Charlie turned the car the opposite direction of home. “Gotta stop at the hardware store” he said. Oh my, I knew to get there from this direction meant several obstacles: a stop sign, a hard right, two speed bumps, a gravel parking lot with a huge mud puddle and the transition between the gravel and pavement. Putting my right hand over the neurostimulator implanted just below my left collar bone and cringing was my way of saying “not a good choice”. It had been just a week since the battery pack had been replaced. There were nearly 15 dissolvable stitches holding the pocket of flesh closed. I expected a good jostling through this obstacle course. It wasn’t that bad.
It’s over a month now since that implant. It appears that the surgeon located the device slightly higher and at a different angle. I am thinking there is about 50% less “bounce” when I step. The stitches are gone and just a little itchy discomfort remains.
Still, I think of it as strange, yet a minor inconvenience to all the benefit I get from Deep Brain Stimulation.