First of all I want to say sorry for not posting like normal, life’s been a bit hectic! I’ll get back on schedule when things calm down. I’m into week number three with my problems that have developed with my upper implant, and I’m no closer to knowing if we have got all the infection cleared up or not. The incision from the surgery is healing up well and everything looks clear on the outside. What we don’t know is if the neurosurgeon was able to get all of the infection from within. When I saw the doctor yesterday we went over the report and to be quite honest my heart sank a little.

The surgeon reran the previous tests and they came back with the same results showing contamination in the areas where he swabbed and from the cultures. He told me that we’ll have to keep monitoring things, and at this point in time it becomes about trying to save the implant from being taken out. The problem is that any infection that gets onto the wire can’t be killed by the antibiotics that I’ve been on for the last couple of weeks. To say that this is all very frustrating is an understatement. I’m very happy with how the implants are working however I didn’t expect six months down the road to have all of this happen.

There’s one thing I want to tell those of you who are dealing with chronic pain. If your thinking of getting an implant don’t let what’s happened to me discourage you from getting it. When I asked the surgeon how often something like this has happened he proceed to tell me only twice me being the second. That being said though it is the reality when you sign up for the program. If you go ahead with getting an implant then you take on all the things that may or may not go wrong. Like everything in life there are pros and cons to your decisions.

Am I scared that the infection might work it’s way to my spinal column? YES! I do however have an excellent team of people that look after me are doing a great job in watching the situation and if there is any chance that it does the implant will be taken out quickly and a new one put in. I’ve handed this problem over to God and I know in my heart that He has healed that infection.

I felt that today I needed to write a post that was open and honest and let those of you know who follow my blog about how things are going. It wouldn’t change my decision about getting the implant, and if I had to do it all over again I would. You take the good with the bad in all of this and you come out stronger in the end. You keep pushing through the hard times and try to focus on how much change has happened for the better. Like every other hurdle we will get through this one as well.