Chronic Pain

A 51 year old female living and dealing with lumbar back pain and fibromyalgia. Sharing things I do for relief, reduce stress and control weight gain.

Monday, April 30, 2012

A Hard day with a beautiful ending

It's Monday.  On Wednesday we will be two weeks away from surgery.  On Friday my
husband and I leave for Ft. Walton.  The long ride will be hard but we both need this get
away.  My husband has had to be a nurse to me for so many treatments I've had done.
He wouldn't ever complain but I know he can't be looking forward to taking on all the extras 
around here.  We'll relax and try to forget whats coming the week after we return home.

Since January I've been watching a beautiful baby girl I'll call C.   She is a good baby and
its been a good thing for me to get out of the house and feel needed and of some worth to
someone again.  I only go one or two days a week bc that's about all my back will stand.
I usually come home on those days and hit the heating pad, couch or whatever I reach first.
I really don't understand those last two years how I made it at work.  So...baby C is teething
and was restless today.  She usually takes a am and pm nap and we didn't get much of either today.  Even when she was up and playing she was happy none the less just chewing on whatever she could get in her mouth.  When I was leaving her mom gave me a beautiful
necklace with two stones on it.  One birthstone for August, my grand daughter A and
one for October, my grandson P.  She knows how much I love and miss them and think
about how much I wish I could do what most grandmas my age do with their grandchildren.
She said it was so they could be with me close to my heart all the time. ( they are the two angels with me on my profile picture) So sweet, it made me cry.  It may have been my last day.  But chances are I will get some more time in if I'm needed to keep my mind of surgery.  I also hope to return after recovery.

Tomorrow I have therapy and I need to rest from the day today.  Lots of laundry to
get done and start getting things ready for our trip.  I will give some more details soon
on where I started and how I got to the place I am now.  Btw, my therapy was due to
my insurance requiring an evaluation before I could have my trial.  That entire process took
a year.  From the time my PM doctor requested approval up to my trial.  Well almost a year.
We started the process in June of last year and I got the letter from therapist in March to go ahead with the trial.  I really hope and pray this all works out and changes my life.  I've been hurting so long I have no clue what normal feels like.  

Here is our dog Dallas, he will be my company when I'm well enough to be recovering
on my own. 


 


Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Count down begins

 May 16, 2012.  Surgery day 17 days away.

I've awaited many treatments hoping it would change my life and I would be "normal" again. 
Even something simple like waiting for the appointment day for yet another specialist.  Believing that they would know what the other doctors didn't, what they had missed.  
 
My purpose in this blog is to hopefully help someone make a decision and maybe have some questions answered while searching for information on a SCS.  (Spinal Cord Stimulator)
I have spent many hours reading on medical sites regarding different treatments as they
were recommended to me.  I was told to stay away from "patient forums" and stick to
medical sites like WebMD, healthline.com, and Mayo Clinic.  I understand why it was advised to me to some reasoning but I enjoyed reading other patients stories.  In some ways it helped me to not feel like I was the only person dealing with a chronic issue for such a long
period of time.  Also, so family and friends can check in on me after surgery without feeling 
like they are having to ask, " How are you?" when you really know the answer but what else to ask? When your struggling with a chronic pain you come to the point when people ask you just always say "I'm fine" because you know their tired of hearing the truth and your constant complaining.  

I'm not a writer and I've never blogged before, so bare with me.  I'm still trying to learn my way around the blog site, where to put in the history.  From now until surgery not much to tell so I may just tell my story of my back trials for the people reading who don't know me.  I'll be doing a little homework and putting in a few notes here and there until surgery day.  I understand the first couple of weeks are pretty tough.  I may have less to say then but I will catch you up.

If you stumble across this blog and want to know what a SCS is I've put a like to the site for the type I will have implanted.  I understand their are three.




Theresa