Yellow hits the home run! Planning ahead by placing needed things at a mid level for reachability. AND [I know, never start a sentence with a conjunction] squat and lunge. Those exercises will definitely be part of the post surgical follow up physical therapy anyway. So take ahold of a friendly piece of furniture and pratice gracefully squatting several reps at a time before hand. This practice will begin to create a habit I follow to this day, and my surgery date was 30 June 2010. Lunges...... awkward but truly doable befoe surgery, reaching out with one leg and going down with the opposite knee. You can lunge all of the way across a room and back.

So YELLOW, High Five!!!!! nah, wait a minute you are still too close to surgery at four weeks our, how about Mid Five!!!! Yeah, that should feel better,
Mark56

Hey Pippy! They pretty much covered the bases! What a wonderful crew!

Try not to get too nervous as the date approaches. Keep reminding yourself of how you feel (physically) and what you hope and expect to obtain by getting this unit. As a matter of fact, here is what I did and I was glad for it.
I wrote myself a 'letter' explaining in detail of how bad off I was prior to getting the SCS. I explained every physical pain and what it was like to live like that 24/7. I explained what this did to me mentally and that I wasn't able to do things with my family. I would just sit on the couch and watch my peeps coming and going. It was heartbreaking.
I tucked that letter away because I somehow 'knew' that there would come a day when I would try to second-guess myself as to 'why' I got the unit. In case there was a 'bad' day that would roll around and I might try to convince myself that I made a mistake by getting it. Or if recovery from the surgery was too painful that I would weenie out and regret it.
Indeed it worked. I referred to the letter a few times and I know from the bottom of my heart that my life is much MUCH better now!
Sure, it seems a bit 'creepy' to have this thing in me, but as time went by I became very grateful for it. And I would make fun of it with my friends and crack jokes about it - just to keep the atmosphere light and have a sense of humor.
Now I'm not sitting on the couch watching people come and go....I have a LIFE!

Ok, enuf of the philosophical preaching

As you go thru a normal day prior to surg, just take note of your routine and make things easily accessible (waist high) on counters, etc, like the others have mentioned.
And I'm sure someone has mentioned the 'Reacher/Grabber' doo-hickey, yes?
I STILL use mine to pick up dirty socks from my twin son's rooms......not because I can't 'bend'....
..but because I can't bear to TOUCH the stinky things!!

You're gonna do just fine, I just know it!

Rae

The cornerstone time capsule concept!! Rae's Letter! I mean, how often do any of us have the forethought to write a letter to self when facing an important decision so as to later take a retrospective view with that all so valuable 20/20 hindsight. For me, it was poetry. I wrote and wrote, because there was down right FEAR while knowing AGONY as my constant NOT COMPANION but RULER.

Think of it. A patient suggested by their physician to write a pre-surgery letter to self for consideration later on. Gotta tell you, just out of the positive far reaching GOOD results in my case. I would look back on a letter I might have written to myself from my current context thinking "and YOU feared THIS?" But my case is atypical of most writers here as I am one so successful to have been able through the technology to withdraw from all pain management meds.

Mind you, when I was pre-wreck and living life large my mantra was not to even take a Tylenol tab unless that headache was just so @$%# BAD. I did not like takeing meds which would or could affect my rapid thinking and such. The wreck was about to teach me MUCH about pain management.

SOOOOOO, in retrospect, I am Blessed to have been offered SCS. I feared its implant. Following the Trial op though, I was.... like.... HOW SOON CAN I HAVE THIS DONE?!?!?!?!?! So much so the doc reminded me there have been patients who so did not want the removal of the Trial unit they failed to show for the appointment to remove the Trial leads. Can you imagine? The police had to be called in on a warrant basis to go find the patient to force the removal or face charges of theft of property, and as valuable as this stuff is, it is likely a felony varying jurisdictino by jurisdiction.

Bottom line, if you are contemplating Trial of SCS or even Permanent Implant, write a letter to yourself, or write it to Rae and hold it safe for later to compare against the realities you experience if you ultimately did decide to take advantage of the surgery.

I wish I could have had this in 2006 rather than waiting until 2010.
Yup,
A convinced user of SCS,
Mark56

Why, THANK you, Mark, for portraying me to be endowed with such wisdom
Truth of the matter is I write these 'letters' mostly because I'm a very forgetful Oaf!

Uh, Uh.
Not,
Nope,
You got da stuff, Rae, just VERY humble, and that is OK,:Blush2
Mark56

Rae, what a great idea. I wish I had written a letter describing where I was coming from and what I hoped the outcome could be. I guess I'm a little different going into the trial and subsequent implant. My life had deteriorated so much that I was excited and willing to try just about anything. I I had traveled from Ca to the east coast seeing specialists trying to get relief. My pain controlled all aspects. Looking back, I thought I was able to hide my pain from family and friends and jeust power through it all. What I was doing was withdrawing to avoid having to always back out of life or sit on the sidelines.
The meds became my companion. Like Mark, I too have almost gotten off all meds. Instead of counting the hours till my next dose I now go days with out meds. I thank God daily for the miracle of SCS.

The idea of the battery in my butt still is hard to get used to. It has become topic of many jokes with friends. It's nice to be able to laugh about it.
Sandy

You sound SO much like me! I drug my feet for 1 1/2 yrs before getting the implant because it seemed like such a creepy thing to do, but like you, I had literally tried everything (including things like accupuncture, chiropracters, supplemental therapy, and I even had a lady look in my EYEBALLS (iridology) to supposedly find the problem ) Desperate indeed.

And yes, trying to hide the pain. I discovered in hindsight, however, that despite all attempts, the pain shows in our eyes.....at least to people who know how to see it. I shyed away from friends, friends shyed away from me...
But the best thing of all is that we are able to 'laugh' about it and make jokes. I truly believe that is the number one defensive mechanism there is.l

I'm so happy to hear you speak so highly of what this has done for you