Hi Mark,
You make a good point but bureaucratic nonsense is all over the world. The funny thing is, every year (except this one) for the last 10 years or so we have gone to the US and I usually have a list for Walgreens from family, friends and myself for the over the counter Tylenol PM, Iprofen (sp?) and some of those baby products for my nieces and nephews that you simply can't get in Europe. I'm also aware of friends in Ireland sending folks in the US the likes of Nurofen Plus (paracetamol and 30mg of codeine) which you can buy over the counter here and in the US you need a precription for them. Thankfully though they have clamped down big time on that drugs availability over the counter and believe you me that's a good thing, there are so many people addicted to this drug that it has become a massive problem. It's almost as bad as an addiction to cocaine and there is no treatment for it, it's not recognised in the same way as addiction to opiates! There you go. If we had the FDA standards here it would never have made it to the shelves!

You're sick of a two horse race, democrats and republicans.... they're all the same no matter what way you look at it, there are a few good ones but most of them are not in Politics for the right reasons.

We will fight to live another day!

Sinéad xxxx

Hi, I am a newbie to this forum. I had spinal cord stimulator put in July 2008. I have been dealing with chronic right shoulder pain for 6 years now. A few months ago I started feeling random zinging, some really intense...to the point that it would effect my right leg and even my ability to talk. It looked like I was having a seizure sometimes. I figured it just needed to be adjusted, it had been about 6 months since I'd adjusted it. Apparently, my lead had short circuited. I had a wire lead. I just had the paddle lead and laminectomy. I was warned it was going to be a lot more painful than the original surgery, but MAN is it painful. I'm freaking out because I am feeling worse pain on the right side of my neck/ back/ shoulder blade and am having a hard time telling the difference between my shoulder pain and surgery pain. Any ideas how long this surgery pain will last? I am dying to get back to my regular self and to stop hurting so bad. Thanks for your help!

Hi Maggie .. and welcoem to the forum.

I'm very interested to hear about your laminectomy/paddle lead, as I am due to have one in October/ish this year.

I didn't find the other surgery painful at all so am wincing a little at the thought that this is going to be worse?

Mark .. where are you? Now this guy will have all the answers.

He says having just come in from a nice mountain bike ride on genlty zig zagged hill pathways and paved surfaces..... taking it easy you know. At least it felt good, but since my feet don't cooperate well, I had to adjust the pedals to keep the tread of my shoes on the pedals. Learning... still learning...

Laminectomy...... a surgery to remove the lamina or a portion thereof [rather as wing like structures to either side of your spinal column for the protection of that all fragile and tender spinal cord]. I experienced laminectomy BOTH for the sake of a much earlier fusion surgery and the 2010 implant surgery whereby the paddles were implanted at my T8-T9 position for the sake of enabling pain management regarding my lower body, waist down raging pain. No doubt, Maggie, in your shoulder care situation, a higher implant may have been made, but the pain profile will be similar.

I was sent home the same day as my implant surgery; now, this is major back surgery, mind you, but in the US with high medical expense balanced against miserly insurances cross referenced against highly increased risk of infection manifesting while in patient at most any hospital, I was urgerd, "will you PLEASE go home!" This after I was told, I would be kept overnight.... go figure.

Nevertheless, I determined my bed beckoning from home would be OH SO MUCH more comfortable than a hospital bed [I have experienced those so much, I want to avoid them forever]. The answer "Not so much." I hurt just as badly at home as though I had been in hospital. The first four nights were plain miserable, but at least I had my favorite body pillow over which to through my leg as I sleep better on my side, and the side which received the hip incision for the computer/battery unit was thusly elevated. A good fit..... although it still hurt.

I was sent home with surgeon prescribed surgical pain meds and sleep meds to ADD to my pre-surgery regimen of pain management meds. The effect was to KNOCK me OUT. Kinda hard to recognize the pain if one is drugged to sleep. Mind you, I was already on Morphine straight, Neurontin 3000mg, and Restoril 30 mg. Sleep, sleep, sleep [reminds me of the Wizard of Oz and the poppy scene].

Bottom line on bad surgical pain was about 5 days full on pain, but this did begin to abate at that time, and I began to consume less of the post-surgical pain meds until discontinuance altogether in the early second week post surgical as I continued the pre-surgical pain management meds. My unit went live with the programming session on the two week anniversary of my implant and I soared into heaven at the relief. Next was the complete withdrawal from my pain management meds over the course of the following two months, followed by a deep bout of depression [not unexpected totally given what I had accomplished], but it was handled promptly with counselling and anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds.

REMEMBER BLAST [no bend, no lift, no Stretch, no twist] following surgery for as long as you can stand it...... your surgeon will prescribe physical therapy to assist in integrating those features of your body movement over time. Also make use of logroll to arise from bed, depending on where the computer unit was implanted. Since I am T8-T9 paddles, wires between, and another incision in right hip for the computer/battery unit, I HURT all down my back. Be kind to yourself, look for a week to notice pain abating, look for a couple of weeks for surgical pain to really become far less noticeable, and then probably only at the incision sites. Keep incisions clean once you are allowed to bathe so as to avoid infection [I had a NASTY infection at the implant site of the wire leads from my Trial surgery..... you know pus, the works right there at the on ramp to the spinal highway to my body- doc jumped on that right away].

You can do this. All will be well. While results are different for everyone, I manage my pain [lumbar and legs] fully with my stim unit and my trusty cushion. I am about to return to employed work. In the meantime I invented a cushion for folks like me and got it patented and now sell it bunches of places, I volunteer providing a caring presence to those around my community who either are ill, enfeebled, or jobless so as to help them find restorative self esteem in regaining meaningful work, and I LOVE to sing praises to my Lord in church [did a rendition of Amazing Grace yesterday]. The spirit is willing, the body is a lot different than it used to be, so my days alpine skiing are finished I am sure, but there are many other things one can do to bring benefit to the world about them [writing a book about my experiences...... that is taking a while].

In prayer and caring for you, Maggie,
Mark56