Hi Gerry, I went and had a normal X-ray, the leads are both in place. I noticed the SCS had started working again about 3 weeks ago. I was unable to charge the unit last week and it ran down, pain score went to a 9, managed to charge the unit and the pain went back down to 3-4. So I know the SCS when fully charged is working. I'm just having trouble getting the paddle to link & connect to the battery to share the charge.

I placed the paddle charger on a different power source yesterday afternoon, got it fully charged and then tried to link it with my battery last night. It connected and I got some charge across, so turned the SCS unit on, then the paddle stopped working so I turned the SCS unit back off, linked the paddle to the battery again and this time it held the lights and the charge was shared. I turned the SCS unit back on again before I went to sleep. I managed with some fiddling this morning to share the paddle charge again to the SCS unit. Maybe the battery has turned slightly in its pouch (in my butt) and that's why the paddle is having difficulty sustaining the lights to share the charge.

I don't take Valium often, I'm prescribed it for the debilitating panic attacks I suffer. I have on occasion used it to help with the headaches and once or twice used it with the temgesic to help get my back pain under control. The xanax has only just been re prescribed & I won't take them both together. While I'm taking the xanax I want need the Valium. The reason why I don't like xanax is it is highly addictive and I've been dependent on it before about 5 years ago. I still believe when I stopped taking it cold turkey it's what caused the grand mal in 2012. Yet ironically it's what I'm prescribed now to prevent a seizure...

I'm sorry you suffer with daily muscle spasms in your upper limbs, life it's pretty damn hideous with muscle spasms and you have so much else going on. I often wonder if our dearly beloved husbands faced what we face on a daily basis if their pettiness would become less so.

I read an article yesterday a bill has been presented in parliament to prevent GP's prescribing opioids for acute pain. I can't see how that will work in the long run, when do they determine the acute is no longer acute but chronic and how does the individual function without pain relief for acute pain. I can see their reasoning behind it but feel it's going to cause more angst. Maybe the bill should be a GP can only prescribe opioid for acute pain 3 days maximum. I think there is still a huge disconnect between providers understanding exactly what is chronic pain and how it's not in our minds, additionally, most of us don't want to take the damn things we would be happier without them but they control the pain so we can function. The pain is real and it's there, it is not in our minds. We don't get high off the medication, or at least I know most of us here on NT don't. It's a very sad and sorry situation we chronic pain sufferers are going to face in the coming years as they enact more and more legislation to limit opioid addiction.