did) and is helping a lot in helping me distinguish between them. I'm using a small make-up bag to keep them in as is easier to carry them both around.

Keeping the remotes' strength low right now. I can feel the batterys' placement in my hiney, and am a little concerned about their placement...feels like they're right below, if not on, my waist line. Hope it doesn't interfere with wearing jeans and such. Wonder if they'll "drop" once the swelling/inflammation goes down. The dr. said he created pockets for them to sit in, so maybe they will sink lower down once the inflammation goes down? Hope so, as I certainly wouldn't want to go through this again.

Sure am glad someone recommended that pick up stick. I don't know if I just never noticed how much stuff I drop or if I'm just dropping more now due to being in pain and on pain meds.


Dr. said I could maybe start PT in a couple of months. He said I could drive whenever I felt up to it and not heavily medicated. I am not, however, allowed to look over my shoulders while driving...is going to be difficult as I've developed a habit of doing that when I switch lanes due to vehicle's blind spots.

Gonna go and lay down. I have some of those blue gel packs, Mark, so will try those to help the incision pain.

Thanks, all :grouphug:

Feel Better Fiona
 

Feel better soon, Fiona! Those patches should help a good deal along with the gel packs. Just be careful to put them 20 min on and 20 off. You don't want to freeze that skin.

I waited on driving until off of the morphine as I never wanted to be on a witness stand saying "why yes, I was taking meds at the time..... morphine." I guess I am a fraidy cat, but safe better than sorry.

Driving now though and next Wednesday I am at full discontinuance of ALL pain management meds. This should be something to see. My surgeon, Dr. Jatana, says no patient he knows has succeeded in weaning all of the way off of the meds.

All of the best to you and your husband,
Be well,
Mark56:grouphug:

Good to hear from you Fiona
 

Hi Fiona

Good to hear from you. I hope your pain subsides soon. Im now 15 days over surgery and feeling a bit more 'myself' today. But the site of the incisions is still quite sore. Never thought to put my Lidocaine patches on them!!!! must try that one especially at night.
I have been advised NOT to drive until the 8 weeks are up. Like that I too would look over my shoulder when driving or reversing occasionally. That in itself is a major feat even without my implant.
When I was discussing my implant with my Dr he told me that he would put the battery 'below' my belt line, ie waist of jeans etc, but I dont think thats where it acutally is. I still have bandages on it, as was recommended, to curb infection and also my clothes rubbing off the sites. Like you Im hoping that once the swelling subsides that the batter wont 'feel' as obvious as it does now.
Make sure you rest as much as possible and keep up those meds too.

Jackie :grouphug: