My New Friends

With a mystery ailment that the doctors can't figure out or do much about comes interesting attachments that they hope will help.

This is Mr. TENS.

 

A TENS unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is used for nerve related pain conditions. The machine works by sending electrical pulses across the surface of my skin and into the nerve strands.

 

It kind of tickles unless I crank it up high. Then it can hurt. It can also cause burns if you're not careful. It's a little bit like being zapped with an electric fence.

 

The pulses prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. Supposedly, these units also stimulate your body to produce higher levels of endorphins. Endorphins are supposed to help you not feel so much pain.

 

 

I attach those funky looking little round pads to my tummy and then push buttons. Note they do not have an easy "belly pain" button as it is not a place one usually requires a TENS unit. I have to manually select what I need.

 

I'm so special.

 

My other new friend is this disability placard:

 

 

It says I can park in the close parking spaces at the supermarket. Let me tell you, that is not necessarily as helpful as one might think. For one thing, there aren't many cart return racks close to the handicapped spots, so you either have to push the cart to the nearest cart return or haul the cart back across the parking lot to the building. What good is that?

 

Anyway, these are my new friends. Say hi!