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Nerve Stimulation

She’s Out, She’s Great

I’m sitting next to Kerrie in the recovery room and she’s doing great, eating Graham crackers, drinking water, talking about baseball, and generally enjoying having a few fewer ounces of metal in her life. We asked to keep the stimulator and hopefully they’re going to clean it up, inspect the unit, and then send it [...]

Kerrie’s in Surgery

I just wanted to let you all know that they just wheeled Kerrie back for her surgery about ten minutes ago. She’s been in great spirits, even if she’s really hungry at this point. Well, she’s probably not very hungry right now…she was already slurring a bit from her anesthesia meds as I was leaving [...]

One Week & Counting

The surgery to remove my nerve stimulator is a week from today! (Yes, the original date was September 13, but it was rescheduled for the 12th.) The only part that I’m nervous about is that it’s at 2:30 in the afternoon. I can’t eat after 7 p.m. the night before, so I’m going to be [...]

A Nerve Stimulatoree’s Positive Experience

My feelings about nerve stimulation has obviously changed over time and I have often wished that I wrote about the process as I went along. Mary Gustafson, a journalist in her mid-20s, has done exactly that on her blog That Headache Girl.
Mary, who is insightful and hilarious, describes the personal and technical aspects of the [...]

Pain Pump & Nerve Stimulator Information

A reader and I have been e-mailing about pain pumps, or intrathecal drug delivery systems, for headaches. In the process of researching them, I came across some great information.
On the San Francisco Medical Society’s website, there is an overview of all pain therapies. The information isn’t technical and dense and it isn’t an overwhelming amount [...]

Lisa’s Nerve Stimulator Experience

My friend Lisa and I met through a headache forum. At the time, she also had a nerve stimulator, so we e-mailed back and forth and finally met in person when I was in her part of the country for Thanksgiving. Her experience with the nerve stimulator has been, quite simply, hell.
Lisa has had CDH [...]

I Did It!

Wednesday, September 13 is the day that I’ll have my nerve stimulator removed! Don’t worry about number 13 superstitions — September 13th is my mom’s birthday and has always been considered good luck in my family.
I’m not sure when we’ll go to Phoenix, but I have pre-op appointments on the 12th. I’ll have Hart there [...]

A Decision. . . Almost

I’m almost definitely going to have my stimulator removed. I’m still scared to give up my security blanket, so I haven’t scheduled the surgery yet. But I will. I know it’s the right decision.
While we were waiting for my doctor when we were in Phoenix in April, after my leads slipped, I asked Hart outright [...]

The Power of Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation is used for many illnesses, from headache to sciatica to depression. In today’s Washington Post, writer Daniel Stark shares his experience with deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s Disease. The article is honest, funny and, most important, from some who has “been there.”
Many of the procedures and the device he describes echo those [...]

Occipital Nerve Stimulation Study Findings

Mayo Clinic researchers reported findings of a small study of occipital nerve stimulation at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in April. While the press release’s headline proclaims it to be a “safe and effective” treatment for chronic headache, the results aren’t so rosy. In fact, safety is never even mention in the release.
There [...]