It's over with...

At the risk of sounding like all I do is complain....I'm going to update you all on my visit with my MP doctor ( he did the SCS implant).  I hadn't seen him since the last post surgery check after implant.  I did have an appointment a few months (Oct) back but he ended up just speaking with me at the surgical center where they did the x ray to see if my leads had moved.  I saw him Friday which  had been scheduled for 6 weeks.  I put it off as long as I could hoping that something would change and I would go in praising him for changing my life.
On the video they give you to view from St. Jude to watch when considering a stimulator all the testimonies say just that.  Having the Spinal Cord Stimulator has changed my life.  Some cases were much worse than mine.  An injured solider, a person in a horrible car accident and many more.  Maybe that's why my expectations were so high.  

I gave him the good news first.  I told him at my last meeting with Mr. R we'd finally made a little progress.  It's so close I told him.  I'm optimistic that as I approach a year (May) it will be even better.  Possibly the unwanted areas going away.  Then the bad...trouble with my battery.  I explained how uncomfortable it has been.  Well uncomfortable is not quite it....painful.  "Please tell me some people take this long to rid of the soreness"?  He said, no I should be fine in that area.  I explained the burning sensations and how I feel it's moved.  Kind of twisted like.  One corner in upper right is protruding out.  
He was puzzled about the heated feeling especially that it happens when stimulator is not even on.  Then he took a look at surgery area.  Oh yeah, he agreed.  I don't remember the exact word he used but definitely confirmed its shifted out of the "pocket".  My theory is that if I would have had the battery I chose implanted I'd be fine right now.

He said he was going to consult with St. Jude about the heating sensation.  I told him I have been in touch with Mr. R about having trouble charging.  He fixed it last time we met but when I went to charge again I had same trouble.  This week I received a package from St. Jude and it was a new charger.  I guess Mr. R took care of that.  After seeing the doc I'm now thinking my charger was fine and my battery shifting has something to do with it.  It probably isn't "making connection".  The wand has to lay flat over the battery when charging.  That is kind of hard to do now that it's moved.  I plan on consulting with Mr. R on this theory tomorrow.  Guess I'll know for sure after trying to charge with new charger.   

I didn't get a clear answer of what we will do if my battery continues to be a problem.  I guess he wanted to talk to St. Jude first.  The nurse told me she has seen this before and they just had to reposition.  OK, there is only one way to get to it.  YUCK.....I don't want to go through that again.  For temporary relief he gave me some samples of Lidoderm patches. (Lidocaine patch 5%)
I put to the test yesterday and today.  It really doesn't help my battery area but I noticed a big difference for 2-3 hours on my back.  He said if they worked he'd write me a script for them.  Of course I looked on my Rx plan and their not covered. I'll check with my pharmacist tomorrow to see what they will cost out of pocket.  I'm just glad the appointment is over, the least favorite office I have to go to. 

So my pinterest idea for this week end was "ice cream for breakfast".  I ate as a snack not for breakfast but you could.  It's just frozen banana's, good for you!  2 ingredient treat.  Freeze 4 sliced banana's and when completely frozen
pulse in food processor.  It will look like gravel at first but just keep pulsing and it will eventually get smooth, creamy and light like you see here.  You can find original recipe on the bloggers address if you follow me on pinterest under "things I've tried" or "something healthy"

you'll need to stop and scrape sides a lot

Next step....here is your 2nd ingredient.  2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter, almond butter, whatever your preference.  (next time I'm going to try Nutella, there goes healthy!)  Continue to pulse until well combined.  She also recommended coco powder and peanut butter together.  I stuck just with the coco since I do not care for peanut butter.  It taste good plain with just the banana's but not every one cares for banana flavor.  For breakfast, I'm good with it.

with the coco added

Tried a little taste, yummy.  Especially for a healthy treat what ever the time you want it.  You can eat right away or freeze for later.  She recommends if you put in freezer to let it sit out a while before trying to serve.

a close up in the bowl

I read some comments following the post and a lot of readers tried strawberries added or chocolate chips.  I think I'll stick to the healthy stuff.  Most importantly make sure the bananas are completely frozen.  She said an hour, but it took 2 in my freezer.  I tried to soon and believe me it doesn't work.  Also the banana's need to be ripe but not black.  Just starting to have brown spots on them.  

So long friends.  This has been a rough week I'm praying for a better one this one.  We're having some bad weather here and from the sound coming from the kennel I'm not sure Dallas will not let me sleep.

God is Good....Always,
Theresa