Heading Home

I'm going to be going back to Nevada in a few days. This means I'll have to return to a normal life where I won't have most of my meals cooked for me, I'll have to do the dishes, my dog will have to be walked (I will miss just letting her out to romp on my mother's five acres), and of course, school next month. I have been very lucky that my mom has been so supportive and such a big help during my recovery. Part of me doesn't want to leave, but I'm bored. I personally consider boredom to be a good sign since it means I'm feeling well enough to be somewhere other than in my bed watching tv. My stamina is ridiculously low and I figure it will take a long time to build it up. That task is daunting and I'm not sure what my future looks like. When I was sick I thought getting out of pain was my whole battle, but I was wrong. There are emotional/psychological issues that I need to deal with now that I can.

I finally got my stimulator programmed correctly. I told my rep that I was unhappy with Mike, the rep that was at my revision surgery so she met me at my general practitioner's office. Turns out Mike did not change the programming at all after my stimulator was repaired, despite the fact that I told him before and after the surgery that it needed to be fixed. It frustrates me I was in pain for a week and a half longer than I needed to be, yet there is nothing I can do about it now.

I went to my post-op on Thursday with my neurosurgeon. He took the time to answer every question I had which I really needed. I wanted to know if I am able to get pregnant and have a fairly normal pregnancy with the stimulator (though I absolutely am not planning on children for years) and he said I should be fine. I asked him if I'm going to run into an problems with the battery pack moving if I lose weight. He said it might shift depending on how much I lose and I may need a revision at that point. I've been having some shoulder pain caused by the tight wires in my neck and he suggested physical therapy before it heals. I feel more confident about it all now and I'm ready to be done with doctors for a while.

My stimulator is still giving me great pain relief. It seems I get some soreness if it's turned up too high just because the wires are in a very sensitive area. I get frustrated with it all sometimes though. It's not that the sensation is annoying, it just gets frustrating to need it so often. I am hoping with time I will be able to use it less and less.

The Agony and The Ecstasy

So I'm now 3 days post-op and I apologize for neglecting my blog. Every time I sit down to write I lose my gusto.

My surgery took place around noon on the 13th. There really was a lot of sitting around that day. I got to the hospital around 9:30 and they weren't ready to prep me, so I had to sit in the very crowded waiting room. I was called back at 10, and I didn't see any doctors until an hour and half later, which was surprising because before my trial surgery I had 3 anesthesiologists, 2 neurosurgery med students, a Medtronics rep and, of course, my neurosurgeon fluttering in and out. 

Anyways, they did some simple prep work in the pre-op room, took me back to the operating room and then put me under general anesthesia. I have had two previous brain surgeries, so this was old hat for me, and I knew to put on a Scopolamine patch the night before so the drugs didn't make me sick. Unfortunately it just didn't seem to work this time. I woke up in recovery shaking uncontrollably and throwing up (though I had nothing in my stomach, so it was just saliva). It really was an awful experience because I didn't know what was going on and I was in pain. I should also note that I am allergic to eggs, and apparently the normal anesthesia they use is egg based, so perhaps the other stuff isn't so hard on the body.

The shaking wore off and I was able to have my mom come back into the recovery room with me. My Medtronics rep stopped by and programmed my new remote with 3 different settings so I can have some options. I also can change pulse widths and a few others. My wonderful rep allowed me to do so during my trial, so I wasn't overwhelmed with the different options. Hanging out in recovery really wasn't that exciting. They put me on a clear diet because I was nauseous hours before, but my nurse let me eat real food. I was in a whole lot of pain, therefore I decided to spend the night in the hospital so I could continue to get IV pain meds.

My surgeon decided to tunnel the battery pack down to my abdomen for two reasons: 1) No easily visible scars and 2) He said sometimes people bump their clavicle and it's safer having it lower. I really was skeptical because I have always heard the shorter the leads the less than can go wrong. But, in the end, I am glad the battery is where it is. However, this is a very, very painful place to cut because every time you move you hurt. I couldn't get out of the hospital bed without crying. A good trick I picked up was pushing a pillow into my stomach when I was trying to move, and for some reason it helped.

The roommate I had overnight was pretty awful. She kept me up all night, which was ok since I was on pain meds anyways and couldn't sleep. By about 3 am I had wished I had gone home, yet it was nice that I had nurses taking care of me. I made sure to get up and walk around since my mom swore that it would help me heal. I was released around noon and was overjoyed to be in my own bed. Ever since I have been taking it pretty easy, walking a bit, and putting ice on my stomach a few times a day. I can get out of bed without much pain and move freely. I am surprised, I really thought it would take longer to heal.

The Ecstasy: I am still headache free (!!) so the stimulator is working wonders, I was able to take a shower after over a week, I am able to play with my dog and spend time with my amazing brother. The Agony: I can't get comfortable, my stomach hurts, and (the worst part) my right thigh is always numb. I called my doctor and he said that it's normal because they had to lay me on my right side for the surgery, but it may take 8 months to clear up.

I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to make sure I got everything in.