3 days post surgery

Good evening its 9pm. Just wanted to put a quick note up that I am doing good. The stim unit is working very well and I have been headache free since Thursday AM. The stimulation has helped a lot and does not hurt. It feels like a tingling sensation through out the right side of my head. I have been very tired from the surgery and all the antibiotics/meds. As most know I have three different surgical sites. The first one is on the back of my head near my right ear (where the stim electrodes are). The second one is the upper back area in between the right shoulder blade and spine (where the extension wires are connected from the electrodes to the battery). The third site is to the right lower back/belt line area (Where the battery is located) Each of these areas are very painful but have been getting better each day. The first two pics that are listed below are from Thursday when I got home from the hospital. It was also the first time that I actually saw the surgical sites. the third pic we took this am when the bandage came off  I plan to keep the pics updated so people that want to see the progress can.  a few people have asked what spot hurts the most and I would have to say the back of my head and the area where the battery is. So not to much else to say except all my headache issues have been resolved (no pain/nausea/vomiting/visions problems/dizziness/pressure behind my head) I will do my best to cont to keep every one updated. Also a big thanks to my wife, family and friends for everything. To end this I have to send a huge thanks to Kaiser North Neurosurgery team/DR Pappas and the Medtronic team for all there help!!

Finally at home

Good evening- 6:50pm. I am finally home :) Things went very well!! Surgery got pushed back and did not start till around 3pm.  Surgery went very well and was about  2 1/2 hrs. They used a non rechargeable battery. The dr and medtronic rep said this would be easier so i would not have to worry about the re-charging issues. i ended up with 3 incisions. on in the center of the neck 1 between the spine and right shoulder blade. and one right lower bottom area. The lead wires were placed in the neck, the anchor and wires were tunneled down near the spine/shoulder area and connected into the batter which was placed in the right lower back/bottom area.  Was in recovery for a long time due to no rooms available. I finally got moved to a room around 11:15 pm. I want to thank the recovery staff for being so kind! they did have a complication with my heart rate going into the 160-170 range (which they thought was from the drugs used in the surgery) We all know that I have to be a pain in the ass for everything!! :)  Was in a lot of pain at the surgery sites and headache last night. Didn't get much sleep last night and had a issue with my med dosages being low but it was straightened out. This am around 955 i turned the stimulator on for the very first time. I was truly amazed by the results. Nicole was by my side for it and she also saw first and how the headache pain disappeared!! I truly feel blessed that I have been able to get such device. Throughout today I have have been making slight adjustments to the levels of stimulation. Pain has been 0/10 as far as headache and 3-4 in the incisions. I would like to thank everyone that was involved in this process and Dr Pappas. The medtronic reps have also been VERY helpful! My next apt is May 10 to meet with the surgeon and Jacob the medtronic rep. Jacob just called me and said it sounds like every thing is working very well. He will then expand the settings I am able to use at home when I go for the apt (my stimulator has over 1,000 settings)   I also want to thank all my family, friends and everyone that has sent me text messages, facebook messages and phone calls. Since I am very tired at this point I am going to close this blog and type more later.

The countdown is on :)

Good afternoon!! Just wanted to make a quick note of whats going on and how I am feeling. So I got a phone call this morning saying that my arrival time for tomorrow is 10AM. My surgery is scheduled for 12:30 tomorrow afternoon. Many things are going through my mind right now, but that's to be expected. Emotionally I am ready for the surgery and I know I will do fine. Again I want to thank every one for the messages, texts and phone calls as it really means alot! I also want to thank my very supportive wife  for helping me stay positive. The main things that come to mind right now is how I will feel after surgery and how this stimulator will help my life and hopefully keep the pain to a very minimal level. Right now the pain is very minimal, but I am very medicated. a while ago i got a text message from a friend that was pretty funny. It said " Thinking of you" and attached was a you tube video. I thought of sharing it with every one as it did make me laugh!


Video that was sent to me :)

Also another funny thing I was asked is " Will they give you a car charger so you can charge your battery in between calls at work?" :)) the answer to that question is NO....  I will go out of service and some one else can take the call  ;) (M-72B)
  So that you guys know I will be staying overnight at the hospital. I will also do my best to give a update on how everything went when I can :) Well not to much more to say for now so I will close this entry. On a side note good luck to one of my good friends Patty as she takes her National Registry Paramedic Test ;)
I also hope everyone is well and to my EMS brothers and sisters " please stay safe!" 
JR

Pre op yesterday and surgery wed

Good morning, its 10:30. First off thanks to the people that have asked me how I have been doing. Things are going alright. Every thing feels fuzzy but that is from the medication. Yesterday was a good day as I was able to only take 3 dilaudid pills  instead of 4( equivalent to 30mg of morphine instead of 40mg)  Thinking and typing is a little hard for me right now, but I wanted to give everyone a update on how the apt went yesterday. The apt was with my doctors assistant and she went over the procedure again. My Dad was able to come, which helped to give him a clearer idea on what was going to be done. To make it easier for some people I have found pictures to give a clear explanation. 

