That is my chorus of mad

Just wanting my friend to have a break in life trauma, a positive effect, a BLESSING!!

That is my hope for Pooh

Glad to see some familiar faces posting and glad to see that some new faces have also found this very helpful crew here.
Not trying to make excuse for my non existence on here but I have volunteered to be a Pain Ambassador for medtronics.
Seeing it has been 6 months since i had my scs put in and everything seems to be working great for me. I have had to have a couple reprogram sessions but of course that is expected after final implant. I have decreased my oral intake of opioids by about 85%. Not going to say that I don't have bad days still because I still do but not to the extent that it was prior to my scs. I have also been able to purse my photography more. This summer I am going to take my first road trip 5 hours away to Ohio my nephew is getting married and has requested I photograph his wedding for him and his bride to be. Kinda nervous about it seeing I have not done a wedding before I have done engagement photos but never a wedding. I must confess I have told most of the people I speak with about the great crew here and how helpful everyone was for me through the whole journey what I consider one of the largest life choices I have made.
My hope for the new faces here is that you may have the same results I have. Also receive as much helpful information from the crew here that I did. For those of you that are just starting your journey please remember BLAST which was posted by Mark56 it has been a life saver for me.If you have not seen it here it is below and again Thank you so much to everyone here on this site for all the help you all have so graciously provided to me.
(BLAST)

I came up with BLAST after the implant surgery when the post op nurse was trying to tell me to remember BLT and add no stretching to it. I told her that was not good enough because it involved too many mental steps. Instead, I coined BLAST, incorporating stretching into the acronym thusly:

1. B DO NOT BEND - This means do not bend over at the waist to pick anything up from the floor [ask for help, squat, or use a "grabber" device which can be purchased at any popular pharmacy]. If it falls, do not BEND over to pick it up. DO NOT BEND to load/unload the washer or dryer or dishwasher. DO NOT BEND to pick up a remote control or the telephone. Place such things at your reach to minimize the temptation to bend. DO NOT BEND to wash your hair, as this will stress those tenuous leads emplaced in your spine..... pretend no one will see you until the trial is over and forget vanity for a little while as you learn whether SCS will work for you.

You may bend somewhat to sit in a car, on a chair or sofa at home, on the toilet to do necessary things, as this form of bending did not seem to interfere with the process when I was in the trial. Get a Grabber such as you may find at a name brand pharmacy for reaching things you should neither bend nor stretch to retrieve while in trial.

2. L DO NOT LIFT - This means anything which puts strain on you AT ALL. Your toothbrush can be lifted [but do not bend to spit, use a tray or practice long distance spitting - this is why hospitals usually issue those plastic bent trays for inpatients], and you can certainly lift a forkful of food to feed yourself while lifting a cup of beverage to wash it down [do not heft a 2 litre stein of your favorite brew, as this will cause strain]. I am reminded of instructions after eye procedures - LIFT NOTHING. The idea is if you lift, some strain will occur and those muscles in your spine will react potentially affecting your trial.

3. DO NOT...... A...... wait a minute, this is an acronym, and vowels have no place.

4. S DO NOT STRETCH which means nothing which would cause you to lift your arms above your eyes. Wear loose fitting clothing which can be buttoned up the front so you need not lift your arms to put on a favorite polo or blouse. Let your hair go for a few days, as lifting your arms to brush it out or comb it puts them above your eyes, I guarantee it. DO NOT STRETCH to reach up for a favorite blouse or shirt to wear during your trial period; let someone else do it or forget it until the trial is concluded. DO NOT STRETCH to place or retrieve a cup/glass/bowl/plate on or from a shelf..... these movements involve raising those arms too high.

Think about avoiding fastening rear fastened bras as they involve stretching. If you will be hanging around your home during the trial.... who will know? If you must go out, maybe your spouse or significant other can assist. Simple things like tying your shoes also involve stretching - wear house slippers or slip on shoes as I did.

5. T DO NOT TWIST- and this can be something as simple as twisting around if someone calls your name [ we all do this ], twisting in your car seat to fasten the seatbelt [ we do this too ]. My spouse helped fasten my seatbelts during this time. I could not drive anyway. That oh so subtle twist which may occur as you finish in the restroom is probably OK [anyway, I had no problem with it].

LOGROLL - Getting into or arising from bed. [This assumes the covers have been pulled back already]
a. Walk up to the bed and back up to it until your legs touch it.
b. Placing your arms out to your side, palms flat and ready to touch the bed as you descend, slowly use your strong legs to descend to a seating position on the bed, touching the bed to either side with your hands for balance.
c. Using your arm on the pillow side of your body, begin to slowly lever yourself down toward the bed so your head may rest upon your pillow while simultaneously raising your legs up from that seated position to align them on the bed as you lie upon your side.
d. Once you have succeeded in lying down, line your legs up to your comfortable position [ mine is with a pillow between the knees for a neutral spine position].
You are down. Rest. You may be fine in such a position as I was after each spine surgery once the aggravation of straining touchy muscles was subsided.

Arising from bed, the actual logroll feature of the above process.
i. Align your body and legs parallel to the edge of the bed nearest to you while facing that edge of the bed. If you had a pillow between your knees for sleep, remove it first.
ii. Using the arm nearest to the mattress, press down with the palm of the hand of that arm upon the mattress, levering yourself up into a seated position as you simultaneously swing your legs over the side of the bed into a seated position.
iii. Take a breath or two and gather your wits. Breathe out, and using your leg and abdominal muscles arise from the seated position into a standing position. Take it easy in this process. If you do not require the assistance of a cane or walker, do not grab onto something or a person as doing so will engage muscles you do not necessarily wish to flex in the process. I had to do this on my own, as I found if someone tried to "help" me up it HURT like thunder and risked harming my trial lead placement.
iv. Upon gaining the standing position, take stock of yourself and move carefully until you are assured of full control of your body in the standing or walking position.

BATHING - During the trial I DID NOT. A sponge bath or washcloth to make the ripe odor go away was one thing, but risking moistening the trial implant area would risk infection and other stuff, so I stayed away from it.

SITTING in a chair or the car - at first I used a flat pillow to protect the back as I would recline against the seat. This issue resolved the longer the trial lasted.

WALKING - Well, this is one thing Doc wanted me to try so as to learn whether SCS would be viable in multiple environmental uses. I did not RUN or JOG, just walked since the leads are just barely sutured into place and then taped like heck to hold them as firmly as possible.


Any of this which sounds wonky should be checked out with your Doc or Recovery Nurse as I am neither.... just a veteran of spine surgery too many times.

Things remain the same in my world. My body continues to fail me. Work has been redistributed to a certain extent. I miss my friends here, but I continue to lurk for the most part. Hoping that the rest of you are doing as well as you can.

Pooh - you are so right - you are needed literally!! You have a vital skill set. My only job limitation is less ob night call - but I'm ft. Full
Time and f*u@&$ng tired, hence caffeine and provigil in a pinch. No
pain meds except NSAIDs for headaches and my dumb strained calf.

Keep yourself at work if you can - i respect your
fight and frustration.

Funny -I was at a hospital committee meeting
and an MD who was 100% administrative mentioned "having his feet put to the fire". Within milliseconds I thought you would go down quick doc if that happened to you. You'd be done.

People still like me quite a bit, but those who know I'm jacked ask little. Those who don't - they don't get my personality changes - I've concluded less info is more!