It was a blissfully quiet work day after a long and difficult week. I moved the stimulator around quite a bit today and kept things (relatively) under control. After work, I met some colleagues at a nearby bar, where I had a hot toddy that was exactly what I needed on a day like today. Then I hightailed it home before the rain turned into sleet.
Looking forward to spending the rest of the evening in my warm pajamas under a blanket. While my foot is not feeling as bad as I expected, I am starting to get foot and leg cramps that I suspect are related to the high amplitude I have set on my stimulator. I decided to turn it down a few notches tonight, so we'll see what happens. As I've mentioned, I am a member of a social media group of CRPS patients, and I am shocked by the number of people who are resisting getting a spinal cord stimulator, either out of fear that it won't be effective or out of concern for the recovery time after the surgery. While I may have had more surgery experiences than the average person over the last ten years, the stimulator surgery seemed like it had a fairly simple recovery. And compared to the prospect of continuing my pre-stimulator trajectory with no relief in sight, I would do the stimulator implant again even if the recovery were three times as long.
In general, reading the posts of other members of the group makes me feel very fortunate. I was diagnosed pretty quickly (although it didn't feel that way at the time), which meant that the stimulator has been more effective. I am not on any medication. It hasn't spread anywhere else. I can work full time, exercise nearly every day, and lead a pretty normal life. Remind me of these things when I am whining about the weather and my pain level, which I feel certain will happen over the next week.
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