I've been really stressed about work lately. There have been some not so cool things going on. So last night the stress was really getting to me and I couldn't sleep. My stupid leg hurts again :( It's not as bad as it has been in the past. My pain level is about a 5/6 instead of being a 10, but it still sucks.
It was rainy/windy yesterday and there's a layer of snow on the ground this morning, so I'm sure that's not helping to much, but hey that's what I get for living in NY.
So yeah, that's my update for the day.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
An awesome, yet emotional weekend
My husband and I went on a wine and chocolate tasting tour this weekend. It was at a wine trail about an hour from where we live. The wine and chocolate were both awesome at every winery we went to. It was a 3-day event, but we only went on Saturday and Sunday. We were too busy on Friday to attend.
I have to say I had tons of fun, and now I truly know how much the SCS has changed my life. 4 months ago, I would have been able to go to one or two wineries before I had to call it quits. My CRPS just would not have allowed me to stand for that period of time. The first day we hit 5 wineries. As we were leaving the 5th winery, my husband turned to me and said "I'm tired. Are you okay with going home now?" This was the first time since we met that I wasn't the one who had to call it quits first. It meant so much to me!
Day 2 we hit 6 wineries. By the end of the 6th we were both ready to go home, but it wasn't my leg telling me I was done. We were both in tears on the way home because of how much it meant to both of us for me to be able to do these things and not be held back. Although my back was sore, it wasn't enough to make me stop.
In the last 7 years I've never been able to just enjoy myself. It was a huge weekend for me. I know there will be many more to come. I'm so excited!
I have to say I had tons of fun, and now I truly know how much the SCS has changed my life. 4 months ago, I would have been able to go to one or two wineries before I had to call it quits. My CRPS just would not have allowed me to stand for that period of time. The first day we hit 5 wineries. As we were leaving the 5th winery, my husband turned to me and said "I'm tired. Are you okay with going home now?" This was the first time since we met that I wasn't the one who had to call it quits first. It meant so much to me!
Day 2 we hit 6 wineries. By the end of the 6th we were both ready to go home, but it wasn't my leg telling me I was done. We were both in tears on the way home because of how much it meant to both of us for me to be able to do these things and not be held back. Although my back was sore, it wasn't enough to make me stop.
In the last 7 years I've never been able to just enjoy myself. It was a huge weekend for me. I know there will be many more to come. I'm so excited!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Today is the day!
Today marks the 3-month point from when I had my SCS implanted. I'm so excited. Beginning today I can be much less careful about what I do. Of course I'll be starting it slowly, but I can now bend, lift, and twist without worrying about the lead in my spine moving. I'm so excited.
My husband and I are going on a wine and chocolate tasting tour this weekend. It should be lots of fun. I'm a little worried about my back, because I still can't sit or stand for more than 3-4 hours without being in some serious pain, but I guess we'll see how it goes.
My recovery is progressing well. I'm still only working part time until the end of this month, so I'm going to be doing more in hopes of getting my back used to me being up and about before I go back in.
As for the pain levels in my leg, they are still very low. I'm so happy to report this is actually working for me. I was beginning to think I'd never see relief from this beast.
Again, I'll do my best to update this more often now. I really suck at this blogging thing.
My husband and I are going on a wine and chocolate tasting tour this weekend. It should be lots of fun. I'm a little worried about my back, because I still can't sit or stand for more than 3-4 hours without being in some serious pain, but I guess we'll see how it goes.
My recovery is progressing well. I'm still only working part time until the end of this month, so I'm going to be doing more in hopes of getting my back used to me being up and about before I go back in.
As for the pain levels in my leg, they are still very low. I'm so happy to report this is actually working for me. I was beginning to think I'd never see relief from this beast.
Again, I'll do my best to update this more often now. I really suck at this blogging thing.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Seriously stressed
I realize it’s been a very long time since my last post. I decided it was time to update my blog. We've been going through some things lately, and they have been taking a toll on my ability to recover.
We had some housing issues, and those have yet to be resolved. We’re looking for another place to live after being displaced from the house we recently moved into (there’s way too much to go into here).
I’m back at work part time, as I said in my last entry. There is a lot of work to catch up on, but thankfully I have been offered some help in that area. It’s a huge relief.
As for the good news, I’m on my way to recovery. It is very slow going, but I will get there. I have a little under a month left until I hit the 3-month mark. That’s pretty exciting. The pain in my leg is still on the low end compared to before the operation. It has gotten worse lately, but that’s most likely due to stress and the constantly changing weather we’ve had lately.
I’ll try to be better about updating my blog, but I can’t make any promises. With all that has been going on lately I have very little time to post. I’m working on that.
We had some housing issues, and those have yet to be resolved. We’re looking for another place to live after being displaced from the house we recently moved into (there’s way too much to go into here).
I’m back at work part time, as I said in my last entry. There is a lot of work to catch up on, but thankfully I have been offered some help in that area. It’s a huge relief.
