I’m not much of a writer, more of a rambler, but I thought I’d take some time to explain to my friends this really crazy technology I’m taking on. Before my trial I had never even heard of it or had known it was possible until my doctor suggested it, so I can realize as I’m telling friends what I’m doing that you have no idea what I’m talking about. Or maybe why I would even do this to myself. So, let me briefly explain it to everyone all at once in Jill terms (not very scientifically). Oh and I’m dating this a year ago because it’s not a professional posting but a personal one.

Boston Scientific’s Spectra Model circa 2014.. ooooo…

In a few weeks (I think the first half of May) I am having surgery to implant Boston Scientific’s Spinal Cord Stimulator (commonly called the SCS) in my back. It looks like this photo you see.

So, the circular piece is like the ‘Computer’ and will be embedded in my lower back in an incision and I think that is the painful healing part. The computer transmits electrical signals through the wires to the metal ‘Leads’ that are placed along my spine, right along the nerves that the doctor has already figured out during my trial last week affects my right foot and ankle. To place those leads along my spine, during the surgery, they do have to take out a small piece of bone. So in all there are a few incisions in the back to heal from. Since the leads are placed along the spine, I have to not twist or lift things for like 6 weeks I think it is as things heal but eventually it all “scars into place” and then you don’t have to worry as much and after a year I believe all your scar tissue keeps everything in place with the leads. The Computer lasts about 7 years but it only takes them like 15 minutes to open me back up and replace the battery and if they have new technology come out they can give me an “upgrade” (yes, I actually asked if I was upgradable!).

How it looks all embedded.

The big remote next to it is just how I control the settings. Essentially I am constantly sending electrical stimulation to my lower leg, foot and ankle. My Boston Scientific representative programmed it all for me at the trial. She actually had a computer there and was able to move the electric pulse up and down the leads and move the electric sensation across my foot or from my big toe to my ankle. It was rather creepy to me. And the sensations change from sitting to standing. What feels like a small sensation sitting suddenly is a huge vibration when I stand. It took a lot of getting used to during the trial.

I had a lot of back pain from the trial but it helped me so much with my foot and ankle pain. I went to almost zero pain. I tried walking a lot and whenever I had pain, I would “bump the buzz” up. I’m told the final implant is a lot more focused and better too so I’m hoping it’ll work great to return me to normal activity. For a while I’ll probably have to carry around the remote everywhere while I get used to what settings work best when but eventually I should have it down.

And if anyone is curious, I guess this technology has been around a long time but it is just now become more frequent as insurance companies are finally beginning to actually cover it as a pain management tool to get off pain meds. I guess they were fighting the cost of paying for this trial and surgery and just in the past year more insurances are accepting paying for it.

And some of you may wonder, why the heck am I doing this to myself. I don’t think it’s visually obvious. My broken leg has healed at this point, right??!! I’ll try to sum it fast. Essentially, I’ve been battling 2 things since that darn fall 2.5 years ago. At first, I broke my leg and dislocated my ankle. I had the plate and screws. Well, there’s this pretty rare thing called CRPS (used to be called RSD) which can happen in a small case of trauma to joints like ankles (or shoulders, knees etc..). Basically the nerves get permanently damaged. It’s hard to diagnose and it’s progressive. My docs and I caught it pretty early and tried to stem the damage with nerve blocks. But I had to keep having surgeries which is a bad idea with CRPS because you’re going in and doing more damage to the affected area. But  I had to get the screw out of my ankle. And my leg HATED that plate and screw, my leg was like blue some days! So I had surgery to get that out. And my ankle pain was really bad.

So last August I had another surgery to get a broken piece of bone out of my ankle and the doctor also removed a lot of scar tissue. My ankle pain has been constant. I can’t regret the surgery, it felt like a knife was removed from my ankle. But my CRPS, which we kind of had gotten repressed, came back really really bad and this time it is in the bottom of my foot and has been progressive since. It’s a strange thing, as I haven’t had damage or surgery on the bottom of my foot. But I guess the nerves run down through your ankle to your foot. Somehow, somewhere something short-circuited. I actually feel the nerves fire all crazily. And sometimes my foot is on fire, sometimes it’s frozen, a different temperature than the other foot. I’m on nerve medicine and pain medicine. But I hope to get off both with this stimulator!

And that is where I am today. By night time, after some driving and doing a few light chores, my right foot is in burning pain. My ankle is also throbbing. My doctor suspects the continued ankle pain may be from CRPS too. I’m not exactly sure. CRPS is a bit of a mystery to me. It also travels and my left foot is now numb too. It is not painful, it is just numb and red right now but it really scares me that it is traveling to that side. I guess down the road it could become painful? The body is just weird.