My Neurostimulator

It's been two days since the surgery and I'm beginning to feel less sore.  Yesterday was not a good day.  I was extremely sore and swollen.  My forehead was sticking out so much, I looked like a Klingon from Star Trek!  Yesterday was also the first time I turned on the neurostimulator.  I had awoken with a migraine and by 10 a.m. it had become a full blown attack.  I couldn't stand the pain and didn't really want to turn it on because I was still very swollen.  I eventually gave in and after a few minutes of fidgeting with the programmer I turned it on.  It brought the pain down to around a 4.  The pain from the surgery made the migraine pain worse and at times, the stimulator would aggravate it.  By last night it was more tolerable.  I keep ice packs on me at all times except on my forehead.  The weight of them is painful.  My mom suggested that I keep a wash cloth in a bowl of ice water and use that instead.  That's been working out much better.

Night of Surgery w/Swollen Face

I was also very tired yesterday.  I wanted to sleep badly but couldn't stay asleep for more than an hour because I was in pain.  I moved down to my family room and into the big recliner which proved to be much more comfortable, yet I was still unable to fall asleep.  By last night I was able to get some sleep with the use of my memory foam pillow.  Laying on my left side, although it's where the surgery took place, was better than laying on my right.  The pull of the stimulator in my chest made it feel like I had heavy weights in there.


I woke up fairly rested with just a slight headache.  I received a delivery early this morning from FedEx from my representative at Medtronic.  It was the charging system for my neurostimulator.  I have the RestoreSensor neurostimulation system (two-leads) which is used to treat chronic pain.  It is one of two of the smallest 16-electrode neurostimulators offered by Medtronic.  It's a rechargeable system with a long-acting battery and an average recharge interval of approximately 2 weeks.  This model allows your doctor to customize your therapy or treat multiple pain sites at the same time.  The MyStim Patient Programmer lets me adjust and manage the stimulation on my device.


Today, I look forward to feeling more comfortable and getting a visit from my very good friend later in the day.  Tomorrow I get to take off the bandages and take a shower.  Woo-hoo!  I'll be taking more pictures to show the incisions that were made and reveal how much of my hair is gone (I am grieving that a little bit).  Until then, I hope everyone has a virtually pain-free day!

How I look today with less swelling