Introduction
Two years ago I had a Spinal Cord Stimulator implanted in the hope that it would help me cope with my chronic pain. It worked very well.….For the first year. During the second year it gradually got less and less effective and my pain rose to the level it had been before the implant was fitted.
During the summer I realised that the situation was only going to get worse, so I called the Walton Centre in Liverpool for help. They arranged a clinic appointment for me and then a follow up appointment with my new consultant.
He was honest and told me that he feared the loss of efficacy was due to me becoming tolerant to the device but he agreed to upgrade the electrode I had implanted in my back. He told me that I would be invited back in November to have the surgery I needed.
It’s Official — Hospitals Are Boring!! Well, haven’t I had a really exciting couple of days? I was due to be admitted into the Walton Centre on Wednesday so that my Warfarin could be stopped ready for my Op on Monday. The letter said get here by 10am but it also said to speak to the Bed Manager before you […]
I just got word today that I’m getting my surgery the week before Christmas. I guess the timing isn’t the best in the world but I should be back with my family for the start of the holidays! The Spinal Cord Stimulator I have implanted isn’t covering the area where I need it most. The plan is to change the electrode […]
Walton Centre — Surgeon Visit After seeing a Nurse and a Nurse Consultant on my last trip to the Walton Centre in June, I was told that the Consultant wanted to see me before we made any firm decisions on where we go from here. My Spinal Column Stimulator has not been working properly since Christmas and hardly at […]
I wrote a series of posts about my Spinal Cord Stimulator and the process I went through to get it fitted. The last of these posts described a loss of stimulation in my left leg. Well yesterday we took a trip down to Liverpool to see if anything could be done to improve the situation. Back to the Walton Centre The […]
Since I’ve now had the stimulator fitted for about 18 months, I thought it only right that I comment on how the first year went. First Impressions Getting home was the first hurdle. There had been plenty of warnings about the potential for back pain after the op. The pain was significant but manageable when I was either lying down or […]
