For your participation and sharing in this forum. You are part of the lifeblood of such a place as this!

Appreciatively,
Mark56z

Well, I had my doctor's appointment and hey guess what! They have gone to P.A.'s and that was who I got to see. She came in the room and said I have a terrible cold. I thought, then why are you seeing patients that have lowered immune systems? I told her of the problems that I was having and she just looked at me blankly and said she would refill my prescriptions. I told her that I was in the process of weaning off the major pain killers and was having some wicked side effects and got no response. The rep had gotten hung up in a traffic snarl on 75 and she was 40 minutes late and she actually had a few answers for me. They both told me that I needed to let things scar in more and that things might get better

So, now I have a bad cold and still all the problems.
And I get to go back next month.

I would be more than a bit annoyed w/ that P.A., my P.A. is a pain but yours i have to say is worse.

Sounds like you got your answers. I had very similar problems. When i first got my rechargeable i had difficulty making a good charging connection. as time went on it got a lot easier. maybe it was everything settling down, maybe i got better at positioning it. or both??? Also, the remotes suck batteries like crazy! I always swap out the batteries when i have difficulty programming and that usually fixes the issue. Not sure if that was your problem but 4 weeks is about all i get w/ my remote batteries.

anyway, good luck w/ your cold

Sounds like one of those appts from the cold case files, what with the traffic problems and illness and all. Gee, but glad you received some answers that seem to be effective. I forgot the length of time since your surgery, but with scarring and all, well if you are eight weeks out or so, then it oughta be going along at a pretty good clip. Even so, as I sat last night reading in a particular posture, I could feel the upper incision area and it was what I would call uncomfortable. My implant was last June 30, a while ago. I guess that is the way it is, scar tissue can be sensitive.

If you are weaning from pain meds, has the doc prescribed withdrawal symptom meds for you? Things like Librium and such that help withdrawal go more smoothly. Then after that is all said and done do be on the lookout for depression to possibly set in---- did in my case, and that time was horribly uncomfortable. Meds and counselling were prescribed for that.

Angels keeping watch over you,
Prayin,
Mark56Z

Sounds like you're getting the ol' "Brush-Off" treatment......
Seems I've been getting a taste of this myself.

I tell ya I Get SOOO Peeved at these clinics sometimes. It's obvious they just want to 'mooove the patients along' and get in as many office visits they can in a day.
PLUS, don't they COMPREHEND that the reason we go to these office visits is because we are having issues and we are asking for legitimate aide!?

They don't seem to HEAR us!! I walked around for (at least!) SIX months with a migrated lead before it was discovered.....and I'd STILL be walking around in that condition if I hadn't taken the initiative and practically BEG for an xray to see why I was having such horrid lower back pain.
It was an unbelievable sight to say the least!

WHAT is so hard in taking a better look when we come in asking something like this! It would be detrimental to your best interests to 'Let this scar in more'...if indeed the battery has shifted in the pocket site or something of the such. This may need attention BEFORE you scar in completely!!

I swear.....we mize well call in and schedule 2 appointments......the first one to just walk in and out to cover the feeble 'I think I have a witto BOO BOO'.....and then on to the more indepth one of 'HEY!! SOMEthing is not right and I need ATTENTION here!!!"
I just HATE being made to feel like I don't have a clue what I'm talking about!

......i wasn't gonna even bring my 'angry' mood out here to the boards tonite, but this is case in point of why we go thru so much frustration.

I'm sorry you got the 'brush off'.....these types of appointments are a waste of everyone's time....because if something is indeed wrong, you'll be back regardless.....and this could have possibly been rectified early on.

I'm sorry, Lisa
Rae


Oh! Sidenote - just thought I'd throw this out there..... if you've perhaps gained or lost a significant amount of weight since your surgery, maybe this could affect how your connection is differing?
In my case, I lost the weight I had gained while on Lyrica (approx 25 lbs) and it appeared (to me) that the battery was working it's way closer to the skin....but in actuality, it was just that the 'flab' was disappearing!
Other words, it seemed to me that something was 'amis' with my battery, because it was 'poking out more'.....but yet that wasn't the case. The battery was exactly where it was orignially placed.

Yup, there you are!! Figured you were here abouts somewhere!
Yup,

Time for a little :Soap box:
Yup,
Mark56

Thanks everyone for all of the support. Mark, I have weaned off of most of the pain meds, the strong ones at least, and no, no additional help was offered. I have been on some of these drugs for 8 years. I do suffer from a pretty severe depression and had to leave my psychologist last month. I have not been able to find one in this area who accepts WC as payment.

Rae, no I have not lost any weight unfortunatly. My battery does seem to be jutting out some and still moves around a little. I guess that I will just have wait for that scarring in.

Hope everyone has a good night, Lisa

Lisa, the very fact of your work toward weaning off of the more serious meds and maintaining some stability illustrates great strength. I am now six years out from my wreck, and weaned off of all pain meds as of September last. It is hard work..... hard work..... I pray for you that your process is subject to less and less traumatic pain and that your resolve and stim together will hold you up. I personally look so much to faith as strength in this time. That has been much of my rock, in addition to my wife, friends here on NT and where we live. Much prayer is lifted up every day for folks such as you and me.

Huge ZZ
Mark56

Goodness lisa, sorry you are having such a time. Ask for help or get another physician. To wean off meds is difficult. I needed my doctor to do it, and didn't have any trouble with it at all! He reduced gradually and I had minor sweating, that was it!. It just sounded like PA didn't hear you at all. Getting someone to listen is essential, don't settle for a brush off. good luck and hope you get lots of good responce from all of us. Be good to your self. ginnie ps. I did get lots of help from this site too

Thank you friends, I do have to go see my PC doctor tomorrow since this cold has now morphed into bronchitis. I have a list of questions for her. It seems to me that the sleeping issues should not be solved by taking percocet ( PA's advice).

Mark, you are certainly correct about faith. If there has been one good thing about RSD is that I have been able to go back to church on a regular basis. Before I worked so many hours and weekends that I did not have the time. My church family has been great through this, and I love them for it. Congrats on your battle off the pain meds.

Ginnie, thank you for your wise words, you have given me encouragement. I have been stepping down little bit by little bit, and am now off of the morphine, percocet and vicodine. My head is actually a little bit clearer, but not as much as I had expected (maybe I was just a little ditzy before!). Lisa