Here is an X-ray of my spine with the lead in place. You can see the contacts that provide the electrical stimulus.

This is a scan of the lead that was put into my spine. You can see, in the darker region, the contacts that sent out electrical impulses to fool the nerves and the brain into not feeling the pain from my legs. I know it’s hard to tell but this thing is about 20 inches long and about 4 or 5 inches of it was inside my back.

Surgery went off without a hitch. They opted to put in only one lead though. The left leg is the target leg and the right leg is used as a “control” to tell how well, or if, the implant is working. I had no need to worry afterall. After having had a few novacaine injections in my spine, this was not much different. My back is a but tender and sore today but nothing major.

The controller unit is attached via a cat5 cable. Of course you know that I asked the rep from ANS if I could get internet now It is in a fanny back around my waist and the whole thing is set to be removed on Monday morning. I have to say that this thing is working very well. It does feel more than a little bit odd though when I turn it on. Imagine putting your tongue on a 9v battery…now imagine that feeling INSIDE your body, pulsing down your leg. Yeah, a bit odd indeed. After having used it for a few hours yesterday I could tell the pain in that leg had diminished considerably.

Here’s hoping that I will be approved for the full implant in the near future.