Good Tuesday morning, my darling readers. Today I have decided to share a bit of my story with you. I suffer from a spinal cord disease called Arachnoiditis. It's an inflammation of the nerves in the spinal canal. I'm including a link here if you'd like to read more about it. As a pain control option, I decided in 2003, to have an implant done called a Spinal Cord Stimulator or SCS, for short. My first actual implant was done October 19, 2004 (our great nephew was born that day) and was a St Jude/ANS Genesis system (non-rechargeable). It was supposed to last about 5 years. Unfortunately, it didn't. My 2nd system was implanted on January 16, 2007 (my hubby's birthday). The system I have now is a St Jude/ANS Eon (rechargeable). You can read about the St Jude's/ANS systems here.
This past Thursday, I had an appointment with the company rep from St Jude to check and see approximately how much battery life is left on my system. We can't get an exact reading but know we're getting close to it being at the end of life of the battery. Unfortunately, after we were done checking everything out, I didn't realize my system was turned off until 3 am Sunday morning, but by then, I was in so much pain, I'd been in bed for over 24 hours because I could barely move. Without my SCS, my pain becomes absolutely unbearable and even the smallest things become nearly impossible to do. Just going from a sitting positing to a standing position was making me feel like I was dislocating both of my hips, even with pain medication. Thankfully I finally realized the SCS was turned off and I got my remote and turned it back on. It took a few hours to start feeling more human again. Now I'm feeling much better and am finally functional again.
So now y'all know why I disappeared over the last few days. And if I disappear in the future, it'll most likely be because I've had some kind of flare up that I've needed treatment for. Which just reminded me, it was recommended at my last appointment that I have an injection done in my SI Joint, which my hubby and I have talked about and I decided I am going to do, so I will be off my feet for a couple days after I have it done, but since I'll know about that ahead of time, I can be prepared for it. :0)
I want to thank you all for your patience with me and to let you all know how wonderful I think you are! This is a great community to be part of and I thank you all for accepting me into it. I do have a nail post planned for later this afternoon, so keep your eyes open for it later today. :) Have a great morning!
And as always, thank you for spending a few minutes with me this morning! Huggles!
S.I. joint injection? Hope it helps.... I have issues with SI joint which flare up seasonally, normally as spring into summer and autumn into winter, this time last year I was having physio so I could walk rather than limp down the aisle! But injections into the joint would freak me out, I'm a wimp when it comes to needles!
ReplyDeletehope it all goes well, post an update when you get time.
Hi Angela! Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog :) I like to tie in my other interests into nails, I find it a great way to express myself. Sorry to hear about the pain and trouble you have been experiencing, I hope you manage to feel better soon and get back to normal, as I look forward to seeing more posts from you! Hugs n kisses xxx
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing! It's awful what you have to go through! I hope you are well enough to enjoy Thanksgiving later this week.
ReplyDeleteHi Angela I've noticed you haven't posted for a while, hope you're not having any flare up :( you look after yourself
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