My body’s buzzing again, but not with the sensation of my bladder buzzer. This time it’s a new device that I’ve just been given by the pain clinic. I wasn’t able to use it straightaway because I’ve got a pacemaker and my cardiac team had to make sure it was safe for me first. I got the go-ahead a few days ago and so I excitedly tested it out.

The device is a Tens Machine. It works by sending small electrical charges through sticky pads attached to your skin over the painful area.

If I understand the theory correctly it works because vibrations travel faster than pain signals so that the pain signals are disrupted and you feel less pain.

I didn’t know what to expect. I quite like the tingling sensation and it certainly helped a bit, even if it was only because it gave my brain a different sensation to focus on. Most of the time I still feel a background of pain, but it’s less dominant. The machine doesn’t seem to work all the time, but it’s certainly useful to have another tool to hand when it comes to managing my pain.

Bit I must remember to turn the machine off before taking the sticky pads off my back because if I let it pulsate through my fingers it’s not at all pleasant.