After the leg cramps I had yesterday, I couldn't even bare the thought of walking today. I decided to try my stationary bike. I was able to do only 5 minutes due to my leg weakness and cramping.
Hopefully, the leg cramps will ease up or go away completely once I get back in shape. Prior to my surgery, I had the cramping but thought the stimulator would block those pain signals.
When my pain doctor recommended the stimulator, he said it would only help the burning pain radiating down my leg. The pain down my leg is secondary to the muscle pain, cramping and weakness I have. When I did the trial, it seemed to help. The trial was for 1 week and I've had the permanent stimulator in for almost 7 weeks. Hmmm? I was told this wasn't a cure - that it would block the pain signals from the nerve to the brain. So, it needs to get to blocking. They expect 50% improvement in my pain. That remains to be seen. It's hard not to get frustrated after everything I've done to try to improve my quality of life. I know it will take time but I struggle with having patience.
The stimulator representative told me it would take time to get the right signals to block my pain areas. If I haven't gotten the desired results in 6 months, they tell me that's when I should be concerned. The paddle lead in my spinal cord is still "scarring in" so that can make a difference in the pain relief.
Back to bed, my mid back muscles are killing me although I've taken a pain pill this morning!
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