2 days from now I'm scheduled to have a spinal neurostimulator implanted to block the pain signals from my spine to my brain. The pain is due to spinal stenosis, deterioration of the discs. The trial stimulator worked really well but I've had to wait and jump through a bunch of medical hoops for 3 months since then. The pain has been moderate to severe this whole time. It feels like there is a knife stuck in my upper left butt cheek all the way up to the hip bone, that's the best way I can describe it. Of course they took me off oxycodone, so I have been taking Nucynta, a weaker opioid, which knocks the edge off the pain a little. Hopefully this stimulator will do the job without medication, at least that's the goal.
One more takeaway for me: I will heretofore have a lot more empathy for people who have chronic pain. They're not just complainers or whiners; it really hurts. All the time.
One more takeaway for me: I will heretofore have a lot more empathy for people who have chronic pain. They're not just complainers or whiners; it really hurts. All the time.