Treca hope your surgery went well for you today and that you will be back on here soon enough to let us all know how you get on.

I too have an ANS St Jude stim in my lumbar area. The reps are fantastic and Im getting tweaked again tomorrow yay!!!

Keeping you in my prayers

Jackie

OK guys...remember in the beginning of my story I said I'm a rare bird???....Boy I never knew how true that was until I got on the table and my doctor started the trial...this is how it went...I pray that this doesn't happen a lot and I was told it does not...

So she gives me the feel good stuff and I'm feeling fine and then she has to numb me up. I swear the needle going in your back to numb you was just as painful to me as what she had to do next. I'm not going to sugar coat this because I want people to know the truth about my procedure. So after that she prepared me for every step of the way like I asked her to because I didn't want to jerk. She inserted the first lead and there was pain, pain, pain to the point it made me ball like a baby. Now, I know that everyones threshold for pain is different but I guess mine is really low after all these years. So she got the lead where she wanted it and my programmer did his thing...lol...lol...well I didn't feel stimulation in my cervical area I felt it in my fanny down to my toes. Don't get me wrong it was a wonderful tingle that I loved!!!! It was just in the wrong place.!!! So she tried again with another lead and had pain pain pain while she did it and then my programmer did his thing again...yep WRONG place again this time I got the tingle in my fingers. So to make this story shorter she tried to more areas in my spine and the both last times I didn't feel a tingle when my programmer did his thing. This time both times my right arm moved and jerked on it's own and I had no tingle. Now know that when the programmer did his thing I felt no pain at all which was a nice break. It got to the point I was praying for it to be my programmers turn......lol...

After readjusting the screen that she was watching my spine on she decided to try a different angle well that didn't go well at all because she got half way where she needed the lead to be and I was just to tight in the area that she needed to pass to get there. She tried 3 times and by this time I was hurting badly and had a horrible headache from my forehead being down on the hard table. I was on the table for a long time from 2pm to 5:15pm. So after that she pulled all the leads out and after talking with my programmer and getting the OK from me first(she knew I was hurting and tired of being poked with the needle so that she could numb me all over)she told me that instead of going through my spine since she couldn't get the needle up high enough because it was to tight for the smallest lead to pass that she was going to place the lead directly where the majority of my pain was and that she was going to need to poke me again with the needle to numb me up. See I am not 50/50 my left side hurts more then my right. It's more 80%(L) and 20%(R). She and the programmer thought it would be a good idea to see if we can get me relief on the worse side and if I get relief that way then we can do it permanently like this and I don't have to worry about it going up my spine. I said well let me ask you this first...Since you have to stick me again can you give me more of the feel good stuff???...She laughed and said absolute. I'll give you enough so you barely feel the needle and the rest of what I have to do and it will only take 30 seconds for me to get it in and ready to use. I said go for it I had spent 3 hours on the table already and if she was willing to do that for me then I was staying put and let her figure out a way to make this work for me. So instead of the "regular"SCS I have a Peripheral nerve stimulator. Since I have this I don't have to worry about turning or twisting and I do not have to worry about infection so much because it's just under the skin and right where my pain is. I can lay any which way I want to and the only thing I have to worry about is having it yanked about because of the extra slack in the cord. My whole back is taped up and secure so that sucker isn't going anywhere unless it gets jerked out by accident so I'm being extra careful with that.

So as to how it feels...I don't feel any pain where my lead is(I only have one at this time) and I barely feel pain where she stuck me with a needle and threaded those leads up my spine. I have 5 different programs and I have found that not all of them are great but there is one that I really love. Also, with my doctor doing it this way it actually feels like I have TENS unit under my skin and it is not the same tingle feeling I got in my lumbar area when they where trying to find the right place in my spine with the leads.

Another wonderful thing is that my body will feel the stimulation for a few mins. and then it's as if it gets use to it and I no longer feel the stimulation BUT I don't feel the pain either !!! I talked with my programmer last night and I told him about what I was feeling and he said that is a rarity and that if that happens I am one of the lucky ones to have that affect. So needless to say I'm praying to God that he will grant me this ability to not feel the tingle and not feel the pain as well.

My trial will last for basically a week. I go back Feb. 1st to have the lead removed. I pray I keep getting the good results I've been getting. I seriously thought I would be hurting a lot but I slept very well with the unit on at a low setting and I'm feeling pretty good right now. I think my back is just a little sore from being messed with so much.

Now I know that some maybe thinking...Well, does she find it worth all that trouble, hours on the table, and all that extra pain??......and my answer to that at this moment is a resounding YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!! Now grant it it's only the first day of the trial but I am optimistic.

Wow, that was a long thread but I wanted you guys to know exactly what happened. If you have any questions please ask away. Right now I'm off to go chill out and lay back down. I don't want to over do it just because I'm feeling good.


Big 's to all of you!!! Thank you so much for all your well wishes and prayers!