As for the good news, I’m on my way to recovery. It is very slow going, but I will get there. I have a little under a month left until I hit the 3-month mark. That’s pretty exciting. The pain in my leg is still on the low end compared to before the operation. It has gotten worse lately, but that’s most likely due to stress and the constantly changing weather we’ve had lately.
I’ll try to be better about updating my blog, but I can’t make any promises. With all that has been going on lately I have very little time to post. I’m working on that.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
FINALLY!!!!
So I finally got to take pics of my back. These pictures were taken today, so they are about 6 weeks post operation. Please ignore the mess in the background of the first pic. We really are working on getting this place cleaned up, but like I said there's a ton of work to be done.
The vertical incision on top is where the leads were placed. The horizontal incision on the bottom is where the battery pack is. As you can see it's stil slightly discolored. In person it looks kind of bruised.
I'm still working on getting my cell phone to hook up to my computer properly. If I ever get it to work I'll post the pics from right after I had the trial put in.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The timing couldn't have been much worse...
Like I've said in previous posts, I'm so glad I went through with having the SCS implanted. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. That having been said, the timing couldn't have been much worse.
My grandfather is dying of cancer. We thought he'd have more time, but it's not looking good now. He's on oxygen and pain killers constantly now, and hospice workers come in frequently to help him out. Of course it's important that I go visit him before he passes. The only problem is he lives about 5 hours (by car) from my husband and I. I simply can't ride in a car for that long of a time period.
We were going to visit him this weekend, but I don't think I'll make it. My husband says we can go up next weekend, but what if I can't ride in a car then, either? I don't think I'm going to be able to see him before he passes. It's heart-wrenching. My mom tells me not to worry about it, and that grandpa would understand, but that doesn't make me feel any better. This totally sucks.
My grandfather is dying of cancer. We thought he'd have more time, but it's not looking good now. He's on oxygen and pain killers constantly now, and hospice workers come in frequently to help him out. Of course it's important that I go visit him before he passes. The only problem is he lives about 5 hours (by car) from my husband and I. I simply can't ride in a car for that long of a time period.
We were going to visit him this weekend, but I don't think I'll make it. My husband says we can go up next weekend, but what if I can't ride in a car then, either? I don't think I'm going to be able to see him before he passes. It's heart-wrenching. My mom tells me not to worry about it, and that grandpa would understand, but that doesn't make me feel any better. This totally sucks.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Long time no post
I've been very busy lately, so I haven't had the time to post. We moved at the end of last month, and we haven't been able to get settled yet. This house is in total disarray, and needs to be cleaned before we can unpack anything. Once that's done, we need to start fixing it up to make it more livable. We'll get there, but it's going to take some time. I feel bad because I'm not really able to help out. Darn this SCS!
That's not to say I'm not glad I have it. I certainly am. It has been helping a lot with my pain. That's a wonderful feeling. Although my back is still pretty painful, I'm glad that I had the operation done. I know there will be an end to this pain, which I didn't know with the RSD.
I started back at work part-time on Monday. I work for 3 hours a day from the office, and then I come home and usually put in a few more hours. I have been working 7-9 hours a day most of the week. I think I've been overdoing it so yesterday I just came home and relaxed. I think I'll be doing the same again today. I've been taking 800 mg of Aleve (Sodium Naproxen) every 4-6 hours for the pain. It doesn't seem to be helping too much so I know I need to slow down a bit.
I've been playing with the stimulator settings a little. Most of the programs are pretty comfortable for me. I don't think I need to have them adjusted at this point.
The Representative from the company warned me that when I move I might feel sudden increases and decreases of the stimulation. For a while I didn't notice these changes, but just recently I started feeling them as I sit or stand, turn my head, or move in other normal ways. This is not going to go away, so I'll have to get used to it. I have to admit it is somewhat annoying, but I'm sure it won't take me long until I barely notice it is happening.
That's not to say I'm not glad I have it. I certainly am. It has been helping a lot with my pain. That's a wonderful feeling. Although my back is still pretty painful, I'm glad that I had the operation done. I know there will be an end to this pain, which I didn't know with the RSD.
I started back at work part-time on Monday. I work for 3 hours a day from the office, and then I come home and usually put in a few more hours. I have been working 7-9 hours a day most of the week. I think I've been overdoing it so yesterday I just came home and relaxed. I think I'll be doing the same again today. I've been taking 800 mg of Aleve (Sodium Naproxen) every 4-6 hours for the pain. It doesn't seem to be helping too much so I know I need to slow down a bit.
I've been playing with the stimulator settings a little. Most of the programs are pretty comfortable for me. I don't think I need to have them adjusted at this point.
The Representative from the company warned me that when I move I might feel sudden increases and decreases of the stimulation. For a while I didn't notice these changes, but just recently I started feeling them as I sit or stand, turn my head, or move in other normal ways. This is not going to go away, so I'll have to get used to it. I have to admit it is somewhat annoying, but I'm sure it won't take me long until I barely notice it is happening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
