Day three of my implant and everything seems to be on track after my first follow up at the neuromodulation unit. As I mention in my last post I’m noticing a reduction in my pain, although right now my back is in a world of pain. At the clinic this morning they made a few adjustments to the stimulator and we talked about how things have been going over the last couple of days.

When I posted the other night I gave you the readers digest of what happened during the surgery and I wanted to tell you about it in a little more detail. The surgery was done by Dr. K. Kumar who is known all over the world for his knowledge of chronic pain, along with his treatment in it. It has been an answer to prayer having such a great doctor to take care of me. The procedure itself was very interesting to listen to. I couldn’t really see the monitor that he was watching but I could hear everything as it took place.

They started by making an incision in my back and finding the right vertebrae to go between. It took them quite a bit of digging to find the right spot to place the electrode. It might help to tell you that they were doing my left leg at first, and so they had to hit the right nerve group between T 11 and T 12. It was a matter of moving things around and trying different spots to see which area gave me the best coverage down my leg. After a little bit of adjusting they would hook up the power to the wire and try things out. One minute I could feel the stimulation in my back or in my stomach, and then at times down my leg. The sensations took a little bit of getting used to, but after a few days it doesn’t bother me as much.

After they got the wire into the correct spot across my spine they stitch the wire into place internally to help it stay in place. Before stitching up the site they were digging around they make another small incision to run the wire out. After that they close everything up and we were done. Of course I have to do my part by doing no bending, lifting, or twisting over the next eight weeks while it heals into place. Of course I still have to go through the implant of the battery and so there is still more to get through but it’s been alright.

The whole idea of having this implant is that the electrical stimulation is suppose to mask the pain that you feel. I guess you could also say that it’s suppose to block the pain from your CRPS. After getting this implant I can honestly say that I was able to bare weight on my affected leg without the shooting pain. I know it’s early to say but at the moment it seems that the implant is doing its job and giving me that decrease in pain. When you think about it, the things you see them using electrical stimulation for are quite remarkable. Like using it to stop the tremors in people who suffer from Parkinson’s!

Leading up to the implant was a real struggle because I was really torn between getting the implant or not. As I’ve been going through my own personal walk on this journey I’ve trusted God to lead me through. Once again I was faced with having to trust Him! After receiving this implant I know that once again Gods hands have been all over this. As I went in for the implant there was a calmness and I knew that during the procedure He was talking care of me.

So for now I get to have fun when I’m going through the airport metal detectors setting them off. What I’m really looking forward to though is going to WalMart and setting off their detectors! Sure there are a few drawbacks to having the implant but the payoffs of having it are huge! Last but not least though I’d like to thank all of you for the prayers during the procedure as well as those for my recovery! I will continue to keep you posted as I go through the other parts of the procedure!