Good afternoon all its about 2pm. I know I am a little late on writing this but I have been busy. Things are going well for the most part, but I still have my bad days. On the 16th of Oct I went in for my 6 month post op apt and to get some medication refilled. My actual 6 months surgery date was Oct 25th. I was told that every thing with my stim is still working as it should and there is been no movement in the wiring (a very good thing) It is very common to have wire movement specially with the job that I do. Also all 16 electrodes are also working right and there is no noted problems with the system. I was very excited to hear this news. For the most part my programing changes have been working really well and I have got used to the feeling of the stimulation. A few days ago I took an instructor class which seemed to put alot of strain on my neck. When I got home I could feel the first signs that a headache was coming on. I tried to relax and before I could change any settings on my stimulator I was asleep. When I woke up a few hrs later I had fuzzy vision in my right eye and felt the pain in my face, arm and neck. I then increased the stimulator settings. From what I could recall this is the 2nd or 3rd big headache since I had surgery. Also one thing I have noticed is that when the headaches do come they do not seem as severe and to last as long. I have learned that the key is to turn up the stimulation right at the sign of a headache. My neck and back are still pretty sore from the surgery. My neck also still feels very tight with turning and rotation. I have also had a lot of itching and discomfort at the area of the battery. From the research I have done I learned this is caused by the forming of scare tissue and should get better over time. I was asked the other day, " Are you still glad you went through the surgery?" My answer to that questions is YES!. Let me say there were only a few select people that really knew how my life was day to day and got to experience first hand with me how bad this condition was at it's worse (right before I had surgery) I will have to agree with them that my quality of life has improved 100% I also have to say I get about 90% relief from the stimulation. I would recommended the surgery to any one that meets the qualification for it. I am getting better every day but still do get frustrated with the discomfort and the other problems this condition causes, (nausea/light sensitivity/mood changes and balance problems) I want to continue to thank my fantastic wife Nicole for her support- If it was not for you encouraging me and comforting me through the worse pain of my life I <3 you a lot! I also want to thank my family and all my friends for the daily support I get. Also to my EMS and fire family THANK YOU! and all of you guys and girls are truly FAMILY in my book. If it wasn't for all your support positive comments and encouragement I would most likely still not be on the ambulance. Well not much more to note for now but I hope every one is doing well. I also wish every one a Happy Halloween, Please be safe and have fun as I will be at work :) * Also for some that have been asking me the small ribbon on my profile pic came from a stimulator site that I am a member of. The purple means chronic pain, the red means chronic headaches (occipital neuralgia), and the black at the top is support for the frustration and such this condition creates. The picture also shows 3 of the many important things in my life (My love, my dog and the ocean)
