My last post was in 2016!? God damn it’s been a while since I’d written anything.

I’ve had a few people messaging me lately asking questions about how the nerve stimulator is doing. It’s been 3 and a half years now, so I figure now’s a good time for an update!

So let’s start with the question I’ve been getting lately: Is it still worth it? Dear gods, yes.  I don’t need earplugs or glasses anymore. I haven’t had to take anything other than over the counter pain meds for my head in *years*. I’m still at about an 80% pain reduction. The headache is still there, but when I’m focused on things I can forget it’s there. I can’t remember what it’s like to be 100% without pain, but life with 20%  of what I had before is perfectly fine for me.

What’s life been like on the stim? Well it gave me my life back. Being off drugs made me feel more stable, no more having to wonder “is that how I feel, or is it the drugs?” There was a period of self discovery after being on meds for so long, and I found new hobbies, I could be more adventurous. Once I had a good grip on who “post-mind altering drugs” Donna was, I felt I could date again. I don’t go through metal detectors anymore at airports, and I can’t scuba dive because my battery isn’t tested past 10 meters of pressure, but aside from that my stim doesn’t stop me from doing anything.

Issues? Well, there are some things aside from the airport and scuba diving that can cause issues. One is that my fiance’s stove is a demon stove. He had bought an induction stove before we started dating, and very quickly realized I cannot be in the same room when it’s turned on. Want to guess what shouldn’t be mixed with electrical currents being run to your face? If you guessed giant magnets, you win! There is a safety feature that my device will turn off under some situations, but sadly induction stoves is not one of them and the current to my face becomes all kinds of weird when I get too close. So no cooking on the stove for me.

Tragic, I know.

Sadly more and more hotels are using induction in their breakfast bars and hot buffets as well, and I’ve walked face first into electro-magnetic walls accidentally before. I travel a lot for work, so I’m just very wary of breakfast buffets these days.

Another one I get: How long did it take your hair to grow back? So, I kept my head shaved for a while, because I actually loved the look of it. The last time I shaved my head was August 2015, where a drunk man with a green beard bic’d my head so that we could put henna on it for Tough Mudder Toronto (thanks Andy!). I’d kept long hair on one side, and shaved on the other until I was ready to grow out the shaved bit. By October 2015 I opt’d to cut the long parts to my shoulder and by May 2016 both sides were cut even and short. Now, 3 and a half years later, my hair is pretty much the same long length I had pre-surgery.

So how’s the battery life? As of Feb 2018, I was at about 45%. So they estimated I’d probably be out of juice around fall 2019. Now, there is a small hitch in this plan which I mentioned to my neurosurgeon. I’m getting married in September 2019, and I don’t really want to be incapacitated by a killer headache, and if possible would like to avoid being in recovery from surgery when I say my vows. However, my amazing doc has said no problem, and they’re going to do my replacement this fall.

Whats next? Battery upgrade! I’m currently running the Medtronic PrimeAdvance, and the plan is to move me to the RestoreSesnsor.  One of my favorite features is that the new one is rechargeable! I only have to have it replaced around every 9 years now and from what I’ve read online I should have to charge for about 1 hour a week with an induction charging pad on my chest. The other advantage is that this new one is smaller, and round. Right now I’ve got a bump in my chest that sticks out because the existing model has corners. This new one should smooth things out a bit.

So there we have it! Cyborg life in a nutshell. As always, if folks have questions feel free to leave them below or send me a message. I’m always happy when someone who is trying to learn more about NDPH or Occipital Neuralgia is trying to learn more, so if I can be a resource I am happy to help.