It was an ordinary day. Preparing to head to my back doctor once again to see what he has to recommend for me this time. My back problems began to surface about 30 years ago when I was still teaching school, but I really think I can track my problems back to the 1970s when a friend was helping me put a large window air-conditioner in our dining room window. Ever since that time I have been having problems off and on with my back. I have had four surgeries with quite a bit of metal placed in my back over the years. Each surgery seemed to help for a period of time before the pain returned once again. It has now been a constant pain for the past few years which curtails just about everything that I enjoy and want to do. Traveling to the Caribbean on vacation has been put on hold while having to do yard work has been scaled down. What I am hoping to try next is something known as Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy (SCS). Over 400,000 people around the world are no longer held captive by the physical and emotional ravages of chronic pain because of SCS. The Boston Scientific SCS System is what has given many people with back pain a new life once again. Being able to live a normal life once again has returned to so many and I'm hoping to be one of those survivors. The system I am hoping to try works to interrupt pain impulses before they reach the brain, replacing them with a smooth, soothing feeling. Wow...I can hardly wait! The procedure is said to be a safe and effective advancement that has helped work miracles for hundreds of thousands of chronic pain sufferers all across the globe. The SCS therapy has been around for more than four decades. The procedure has been approved by the U.S. Drug Administration for adults with chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs. They are offering me real hope for a better tomorrow. Since pain is carried by electrical nerve impulses along the spinal cord to the brain, intervening in the nervous system's impulse flow is the key to managing pain. To stop the pain, a small pulse generator and insulated wires are implanted into the body. Directed by an external remote control, electrical impulses from the pulse generator mask pain signals as they travel to the brain where they are perceived as a gentle, tingling feeling called parenthesis. I was told that I will test the procedure first before they decide to implant the system. The procedure is considered a success if my pain is reduced by 50%. I could always use a few pain pills if needed to supplement the procedure. Implanting the unit is an outpatient procedure with sedation and local anesthesia. I'm hoping the SCS will allow me to get back to a normal life once again without major surgery which I doubt would happen with me being that I'm in my mid-70s. A small booklet I received about the procedure and the unit says I'll be "Walking on Sunshine." I can hardly wait for a few days of sunshine!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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