After much indecision and consultation, on July 22 I had the Spinal Stimulator placed into the thoracic area of the back. I knew I was in very capable hands, but still apprehensive.

The surgery went well and the first week was a little intense at times but I got through it. The new stimulator, I named Stanley, was turned on the 1st of August. The turning on was interesting and a bit of a different feeling from the peripheral stimulator, (named Stella). We turned off the peripheral stimulator and programmed the spinal stimulator and then turned them on together to see how they did with one another. That worked out just fine.

Learning to live with the constant buzz of the peripheral stimulator was far easier than the spinal stimulator has been. Every move if you're sitting and move, standing and adjust your posture, walking, going to bed at night, to coughing and sneezing, they are all little a foreign but I will adjust. In terms of helping, it has really helped the right side and some help on the left but not as much as I had hoped but then again it is really early to tell and I am still healing. I will have another adjustment on August 8th and do a tweak or two with the peripheral. I am hoping for more relief on the left side but that remains to be seen.

This process reinforces that you must accept the fact that you have CRPS/RSD – and probably will have forever.  As I said before, you do a little here and a little there and every little bit helps. It doesn't make it go away but you get little bits of life back. I know that many of you out there have lived with this a lot longer than I have, so you know what I mean.

I'm fortunate to have Dr.'s that are always looking for something that will help and I'm willing to try whatever they find. I have a lot of life left to live, so I will continue to fight and not give up.