Adjustments after Surgery

[DanaG]

So, I had my first adjustment yesterday. I was curious though - whenanyone first had thes urgery, did it take a few days or so for it to start working? They turned my unit on right after surgery at a very low level. No relief. Then, they turned it on yesterday onto a different electrode, still no relief. Is it possible that this may start working tomorrow or something or am I going to need to go back next week to have it adjusted again? We took an X-ray and everything looked fine according to the doc. There are 4 electrodes in my s# and we originally had the electrode ont hat is furthest out. He now turned on the one that is furthest in. I was feeling the stimulation in my left buttock before and now it's more in the rectal area. When I had the test stim done, I felt it in the vagina. Are we supposed to feel it in the same place as the test?

Hoping this is going to work soon...Thanks!

Dana

[DebbieB]

Hi Dana:
It will take awhile, some of us take a few adjustments to get it working right ok..
So patient is the big thing right now , so you will have to wait it out Dana...

The rectal area and vagina area are two main areas for the stimulation to be felt, I had my in my rectal area,it hurt so bad to go to the bathroom and had to have it adjusted..
I was different then the rest of the girls, I could not pee,but about hour after they turned on my Implant I was able to go pee on my own, it was such a relief to say the least..
So are you feeling better now and your back is feeling good too??


I had to have four adjustment before it was working good for me Dana...
Good luck and keep us posted on how it is going for you ok Dana!!!

Hugs Debbie

[DanaG]

Thanks. I'm going back to work on Monday and just had my surgery 2 weeks ago, so that's good. I just don't really understand the adjustments exactly. We took an x-ray to see where the electrodes are, so what more is there to guess? Is it a matter of just turning it up or switching electrodes? This part is going to be real frustrating waiting for it to work. I mean I will have patience, but I would think you start to wonder, "will it ever work?" If my symptoms are still around tomorrow, I will call to make another appointment next week. I guess I'll see how my sleeping patterns go tonight.

Thanks again,
Dana

[Teri]

Took a couple of adjustments to get mine right. It feels NOTHING like the test did. Infact, I couldn't even tell you where I feel it now unless I turn the control up.....I had trouble with my big toe. Every time the unit would come on, my toe would curl. I would get home from the 1 hour trip to the uro, and my dam* toe would be curling again. I haven't needed an adjustment in a long time not so it's not something you have to have done constantly. Just till they get it right. There are millions of ways to set your controls so patience is what you need right now. Don't ever give up hope. Work close with your dr and PLEASE, don't be afraid go ask him/her questions....tons of hugs teri

[Ruth N]

We are all different in terms of where we feel it and where it works best. Mine feels and works best when I feel the stim rectally, yet for some people the rectal location is painful (like for Debbie) or just not the best for them. There are so many adjustment options- each electrode can be tried separately, changes in amplitude and frequency or on/off cycling time can be tried, and in some cases more than one electrode needs to be on at the same time. For the first 4 months I had many adjustments. Eventually we found that for me having 3 electrodes on together worked best. Since that time I have not had to have any adjustments in 17 months and I hardly know it is there(except when I had to turn it off before another surgery and my symptoms came flooding back. After surgery I turned it back on again and I was fine. So, hang in there-it takes time but it is well worth it. I get a good chuckle now when we take long car trips and everyone else needs a bathroom break before I do. Glad you are feeling well already. The rest will fall into place with time.