Thank you nanc! I will try to find the grabber....it will have to be somewhere besides Walgreens since I'm boycotting them.
Other places should have it if Walgreens does, I would imagine.

I was at shopko today and saw an $800 chaise massage recliner that was on clearance for $240!! I so wish I had that money right now! I didn't try the massage part of it yet, but it was soooo comfortable!!


Since there's no money for that one (unless my hubby surprises me), so I think I'll make a few smallish pillows for my current "recliner". I only have this fold up side table that is designed to slide under the edge of a couch or bed or whatever, so I can't get it too close to the chair. Plus, it only has the table top and no other shelves. Not much room for all of those kinds of things.

Thanks again!

I am the BLAST from the past. It was kinda funny, interesting, almost prophetic how it was after my horrifically painful lumbar fusion surgeries the old acronym I had been taught, BLT- for no bend, lift, twist, was insufficient for the SCS implant since we are also not supposed to STRETCH!

Hence the new acronym BLAST. If you remember it and practice it faithfully you may find your time recovering from surgery ultimately to the grace of having your stim programmed is more easily tolerated.

NO-
Bending
Lifting
Stretching
Twisting

I added the "a" for completeness, thus, BLAST.

Another helpful item is LOGROLL. This is the maneuver by which you may less painfully arise from and return to bed. I never found a recliner helpful to me in such a recovery..... just too many pain pressure points, so I piled the pillows in our bed and reclined there.

Back to Logroll-
1. lie on your bed on your side and straight,
2. facing the direction in which you wish to arise,
3. you should be near to the edge of your bed, making sure you are comfortable not to be at risk of falling off,
4. gather your legs toward your waist while reaching under your bedside shoulder to lever yourself up from the bed into a sitting position with your legs dangling over the side of the bed,
5. using your legs and abdominals [which you should have exercised to strength pre-surgery] arise from the seated position into a standing position,
6. I was unsteady, so I had a cane nearby to reach and use while standing or walking
7. avoid having anyone [well intentioned or otherwise] reach for your hand, arm, shoulder, or BACK to try lifting you up. You must do this on your own if you possibly can, for the contact in the well intentioned "helping" will HURT far worse than using those muscles you have to get up.

Now you are in a position to shuffle on down the hall to the restroom..... and hopefully peace. Use a toilet seat elevating device [usually some form of plastic] for raising the level of your toilet seat so getting down and then up again from it is more easily accomplished. A friend or family member can purchase such a toilet seat item AND your grabber from any local pharmacy. Mine were obtained at Rite Aid.

Back to bed? Take steps 1 through 7 above and reverse them, backing up carefully to the edge of the bed, slowly lowering yourself to it, then laying back into the logroll lifting your legs onto the bed remembering to lever your shoulders back down to the bed. Then, get comfortable.

I used a washcloth.... not for cleanliness, but to muffle my screams or groans of pain, because I did not want others to feel the pain or pity me more. I took a clean white washcloth from the hospital [thank you Swedish- yes, it was paid for and allowed], rolled it up and used it as a stick on which to bite down and muffle. It was cheap and it works.

Elimination. That all important elimination....... I acquired a taste for prunes and added it to my already enjoyed dried apricots and found it was fairly helpful as a natural way to aid the BM factor when opiates tend to shut it down. You will likely not be having abdominal surgery from what I read, so you may not experience the post-surgical "shut down" of the elimination processes I learned occurs in deep invasive fusion surgeries, so you may be pretty good there.

Pain? Well, before I ever had my first lumbar fusion, I was screaming at high lung due to the pain and extremely rapid spasming which was rapidly driving my crazy with pain. The pain after lumber fusion was NOTHING compared to the pre-fusion I had known. The pain after SCS implant surgery was less in comparison to the lumbar fusion pain.... I have no "pain meter" by which to tell you how they compare one with another, but this is fairly representative. Just follow the sage advice of the other writers on here and take those prescribed pain meds as prescribed so you can stay on top of pain.

Cleanliness? I adopted a "who gives a care" approach right after surgery. Hair got dirty. Hands and such were kept clean for control of potential risk factors..... and I did look forward to the first permitted shower, but the bottom line was, "I have just had surgery, I am not on display, I do not care one whit what someone else thinks about my aesthetics, so do what is necessary." You know what? I am still alive and the cooties did not carry me off. Friends and family alike still loved me even if I was not as spiffy.
The important things took care of themselves.

You will do fine, hopefully be fine, and survial happens as pain ebbs.... THEN when you first get the working programs of the SCS the "AHHHHHHHH" factor sets in.

Oh yeah, the link- you already have it, and I apologize for the hundreds of pages, but that is what it took http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread117854.html then there is a follow up by the same name in the active thread board just below yours here.

Prayin for ya,
most effective thing I can do,
Yup

....I am on about page 12 on that thread. You are quite gifted with words.

Thank you for all of that extremely helpful and useful information. I must say, however, that I'm a bit more frightened of the recovery process now!
I'm so scared that I'm going to forget the all important BLAST. I have six kids, all at home, all helpful...some more than others. Sometimes too helpful. I usually get frustrated and end up doing things myself. I hope I can let go enough to let others help me. My mom is trying to get that week off work to come and help. If she doesn't, it will be my mother in law. I feel more comfortable being dirty, miserable, moaning and writhing in front of my own mother!

I think I will make a trip to a pharmacy to get that toilet seat. I had bought one for a previous surgery and never used it, so I gave it away. I don't really want it back...if you know what I mean. 😳

Again...thank you so very much for sharing your experiences and helpful suggestions. You're amazing for all you've been through!

Bless you!

Kymmie, don't worry too much about the recovery...you will be fine However, you do need to learn to let go and let people help. I know that is hard to do, but it is oh so necessary! It was very difficult for me to allow people to do for me since I was always the doer. Not sure if your dr will do this, but mine had me wear a binder for a while. It is like a stretchy abdominal brace and it helps to remind you about not bending etc. Hopefully you will have your Mom there, nothing like your Mom when you recuperate.

I took bird baths until the staples were removed and my husband washed my hair in the kitchen sink.

Great idea getting that toilet seat. Our seats are low so my husband had to help me up and down for a few days

That chair in the last picture you posted looks really comfy

Wishing you the best!
Nanc

Most assuredly so, as we are bound to you in prayer.
Pain of this sort, no matter the level, is generally temporary,
then the blessed peace of AHHHHHHH when the stim is programmed helps aid as a balm over the fear you felt going in to it.
Yup,

Dollar tree has them now! Yes $1. Grabbed one for my car.

Best wishes, st Jude has been great to deal with.

dear friend

your family here is the place to answer
most all your questions
depending on how "YOU FEEL IN IT "
i would give it a trial all that you would need
so YOU can do some things yourself
pillows blankets if you do feel COMFORTABLE
then please if there is a recliner being offered
and not purchasing one for yourself try it out
you must feel comfortable to be able to heal
so you won't develop chronic pain (nothing funny
about that) i think you understand i'm not a dumb
dumb with the computer it traumatized

i mean no hurt anyone

someone who cares

See I told you that we would wrap you in love and caring! We have lots of wisdom to impart upon you. You will also be wrapped in prayers and caring!
Hint for BLAST have your kiddos make you several signs to place in your bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. They can also decorate them as they feel. As to the mother vs mother in law. Just take the help where you can get it!

z

God Bless
Lord hear our prayers

someone who cares

How did you "grab" one if you needed to purchase one?

Feelin' my oats..... should I neigh?

Yup,