Currently in Goodyear AZ (Low 40 Sunny High 74)
After her followup appointment for the test and then living a few days without the neurostimulator Jo has decided to have the device implanted.
As with all health care scheduling here in the Valley of the Sun the earliest she could get this done was the end of February and that was only because of a cancellation. There is then a 6-8 week period for the leads near the spine to heal properly, basically build up enough scar tissue so they won't move. Then we will be free to travel.
Whenever a date range is offered we always plan on the maximum which puts us leaving mid to late April. Whenever we leave we still plan on being in the Kansas City area in early May and being there for a month or so.
Here's hoping that April is unseasonably cool.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Goodyear AZ (Low 38 Sunny High 72)
We blogged when we recently purchased Weather Tech liners for our Ford F-350 here, Weather Tech Liners
When we bought the liners we bought the cleaner and protector specifically for them.
We forgot to take a before picture but the cleaner and protector did an amazing job and they looked as good as when we got them.
Thanks to Paul and Margery from Living Our Dream for getting them first which we then researched and decided to buy. We are very happy with these liners.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Goodyear AZ (Low 40 Sunny High 69)
After spending the summer here so Jo could get the nerves in her neck cauterized, which has provided some relief, she is now getting treatment on her lower back. It was determined that cauterization may not be the best option so she is currently in the screening trial for 'Neurostimulation Therapy for Chronic Pain'.
During the screening trial wire leads are placed in the epidural space near Jo's spine.
The neurostimulator, about the size of a stopwatch, which is normally implanted, is taped to her back since this is a trial. We were very concerned about this since Jo has a severe tape allergy so the Pain Center had her try different tapes and spraying antihistamine spray on the skin. This worked for a couple different tapes.
Small electrical currents through the leads to the spine area disrupts the pain signals from the spinal cord to the brain, effectively tricking the brain that there is no pain. This was done Monday and she has a followup appointment today to remove the leads and discuss the trial.
Unfortunately they may not have prepped her well enough to prevent her tape allergy problems which may have caused additional pain messing with the results. There has been a learning curve on usage of the device so while there was some pain relief in an area it sometimes caused discomfort in other areas. Sleeping was a big issue since the device and all the wires were taped to her lower back.
With this mixed bag of results we are hoping she doesn't have to make a decision today. We will keep you posted.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Goodyear AZ (Low 38 Mostly Clear High 70)
We left Tonopah Arizona for our short trip (30 miles) back to Goodyear, our usual winter stop. We will be here until April. We enjoyed our one month in Tonopah at Saddle Mountain RV Park but are happy to be here in familiar surroundings especially our grapefruit tree just outside our front door.
It did kinda feel like home as we were pulling in. Plus we are 30 miles closer to all our medical appointments. We setup the hummingbird feeder on the back window and in no time we had hummingbirds.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