This picture above shows the right occipital nerve. My headaches are all right sided based so I have very little to no pain on the left side. As you follow the nerves up you can see how the pain travels up the back side of my head and into the forehead area. The leads shown below are in a enlarged side but will be placed around the right occipital nerve right near cervical disk 1 or  C-1. They are placing 2 leads with 8 electrodes on each lead

The wire on these leads are about the thickness of hair and are very hard to damage. The wires will then be tunneled down the inside of my back and be wired into the battery shown below. The battery will sit in the right side of my lower back (just below the belt line) The battery should last 8-9 years and then will need to be replaced. We have decided to go with a non rechargeable battery The size of this battery is 2.6 inches high x 1.9 inches wide and 0.6 inches deep. The weight of the battery is 2.4 ounces.

Update

Good morning- 11:43 on Thursday-  As most of you know Tuesday afternoon was one of the worst days in my life so far. Nicole took me to the emergency room and we got there about 430pm. they took me right in as they always do and I got very good care. I am going to make this short cuz i really dont feel well. So I finally went out on medical leave. They have told me surgery will be next tues or wed. during the time at the er i was given 16mg of diluadid, 30mg toradol, 10mg of decadron, 12 of phenergan, and 10mg of valium. They kept me over night and finally got the extreme pain to break. I was sent home with diluadid to take every 4 hrs (or as needed). I am taking 1mg doses which I was told is equal to 8mg of morphine. Some people may ask how is the pain now. To be honest I really don't feel much of any thing. The plan is to cont this treatment until I have surgery. It has really got to me that things have had to come to this and I am really trying to be strong. I want to thank my fantastic wife/best friend for standing by me and encouraging me to be strong. I also want to say the same thanks to my family and all of my  friends.  My parents and grandma came down last night which meant the world to me. I was glad that they came and were just there to support me. I also want to thank every one that has sent me text and other messages to see how I am doing. Im sorry if I have not responded back to you, but I have read each one and thank you very much!! With this said im not to sure what else to say. I am really hoping that the surgery will be this coming week.  It is expected that I will be out 3-4 weeks after I have surgery. I will do my best to keep you all updated. And to all my EMS brothers and sisters please keep it safe and I will be missing all of you!!

People.... ;)

Thu 4/5/12 @ 2:20pm. Hey just to let you know no new news on the surgery date. Still waiting talked to them this am and was told maybe May now..... I am so sick of this and  I understand that they are really busy but this does not make since. I am trying to be really patient but its getting old very fast (most of you know how much patients I have) What I was told this AM is that my surgery may now be in the month of May....... REALLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME.....!!! ( just a tad bit frustrated there) I understand it is a very complex and complicated surgery but still... They also told me it may be on a sat (which would make it easier for some of my family) but also could give me a longer hospital stay. My head cont to hurt every day, some worse than others. My neck has also been very sore which is making me very tired and cranky. I got off work late this am and did not sleep very well so tonight is gonna be a long shift..... Again I thank every one for asking me each and every day how I am doing, it really means a lot to see how many people truly do care!! I also want to thank my fantastic wife and family for being so supportive and dealing with me and my constant mood changes. Well it is now time to get ready for work. I hope every one has a great night :)
JR

Still Waiting......

Tuesday, April 3, 2012s

            Good evening J its 6:35 pm. This week has been decent. My neck and back of my head is still sore but the pain  is back to where it was prior to the last ER visit. I am still waiting for my surgery date but have been told to plan for it in “mid April” I want to continue to thank everyone that checks on me every day as it does mean a lot! I still am always tired and frustrated, but things have been ok this week. I am glad to see that April has come as it makes it just that much closer to surgery. I am going to cont to ask for people to send positive thoughts to get the date asap. I have still been having problems with my balance and sleeping/motion sickness, but from what I have read the surgery will fix most of this. The pain has been 5-6 every day with a occasional waves of 7-8. Yesterday was a really good day as the pain was about 2-3. Work has been good, but very busy. Also want to thank my partner for being there and being so supportive and willing to help! Nothing much is new just going day by day and relaxing as much as I can J Again thank you and I hope everyone is doing well. I will keep you updated if I find out any new info this week!