Ouch! Redux...

I really don't care for the fact that I know so many of the staff at the local hospital. But...they are great friends to have when you have to spend so much time there. Now, unless there is some great calamity, I won't be seeing them again. Except at the store or the library...places where I'm quite happy to see them. On Monday morning I had a neurotransmitter and paddle leads installed in my backside. This is the last step for those of us who have FBSS (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome) and are in constant pain. The installation of these items went smoothly and much faster than the back surgeries that preceded this one; only 90 minutes! Everyone was so nice! In fact, I was really enjoying my conversation with the anesthesiologist when she interrupted me, with a smile, and said 'Good night!'

I woke up, as scheduled, in the Recovery Area. Then pain ensued. And it has been pretty much a constant companion ever since. They have me on Percocet (Oxycontin) but it is doing very little for me. On a positive note, I have finally removed the dressings and taken a shower. After that, I had my wife take a photo of the creative landscape of my back. It's easier to do that than to twist my neck trying to look in the mirror. I won't post that photo, I promise. It's quite ugly, with lots of staples showing through the yellow and purple bruising. The new scars go quite well with the older ones, though I may have a tattoo artist label them with dates.

Now I have to wait for the swelling to go down and that is when the St. Jude's rep will meet with me and turn the transmitter to ON. There will be a period of programming as he determines what kind of stimulation will work best for me. After that is over, I get a card that notifies TSA that I'm a legal carrier of metal in my body. And then it's over; I don't have to see anyone again 'medical' until the internal battery fades and must be replaced. That would be in about ten years...in the meantime, I get a chance to get my life back. Walking! Lots of walking...

I'll let you know how it works, in just a few weeks.