1/22/15. The post where I remember my situation.

1/22/15: it poured rain all night long. I woke up this morning to find that either my alarm malfunctioned or it went off for an hour without me hearing it and eventually shut off.  I'm going with the malfunctioning option, but in either case, I woke up an hour late. (This was probably a lucky break, since I needed some sleep after the last few nights.)  Since I had a doctor appointment, I skipped my workout and cut some corners in my usually cumbersome getting ready process. 

I made it to the doctor's office on time, if a little wet and disheveled.  It was a three month checkup and I didn't learn anything unexpected.  There is still no cure, cold and/or wet weather is still going to be a major issue, and reprogramming my stimulator is still going to be my best/only option for relief.  My medical rep contacted me shortly after the appointment to make an appointment for Monday to reprogram the stimulator and reminded me to change the program frequently.  As a reminder (for me as well as you), the theory behind the stimulator is that motion travels more quickly than pain through nerves.  By stimulating the nerve into constant motion, it masks the pain (to some extent).  Eventually, you become accustomed to the motion and no longer notice it, which means it ceases to be effective at blocking the pain, so changing the frequency often is important.  I shared with my rep my concern about the fact that the amplitude is already so high that I can barely tolerate it, and he assured me he thought it would still be effective to change the frequency of the programs without changing the amplitude.  I've got nothing to lose, so I'm willing to try it.

It was a long day at work, but it went quickly.  I spent the day in a bi-monthly meeting with colleagues from all over the state.  Afterward, my patient, long-suffering husband and I spent a fun evening with a friend playing dominos - a nice way to get through a cold, rainy night.  The rain should stop midway through the morning and then we are forecast for a beautiful weekend.  My doctor assured me that once a weather pattern settles in for a longer period of time I will feel much better.  I hope he's right.