One of the methods of controlling RSD pain is with a spinal chord stimulator. It's a device that's a little bigger than a tic-tac box that pumps an electric current through the sympathetic nervous system. The theory behind it is that it will disrupt, and distract, the brains ability to focus on the pain.
At my RSD support group last Sunday I met a woman who had one and it had given her the ability to go back to work as a teacher. Her RSD was in her arm and hand, but the device was working exactly as it was supposed to.
My implant doesn't work. I have all the tingly fun of an implant with all the pain mixed in. On Monday I met with one of the representatives from Medtronics, the company that made my implant, in the hope that there would be some adjustment that could be made to increase its efficiency. So now my implant turns on and off, all on it's own, and still doesn't work. There's nothing worse than having something jolt you while you're busy holding your breath trying to fight through massive amounts of pain.
This morning I woke up in such a bad state that I couldn't remember the specifics of events that went down over the last week or so. General concepts were still there, I remember having made a phone call or going to the hospital, but names, faces, and specific topics discussed are all gone.
There was a funny process that happened then. First I was scared, then angry, then just depressed. Now it's still a bit scary, I still don't have any of those memories back, but it's kind of funny. I always wondered what it would be like to wake up and forget everything that had been happening. I have a morbid understanding of what that would be like now. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the next occurrence though...
Tonight I'm going to try and work with my bionic implants, and perhaps tomorrow I'll wake up as the next Lee Majors...
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