I am so sorry your situation is so complicated with what may well be a surgery which produced a bad result. Goodness, if you took it careful, and I was told to TAKE IT CAREFUL afterwards for many weeks, I have a hard time imagining that you did something to cause movement of the paddle, because they DO strive to tie them down securely to prevent movement. This is far more invasive than the trial as both you and I know quite well.

All I can really offer are my prayers for you in seeking to work this bad situation out to the best conclusion for you, with the end result being control of pain which was your goal all along through your careful research and consideration of the procedure. You are in my prayers, my friend.

Great BIG z from afar,
Mark56

The surgeon is avoiding me and the nurse is practically refusing to let me come in and see the doctor. Seems as if they know they made a mistake and don't want to own up to it. I don't know.

Went around the nurse and made an appointment to see the surgeon on 1/31. The solution they keep giving me is to be reprogrammed. That won't do anything! I spent an hour and a half with the rep yesterday reprogramming and it didn't change anything.

As I said to my friend, think of it as a house. You're building a house and you are trying to get electricity in the living room. The wiring is in place and electricity works in every other room. Is messing around with the wiring in the bedroom going to make the lights come on in the living room? No! The wiring has to be in place in the living room!

Same thing. If the SCS isn't set to reach my feet, changing programs for what I feel in my legs isn't going to make it reach my feet.

I don't know why I can get that, but everyone with a medical degree (except my PCP, who is powerless in this situation) can't get that.

The solution I've been given is to go be reprogrammed again in two weeks. That isn't going to change anything!

Frustrating.

Anyway, tomorrow morning (in 11 hours), I go in for surgery to have my gallbladder removed. So for now, I'm taking my mind off the SCS mess. I've turned the stimulator off and am going to focus on this surgery and healing... and then will try to deal with this mess when I am feeling better. Just wanted to update everyone here.

That your surgery goes well today and that after healling, you are able with the docs to get your SCS doing and acting as it is supposed to help you.

Prayin,
Mark56

I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to write a quick update.

Nobody can figure out why my SCS isn't working. They all are saying maybe the hardware isn't working correctly etc... but I KNOW that isn't the problem. If it was a hardware problem, I wouldn't feel the sensation, and I do.

The problem is that I don't feel it where I need it... therefore I am convinced that it is just in the wrong spot.

After weeks of fighting through appointment after appointment, we finally have a next step.

Tomorrow (Feb 8th) I am going in for a second trial surgery. I will turn my stimulator off and go through the process again. This time, it will be placed below the permanent implant. Hopefully, that will get the sensation to move from my legs (where I currently feel it) down to my feet (where I need it).

I will spend half of the trial with both stimulators running, and half with only the temporary running.

If I get relief from both, they will probably do a second implant. I don't want two of them and don't think this will be necessary. The one I have now isn't helping me in any way, so I don't imagine this will be the case.

If I get relief from just the new temporary one, they will (hopefully) go in and move my current stimulator into a new position so I can get relief permanently.

And if I don't get relief at all, I am officially out of options. Not just as far as the SCS goes, but as far as all possible pain relief options go.

So, obviously, I'm praying the trial helps tomorrow... otherwise I am out of luck!

May your second trial bring results your doctors are surely hoping to bring to you. May their hands be guided to the proper place to implant the trial leads, and once in place, may you know through this trial relief.

Prayin,
Mark56BIGZ