Treca

Wow Treca thats some story. THREE hours on the table sounds a lot of pain alright. But you are so brave to go ahead and do the next phase especially after having all that prodding done to you already. I didnt find the actual trial too bad when I had mine done. It was numbed up and then the lead was put in and the tingling started. BUt it sounds great to think that you have no tingling but yet the pain is gone!!!....sounds a bit like the one that Jenna had done recently. She has no buzzing whatsoever and no painfantastic, apparently she is the first person in Ireland to have one of these devices.

I hope you continue to have painfree days Treca and that this trial will be worthwhile and that when you go back you will be able to get the permanent one put it. This looks like it could be the start of the rest of your pain free life.

Keep us updated as much as you can, and also take it easy too

Jackie

WOW!! When I was on the table, I was 'knocked out', awakened only for the testing the stimulation placement, then knocked out again. I am SO glad it seems as though it is working for you in the end....... because that is the goal and what truly matters. It is a very good thing you found one program that you love, because you're rep will be able to find similar programs to that particular one to try on you as well.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I remember being that happy when the stim trial worked for me. If you end up getting the permanent stimulator, the day you receive that will make you feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

Best of luck!!! Vanna

Well, at least you are getting some of the feel of the stim in your trial..... but what a TRIAL putting it in there! Yep, I was awake throughout the trial insertion, testing, programming and all of that, but then the space down in the middle of the back where mine sits may be a bit roomier than where they were trying to place yours cervically.

Sorry they could not get it where it belongs, BUT if it works, you may have placement similar to face pain placement, just under the skin.

Better let you rest a bit,
More later,
Prayin it works well,
Mark56

OK first let me say I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING!!! My son got really sick and he had to come first but I'm here now and feeling fantastic and my son is now a lot better so now I have the time....

So Day 2 and 3

I was a little bit more sore and I expected that and spent about 3 hours sitting in the living room with my family each day and then I had to go lay back down because my body was letting me know it was time to go lay back down and so I changed my program and was feeling good again. Around early evening I would be feeling up to moving around again and I was able to help with dinner but after that would have to lay down again but the pain I was feeling was just the soreness from the procedure and NOT my regular pain which was so nice.

Day 4 and 5

I have been doing sooooo much better on these days and today I'm feeling fantastic I feel no soreness from the procedure and I feel no pain from my regular pain. IT'S SO AWESOME!! :-) It makes me so darn giddy and I'm hating that I have to take it out on Tuesday To be honest though even though I ADORE the unit it is a BIG PAIN IN THE FANNY! It constantly gets in the way and having to make sure you don't get tangled up and etc....has driven me bonkers!...lol...so that is the only reason I'm ready for it to be gone but I KNOW I will get the permanent and I'm sooo excited because I have had such wonderful relief and NO BREAKTRHOUGH PAIN AT ALL!! WOOT WOOT!! I think there is even a chance that I can ...hold your breath....GET OFF MY MEDS!!!!!!


My rep has been so WONDERFUL throughout this whole process and has called me everyday to check in and just chat. He is a wonderful family man and he "gets" our family and our goals and that makes all the difference to have someone on your side and that understands your needs. He has made me feel very comfortable and has reinforced in my mind that this was the best decision for me and I'm glad I didn't tell my doctor no while I was on the table and told her to just continue to see if it would work. I have a wonderful team. I really do.


I don't know if my healing time is faster then the "regular" SCS implant since mine is not in my spine but it hasn't been bad at all and I was very surprised by that and my recovery has been going great.

So now that I'm feeling awesome and no longer in any pain and my son is finally on the mends I'll be able to keep up with you guys! LOL

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes they mean so much to us ALL when we go through these stressful times.

Big 's
Treca

Trecalovely to have you back again here with us. Im sorry to hear that your beautiful son was ill but thankfully he is on the mend.

AND WHAT ABOUT YOU!!!! its fantastic to read your post with such positivity.....Im so glad that you have found the SCS to be of benefit...Its amazing how it can help with such chronic pain that we have suffered for many years. Im sure once you have the permanent one you will be UP UP AND AWAY......I hope thats not too far away either!

Take care of yourself

Jackie

Treca, I am SO Glad you had a positive experience with the stimulator! I know that elation you are feeling and I remember asking people to pinch me because I thought i was dreaming. I could not believe anything could help me after years of suffering.

Enjoy your 'giddiness' as I am sure everyone around you will

WOOOO HOOOOO !!!!!!!

Likin it, Likin it a LOT, especially the parts about days 4 and 5!! That is the way my trial went, and I was especially certain of two things..... First- I wanted the real McCoy for sure and for certain, and Second- I dreaded going back in to have them tug the leads out so I could wait for the full implant.

Happy for you Treca!
Mark56

I hope you are doing ok.....Today is the day they remove the leads, am I right?
I was overjoyed that your trial went so well for you! I just LOVE hearing these success stories!
I hope you don't have to wait too long to get the permanent installed.
Also I pray that your pain doesn't come back too intensely once your trial leads are taken out.

I've been praying for your son! I sure hope he is feeling better.
It sounds like you've been thru so much during all of this and your precious son was sick. I know how hard this is on us parents.

Wishing you the best, dear Treca!

Rae