Whispers of Revision

My stimulator is having some serious issues. It's cutting out constantly, and only really works when I'm laying flat on my back. I was having a really bad headache this morning, so I turned it on and it made me twitchy because it was switching on and off while I was walking. It almost felt like it was shocking me because the muscles in my face move when the stimulator first comes on. I suppose I can look at it in a positive light and say my face got a nice workout today.

I called my Medtronics rep last night and told her what I'm experiencing. I warned her last week at my neurosurgery follow-up that it didn't feel right and she said it might be from the swelling. But when I talked to her yesterday she was certain that I need a revision. I knew that the likelihood of  revision with ONS surgery is close to 100%, but I just didn't expect needing it so quickly. I'm not even 3 weeks post-op! According to my rep, I have to wait at least another week before another surgery, but it will most likely be longer since my surgeon is so busy. I called his office today (twice) to figure out if I should stop using the stimulator, if I definitely need a revision, etc, but he wasn't there and I couldn't seem to get any answers.

I'm feeling really down. My pain is bad again and I was hoping I wouldn't need a pain killer refill, but now I will. It makes me cry when I think about it. I suppose that's because being off pain killers is my ultimate goal- the whole reason I did this surgery. And now I'm not where I thought I would be at this point in my recovery. I keep wondering, "If I'm having so many problems in the first month, does that mean I am destined to have nothing but issues with this thing?" I know it will all work out in the end, and I will be happy when I'm pain free again, yet I just feel so drained trying to deal with it now.