Well by unanimous decision here is the new look of my site. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment on the new headers. While my body heals I’ve been taking the time to give my site a new look. There are more changes coming down the road so keep checking back. Yesterday was check-in day at the hospital and I had all my staples taken out. It appears that everything is healing the way it should, although I still have to make sure that I don’t move my neck to the side until the six to eight week mark.

My body is tired and I feel like I’ve just climbed to the top of Mount Everest! If you’ve ever watched anything on climbing regarding Everest or any other large mountain then you might be familiar with the process. Often theses climbs are done in stages. You climb until you get to a certain height, and then stay in camps to rest and acclimatize. Then after a short rest period your off starting Stage #2 and climbing again until your reach the next camp. This process continues over and over until you reach the summit. These types of climbs often take long periods of time to complete and are physically taxing on the body.

In a lot of ways going through the implant process has been just like being on one of those climbing expeditions. Stage #1 began by me going through surgery #1 to place an electrode in my spine. This was then hooked up to a battery to send stimulation down my leg to help control the pain. It was the first of two electrodes that were to be placed in my spine. That was followed by a short period of time to allow my body to rest and adapt to the stimulation and recover from surgery. Stage #2 or surgery #2 was to internalize the battery followed by another short period of rest to let my body heal and prepare for the other stages that lay ahead. At this stage of my journey there weren’t to many twists and turns. Everything was pretty straight forward and at this point in time and I was encouraged at the progress I was making. The hardest part of my climb lay ahead!

Sometimes these climbs are very smooth and everything goes as planned, and at other times it isn’t so easy. It was when I started Stage #3 that I ran into my small storm. It was at this point that I was undergoing surgery #3 to place the electrode in my spine at the base of my neck. It would implanted the same way as the first, and this would help reduce the pain in my left hand. Unfortunately the electrode shifted and they had to go back in for surgery #4 to fix the problem. I started to wonder if I’d have the strength to get up the mountain. Some climbers encounter problems with severe altitude sickness I had to have an extra surgery but hey it’s all good! The storm has passed and my climb continues.

I am currently in Stage #4 and have had surgery #5 to implant the battery that will control the stimulation for the arm. As I push towards the top there have been a few more obstacles that I’ve encountered. Like not being able to use the existing battery and having to implant a new one. My body is tired and it’s been pushed to the limit but I can see the top! I have to tell myself over and over to keep pushing upwards and that I’m almost there. With perseverance I will get to the top of this mountain, and the results will be very rewarding!