Spinal Cord Stimulator Removal

I completely agree with you. I personally had one that just didn’t work for me. However, my next door neighbor had one that he just swears by. They definitely work for some people. I ended up worth a spinal fusion in 2014 and it has been fantastic for me.
You make an excellent point!

Yes, it's sort of like cars. One guy will swear by his. Another guy will swear at it. No matter what the thing is, some will love it, some will hate it. So glad your fusion helped. Mine did not help with the pain, but, at least I know that my L5-S1 are super stable(I hope, lol. Have a blessed day.

I’m so sorry yours didn’t help. Mine is from T7-S1 so I’m pretty stable too. Lol
You have a very blessed day yourself!

Are you sure you can’t have an mri. We have a Nevro and to do MRIs they just need a special machine (some places have it others don’t) Nevro rep can tell you who does

I had the original Medtronic’s battery replaced with the NEVRO. They had to use an adapter which was not MRI safe.
Thanks for responding.

Hello Everyone,
Here is my experience with SCS. I got approx 5 weeks of relief before all the terrible side effects started, according to Drs these were most definitely not due to the Stimulator.
I experienced spinal instability, which was terryfing, back spasms and jolting. This was very painful and affected my abdomen so badly I often couldn't eat for days afterwards. After 2 months I switched device off.
Eventually due pain from the battery pack i ended up on a liquid diet for approx 3 months...no Dr seemed to question this. My nerves became so badly affected I was basically couch bounded for the next 8 months. I had bizzare symptoms such as abdominal muscles feeling like micro tearing...the sensations in my spinal column , abdomen and legs became frightening. I could go on and on but will spare you. From March thru Aug. I was begging for removal. Last week it was removed by a surgeon , thankfully not a pain Dr., I had a small bleed and ended up having scar tissue removed, presumably from spinal canal...have not yet seen the surgeon for post results. I am now diagnosed with Poly-Neuralgia and my right leg/ foot is often dead/ numb.
Removal surgery was nothing like the inplanting procedure, which whilst very painful was sort of bearable. Removal surgery feels like major surgery, excruciatingly painful and in all honesty I am now very traumatized from the whole experience. One is told, these devices are total reversible, no harm done. This doesn't seem to be the case. I am sure from my experience most people will at the very least end up with scar tissue. I was NEVER warned of this and the whole procedure was very minimalized... I am distraught at having been mislead by Drs I thought we're trustworthy.
Pls think very carefully before inplanting these devices. Some people do well, sadly mine is a horror story. From now on I will be taking a slower holistic approach to my health, praying I can at least be as good as pre Stimulator. I had pain but I could at least function. The last 10 months were an immense struggle.

Wow! You sure experienced a nightmare. I wish you didn’t have to have gone through this. My experience was less traumatic. The trial and the implant went very smoothly. While it worked, it worked very well. It was frustrating when it just stopped working after just two years. If I had it to do again, I’m not sure if I would do it again.
When I had it removed, the surgery was fine. But now just over a year later, sometimes I feel strange twitching going on along my back. Is it a result of the surgery? Who knows?
Back then I was fairly naive regarding surgery. I should have taken a deep breath, done more research, and perhaps not done it.
Hope you are feeling better with each passing day.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions about my pain pump. It has been, to say the least, a frustrating journey. I am reaching out again to those of you who have had to adjust your settings upward quite a few times before getting any relief. I have not gotten any relief so far, even after ten or so upward adjustments. My pain doc tells me I am still at a somewhat low dosage. I have received answers from many of you saying that you had to go up to 5, 6, even 10 mg in order to get decent pain relief. I am anxious to know how many of you had to get many increases before feeling better. And, how long did it take? I can only go up ten percent every three or four weeks. My pain is very bad so I am hoping to get to a setting that actually gives me relief. Thanks again for your help. It means a lot to me. God bless.

I wouldn’t know because I have no follow up with Abbott nor my pain clinic as to how I am getting along and if I had any questions about settings. I am getting some relief but if I walk a distance or stand to long the pain is there. It’s like buying a new car. Your salesman treats you like you’re the most important person alive until you seal the deal and drive off, except this is a medical device inside you that you have no idea what you should do and what settings are safe. Sure you can call them with questions and if you have to change a program, you make an appointment with your pain doctor( Now having to pay because the deductible has not been met) and the Rep will come in and change your settings. There is no follow up unless you initiate it yourself. I guess I was expecting more from a painful surgery and recovery than just a sales transaction. I’m sure others have had better experience than this but just being honest. Just reading the post about the nightmare side effects the person had on this post and units stop working after a few years just makes me want to have mine removed.

How was your trial? Did you get substantial relief? I know there have been some who have had negative experiences, but I’d like to think that they are are in the minority. It’s terrible that the negatives can be so horrible. I had a not so great experience with spinal fusion. Pretty bad pain and no help. From what I’ve found since then, it appears that Orthos make a ton of money from them. Soy, I’m rambling. It’s so hard to know exactly what to do when you can’t get a decent answer from those supposedly in the know. Let your heart and the information you have gleaned be your guide. I wish you well.