Spinal Cord Stimulator, on the way! (Maybe.)

So today was the 2nd part of the psychological evaluation for the Dorsal Root Ganglion Spinal Cord Stimulator to treat my CRPS/RSD in my right foot and leg.  My doctor was very nice. I can understand the very in-depth written exam on my pain and how it effects my life, that I completed about a week ago. I really have no idea why I had to do a personality test. My friend, who is a therapist, just said it’s so basically, the insurance company can rule yes or no for payment. Great. WTF. But look at those two photos up there of statements. This “professional” test used the word, “OFTENER” in like, 5 statements. I couldn’t find the other 3 when I was done the 370/567 questions of bull-o-ny. I pointed it out to the psychologist tonight and he said I should get a finder’s fee. He said he’s been giving this particular test for years, and never once noticed it. My husband said that I should have crossed off “oftener” and put, “No, most oftenest.”

Now I just have to wait for the doc to “grade” me on however my personality would do with getting a stimulator in my epidural space to trick my brain into thinking my foot and leg was not on fire, freezing, or otherwise hurting so bad that I can not walk from my bed to my toilet. Great. I had to share some pretty abusive and traumatic stories that really, only contributed to the foot injuries….plural….over many years. For some of you that have been following me for the month I’ve been blogging, you know some of the back story to the injuries resulting in 2 reconstructive surgeries, 2 Sympathetic Trunk Nerve Blocks, and now a proper diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy of the lower right extremity.  I was diagnosed with CRPS 1, since February 2017. But after the 2nd Sympathetic Trunk Nerve Block in October and the follow-up, the pain management doc changed it to CRPS 2. I don’t know why yet. I saw it on my papers as I was checking out. And will ask him at the next visit.

Tonight, we did discuss that the use of my TENS unit helps the migraines and fibromyalgia pain, but it doesn’t help the CRPS pain. I brought up a new product for 2017 that won out past Apple and other companies for “Best New Technology.” It is made by Oska Wellness . They scaled down the hospital-sized machines to personal size for the general public that is having pain. It is a non-drug treatment anyone (I think, but don’t quote me) can use. It relies on PEMF – pulsating electromagnetic frequencies. This is something I have been learning about more and more over the past few years. It seems that it is related to the “free energy” that Nikola Tesla had discovered around the Victorian Era. I want to invest in it asap, but the psychologist said to wait until more studies of its use for CRPS comes out. But I want to jump on the bandwagon now. Of course, I don’t have the ($299 sale price) money to do it, being that I am not working right now. It is labled as a Grade 1 Medical Device, so apparently that means that some insurances will pay for some of the cost to the patient. I need to do more research on this. The pain management doc did not hear of this as of the Friday before New Year’s. A person in the one group I belong to on facebook, regarding pain and fibromyalgia and crps mentioned it. I’ll have to ask her some questions when I feel like venturing on there again.

What I can tell you is that the high voltage nerve pain has significantly decreased in the past month since starting the Hempworx CBD oil . It is still there at all hours, but the shocks have been less frequent. They still hurt like a bitch and make me jump and yell out, and sometimes, even shake my leg like it was suddenly replaced with an alien leg, but they are less frequent. (As I said in yesterday’s blog, I will do an update on the CBD oil and my overall pain soon.)

So for now, I just wear the fuzziest socks I can find because of the allodynia (painful touch) of anything in the general big toe/ball of foot area, especially the scars. The top of my jeans feels like knives or razors cutting my skin if I put my pants on without socks already on.  Fortunately, the Sympathetic Trunk Nerve Blocks have stopped the cold skin on my big toe joint area/ball of foot from traveling up to my knee. So they did help a bit. At the surgeon’s last week, it put on a spectacular color show for the resident and surgeon. Above is a picture of New Year’s Eve when my foot started hurting, and I finally took off my socks….to see two different feet. It really is like someone replaced my lower leg with an alien leg. It’s like it doesn’t belong on my body anymore. Although the mermaid/portrait of me tattoo that I got in 1992 is still there, so I’m fairly certain it’s my leg.

In other news…seeing that the pain psychologist was about 70 miles away, we stopped at another exit with a Starbucks and a Five Below……here is a bowtie I got Simon, although he doesn’t look too happy about it. I know I’m not too happy about my paranoia of not getting relief for my constant pain because some dork sitting behind a desk in some other state, who never met me, says, “NO!” to my spinal cord stimulator.

Take Care, Be As Well As Possible, and Until Next Time…