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Replies to "I know nothing about pain pumps. I assume they are made so as not to deliver..."
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Jun 14 10:14am | Replies (18)
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I know nothing about pain pumps. I assume they are made so as not to deliver lethal doses for liability reasons if nothing else. . However, adding that Oxycodone surely was not safe. What about turning off your stimulator for a few days or as long as you can tolerate and then call a Medtronic tech to begin a new phase of adjustment? I know it won’t deliver complete pain relief but may take enough away so that you can tolerate it. Adding lidocaine patches to the mix, although messy, sometimes helps me too. Best of luck.
Replies to "I know nothing about pain pumps. I assume they are made so as not to deliver..."
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So, the pain pump is an implanted device, placed under the abdomen. It delivers medication into the intrathecal space around the spinal cord in very tiny doses via a catheter sutured in place. The ideal plan is to have enough medication delivered to significantly reduce pain. Or, at best, mask it completely. It usually delivers morphine or hydromorpone (I am on hydromorphone). It has a success rate of 80-90%, I have never received any pain mitigation from mine, even after many, many adjustments upward, I think I am about at the upper limit.
My spinal cord stimulator gave up the ghost about three years ago. Waiting for the surgery to have it removed.