Glad to hear you won't have to be toting around a portable oxygen unit. If you're like me you don't have a whole lot of extra energy to use up on added and cumbersome extras.
I need to check on that sleeping gear that you use and lets both you and Cleo get a good nights sleep. I don't know if I could get my wonderful, sweet and caring Barbara to use it or not. A sweeter person, in this part of the country, would be impossible to find BUT, dear sweet Lord, my woman can out snore the best of any man or woman I have ever run across in my 68 yr.'s. She wakes up early every morn rip roarin' and ready to go and me, well, even with the heavy duty pain meds it's still hard to fall asleep.
I'll be going in to PM doc tomorrow and meet up with St. Jude rep and get my implant programmed. I mistakenly posted that I had the implant only and was sent home with no available programs. I had one program to mess with and I like the sensations I'm recieving but they're still on the right side and I need them on the left. They assured me that with the paddle in place they could get the sensations on the left side as well. I'm very optimistic and looking forward to getting the sensations over to my left side and then maybe stopping some of these mind bending drugs I'm on. If I can do that I guess when it comes to sleep I'll just have to stuff a pair of socks in Barbs mouth, clean socks of course.
Well, Gods speed to you all and may the Good Lord continue to bless you all as He has blessed me.
Larry

What good news to read you are on the edge of being Programmed!! Yup, with the paddle, there should be no sweat getting the programs adjusted to meet your every need. I am surely thrilled and blessed to have mine!

CPAP for the wife. You know? I know some pretty petite ladies who use the machinery to sleep restfully despite their husband not needing the extra air. One said it may not be the most attractive thing, but the rest thus provided for both marital partners is worth it for her. Who knows? Maybe it could be brought to your wife on a gentle perspective. Frankly, having experienced such lack of SLEEP as an apnea sufferer, I Know, without ever having spoken with your wife she must also experience restlessness.

Blessed in Great Ways in this Household,
Merry Christmas,
Blessings to You and Yours,
Prayin still,
Mark56

Welllll, a bit of a set back but He's got me covered. Went to PM doc for follow up and to meet with St. Jude rep. I told her the program they had set up the day of the implant was working pretty good BUT, I still wanted more sensation on left side from beltline, into area of left groin, thigh, calf and down to left foot. They had told me after the trial run that these areas would be easily covered with the "paddle" that would be implanted versus two electrode implant. After this last visit I had two programs that I thought were going to be better but weren't. The program that I had is now gone and the two new ones are pretty much useless and the more I tried to walk the more my head and buttocks felt like they were going to disembark from the rest of my body. After a couple of days of messing with them and having to turn the programmer off at night I now have two useless programs and have to wait till the 20th for a follow up with Neuro surgeon and another meeting with St. Jude rep. She asked if I wanted her to be at follow up with my Neuro surgeon and I'm thinkin',"lady, we've got a pandoras box here and yes I most certainly want you to be there"
Then my sweetheart Barbara intervenes during my time of losing control and reminded me it had been only two weeks since the implant and I had several weeks to go to allow scar tissue around battery, wires and paddle to form and get those pieces stableized. I've read that last paragraph six times trying to proof read it and I still don't know if it's right !
Another reason I'm a little irrate is that I'm still rum dumb from all of the morphine, etc. and I want Soooo much to be off of that junk!!!
Oh well, I've been fightin' this pain for 20 sumpthin' yr.'s so what's a few more days. I'd appreciate ya'lls continued prayers cause they do mean a lot to me and they've helped me through the worst part of this procedure. The Good Lord led me to this website after He and I had one of our fireside chats and when I read ya'lls ongoing battles with the pain demon, I felt a sence of security and support from folks that were God fearing and could actually relate to my pains and I to theirs.
Your brother in Christ,
Larry

Larry you are spot on with that observation

There is something special about this group...the shared knowledge of chronic pain,,,our faith...
OR
is there something in those dang wires and rods running thru us..
whatever it is I feel blessed to have this place to lurk, read and feel and write and all the other that goes with IT

Mark will chime in soon...perhaps he has some advice on programing.
Hope your off those heavey meds soon too.

you are in my night prayers
Johanna*

Thanks so much Johanna and it's support such as yours that is so very important to me. I've belonged to support and prayer groups that are filled with members that are filled with "here today and gone tomorrow" members. I pray that when it comes time for me to be a witness for the SCS implant that I can be as supportive, reliable and available as so many of you here at NeuroTalk have been for me.
Thanks again for your support.
Larry

I am sorry the last few days I have taken off from typing so much, but the old body needed some rest...... so, remembering the 23 Psalm, I have lain in green pastures beside still waters..... figuratively since our grass is gone winter brown and the lake on which I pilot our boat is part ice. BUT, you get the idea!

Understanding and empathy definitely in this corner regarding the need and desire to be off of the opiates. It was a work of intention supported by everyone which helped me depart the medicated many. God chimed in, of course. No good work done without His input.

In any event, I credit the whole of the effort with the reality only a very small handful of us have experienced; namely, self programming. Wrote about this at length on the first Boston Sci thread and how it was that at the time of my initial programming, I pretty much bullied my way into being allowed to program self. No threats were made or anything, but I did push home the idea I have the only effective self awareness of the impact of stim to the body...... the rep is clueless except from a "duh, well, I guess this one oughta work pretty good..... doncha think?" The image of Golly Gomer Pyle comes to mind anytime I think of a rep programming anyone while NOT allowing them to sit at rep guided use of the driver's seat.

NEVER have had a tweak or needed one since the original program. End of story. Top that with your favorite top of the line model "programmer rep of the month." It is impossible. I rest my case.

So Larry, maybe St Judes will say a prayer to their patron saint and give you a go at the controls. It is the only sure fire way to make the session worth while. Bar none.

Prayin for ya all the while.....

And Johanna? Thank you for coming alongside Larry and rendering encouragement while I was off in the happy hunting ground. You are top flight!

Blessings on all for a Merry Christmas!!
Mark56

beautiful!!!

Hi Mark and thanks for your much appreciated input. Yes, Johanna filled in for you and did a very good job I might add.
Well, I went in this morn for x-rays of my spine, ordered by neurosurgeon, and will see him the 20th. St. Jude rep. is supposed to be there and Barb threatened me with divorce if I go in ranting and raving so I guess I'll have to show some restraint. I am going to tell them that I'm not leaving the office until I'm satisfied and when I do leave it won't be because I'm afraid I'll be infringing upon someone elses schedule.
Well, thanks again for your help and I know everyone here will agree you are an assett to this site. As I have said before, I praise The Lord for your work here on this website, for people having to fight the misery of pain, and when I talked to Him this morn He said it would be okay to give my brother a pat on the back. God bless you brother
Larry

But, the credit goes to the Lord in whom all good things arise and rest. Kinda like the BEAUTIFUL sunrise I was privileged to see a couple of days ago. No one can paint like that [not even my wife and she is a blessed talented artist].

Well, if you have a good handle on my sense of HUMOR.... then I would probably assure Barb "Well, then I will change it up! I'll go in Raving and Ranting instead of Ranting and Raving!!" Followed by a knowing smile. Goodness, even just the last couple of days it has been necessary to share righteous challenge to two someones who are not part of our family for doing stuff which was off base.

All things being equal though Larry, I'll just keep on keepin on prayin you through this. Prayin all will be well,
Yup, my brother,
Mark56

AMEN, Larry! I second that notion! Mark is a treasure

It's inspiring to read the things you have shared too, Larry.
My prayers go out to you and your beloved wife.

Rae