My Stimulator and I. (N°1)
Six months ago I had never even heard of a neuro-stimulator. Now I am living happily with one.
How did this come about? A little by accident, and also good luck. In 2003 I underwent an operation on my spine, which left me with my left leg both very painful and practically useless. How did this manifest itself? I seemed to have lost my balance and to be walking on hedgehogs or, if you prefer, sea urchins. That is the accident part.
I returned to see the surgeon for the yearly check-up, he realised that my leg was not better and, as I do not live in the same city, sent me home to my family doctor asking him to arrange an appointment with a neurologist. This is where the good luck comes in. The neurologist knew of and sent me straight away to the team that specialise in somatosensory rehabilitation.
I had to go twice a week. After a week or two they said: "You would be a good candidate for a neuro-stimulator". "What is that"? said I. They gave me a fairly detailed description of what the stimulator was and what the operation(s) would entail, but said that the doctor would give me further explanations. So I went down the corridor, (so handy when every movement is an effort)! and made an appointment to see the doctor a couple of weeks later.
When I saw the doctor, he seemed to have all the time in the world. He listened patiently to my (long) medical history, and then on a computer screen showed me the electrode that he would attach to my spinal cord, He explained why he chose the more rigid one rather than the supple. He then showed me on the screen both the cable and remote control, which were part of the first stage. Patiently he repeated that which the two people on the team had underlined, namely that it was possible that the stimulator would do nothing for me. That the first stage was to implant the electrode with a cable and remote control attached. If the experiment was conclusive, then he would undertake the second stage which consisted of implanting the definitive batteries.
I did not see what I had to lose. If I did not try I would never know! So a week or two later I arrived at the Clinic one evening and the next morning at seven I was trundled down to the theatre. I was lucky, one of the members of the team had asked to be allowed to assist as she had never seen the operation performed and so she was there, a well-known, friendly face. I was placed face down and given a local anaesthetic. If I was in any discomfort the anaesthetic was topped up. The surgeon and the technician from the firm that make the stimulator both took their time to ensure that the stimulations arrived to the correct zone, The operation took about an hour and a half, then after a short stay in the recovery room, I was taken back to my room. At about three I was allowed to get up. I was a little shaky, the remote control needed... controlling, (never forget to lower the flow before lying down)! However, things were better. After a good night's sleep, the first in over two year's, things were definitely better, so much so that I asked the doctor, when he come on his rounds, when it was possible to put in the definitive version. He checked the legal side, as there is a certain lapse of time to be respected and we made an appointment for... a week later! The same afternoon I was allowed home. A friend came to collect me and instead of going home we went first to the supermarket and then, out for a pizza! I was ecstatic the supermarket had, for months, been murder, and as for eating out, let alone in the evening I had had no inclination for such an adventure for many moons!
A week later the clinic called me at nine o'clock, I was there by nine fifteen and at ten I was in the theatre again. The batteries were implanted in the cavity above where my appendix should have been, the remote control removed, the cable passed to the batteries. The wound was closed and I was taken up to a room. I relaxed until the doctor had the time to check me out and then went home. A week later the stitches were removed and the day after that I left for a week in Turkey. It was a little too much physically, but so good for the morale! From the first operation until the stitches were removed including the definitive implantation, three weeks elapsed, that is the shortest possible scenario, but effectively my life changed less than twenty-four hours after the first intervention. There is still work to be done to finish the vibrotactile counter-stimulation but I can envisage this quite easily when the rest of the time I can do practically anything I wish again!
Mme L.
