The first few days are the worst and then the pain starts to back off a bit. Sorry you are having to deal with this all on your own, but it is doable. I had my implant surgery and my husband had to fly out the very next morning. I found that just developing a schedule of things I want to accomplish each day really helped. On the 4th day post op I was out and about but rested the 5th and alternated like that for the first few weeks as I built up strength and got my SCS programmed the way I liked.

Ice is a wonderful thing and I hope you have some of those gel ice packs. They are awesome for dealing with the implant pain.

Stay in touch and let us know how you are each day.

"C"

I appreciate your feed back and it is very helpful. My doc has me wearing a brace all the time except when I'm in bed. Trying to put ice on the thoracic pain areas can be an adventure LOL! Usually I aggravate the pain while trying to manuever the ice into the best place for relief. I went to the grocery store this morning to pick up a few things and it was a bit tough with the bouncing of my car but I'm learning how to cope. Like you said, I just try to take it as it comes and I keep hoping for the best while being prepared for te worst to occur but not focusing on the negative. Thanks again for your encouragement! Have a great day! Jerome

I am curious about where everyone with an SCS had their generator or battery placed. My doc basically offered the choice of in my hips or just above my waist on my left back. I don't want to sit on it so the hip was out and I opted for my left back just above my waist. I tend to sleep on my back so that can be uncomfortable. Overall though, I expect it is a matter of adjusting to being the "million dollar man" so to speak. LOL

I am having mine implanted in 1 month. I will see if they can implant unit in my forehead so i dont sit on it, While i had the trial i was going to walk in to the bank all wired up and demand money or i will blow this sucker up,

I am straped with a scs and i am not afraid to use it so give up the money, Git-ir-done

I had mine implanted just below my waist line in my upper hip. I sleep on my back and it was not a problem.

You want it implanted were it will be easy to reach while rechargine weekly, sometimes for 2 hours or longer.

Best of luck!

Patsy W

I found the best thing to do is to discuss the different placements with your doctor and see what his feedback is on that. There are several considerations, least of all sleeping and ease of reach. Of course this is just mine and my doc's opinions.

Infection Different locations are more prone to infection than others. Proximity to sweat glands seems to have a big influence here. For example those with a cervical SCS considering under arm placement. Infection is very common with this placement.

Clothing Most of us fail to take into consideration the type of clothing we will right away or eventually wear once we are "back on our feet". Pockets, wallets, belts, bra straps, underwear and gym wear all can cause irritation of the IPG pocket. Best to determine the most likely scenario before deciding on IPG placement.

Wire tunneling The doc can let you know what his/her experience has been with certain placements as they relate to the amount and direction they have to tunnel for the wiring from your IPG to your leads. Certain activities make certain wiring paths a bad decision.

Charging Depending upon your system and your programming, frequency and length of charging varies. For nearly 3.5 years I had to charge at least once a week. After some recent reprogramming that has been bumped to every 2.5 weeks. Signal strength during charging is influenced by IPG placement. For the longest time I had to sit in my recliner sitting back against my charger to get a good signal. It is some of the mystery of the SCS.

Adjustment Many SCS patients wind up making multiple adjustments to their units throughout the day in order to compensate for change in activity or position. Some find it more convenient to have the IPG in the front where they can watch the patient programmer. Most come with external antenna connectors which make adjustments very very easy. I have gotten used to making adjustment behind my back.

Sleeping I found that once my SCS helped me to sleep, that I really didn't care if I slept on my IPG or not. If I do sleep in it, I am usually a tad sore in the morning and a little bit of Celebrex makes that disappear fairly quick.

Well there's more but I'm getting really tired and need to call it quits. Hope this helps.

"C"

You have 2 or 3 more days before they turn your SCS on dont you?

I know you are very eager to turn it on and we are eager to hear how it is working out for you so please keep us posted.

Lets keep our fingers crossed that this permanent implant works better than your trial. But still, as you say, a little relief is better than none! Plus you have ran out of options haven't you?

Best of luck to you.

Cheers
Patsy W

I am scheduled for my psych eval next week and was just curious how long before the scs trial period. :?

My SCS helps and I'd rate it overall positive. It does not eliminate the need for pain meds though but it does help with the peak pain especially. I had to do some unexpected travel and I was very sore, swollen, and in lots of pain for several days after traveling. I've been back home for a couple of days and the swelling has reduced some but the SCS still protrudes. I've had a couple of programming sessions and I'm getting some coverage but, in the lower back, the sensation goes into areas where I don't need it and the sensation can be uncomfortable in certain portions of a man's anatomy! LOL Interestingly, some of my old back pain related issues are now resurfacing. I wonder if it is because I'm getting some relief in the 2 major areas that I'm now noticing the other areas again. I had a C7/8 epidural Friday afternoon - oh, that was fun! So far, I'm pleased with the SCS.

Hope you do really well! I, too, may be a candidate so I've tried to read almost all the past postings as well as the current. Hang in there!