Should I have the Spinal Cord Stimulator? Looking for reviews on this

Yes. I am having twitching and my left toes curl up and my calf cramps up for many hours. The Surgeon said it was Foraminal stenosis and the only way to solve it is to "clean it up" and then put in hardware to stabilize my spine. I am going for an MRI this week. In the meantime it is difficult to sleep though with those symptoms. I have been taking Oxycodone which I am not happy about, but very low dose only at night. I do think I am addicted though.

Agree 100%. Just don't hold your breath waiting for that guarantee. If only these docs pushing for these surgeries could experience our level 7-9 pain for just one day, perhaps they might be more empathetic.

That's why the term "failed back surgery syndrome" has become so common. It's essentially saying that "I tried surgery to help reduce my patient's pain, but it didn't work".
It is sort of a trial and error process...but we, the patients, are the error. Why would anyone want something that has such a high rate of failure?

I don't know if I replied to you before, but here goes. I had a Medtronic SCS implanted back in 2018. The trial gave me about 70-80% relief. The permanent implant gave me about 50% pain relief. That was enough to get me out on my bke again (cycling), hiking, working aroud the house, and even some gentle skiing. It suddenly stopped working in 2021. The thought was the paddle may have moved and/or the lead may shorted out.
If I had known about spinal cord stimulation prior to my spinal fusion(failed), I would not have had it done. I had to really dig deep to find out about this procedure. It is far less invasive than fusion and, with the trial, it is like a "try before you buy". Now, do your due diligence about which type of SCS you choose. There are a number of them out there. Do a search for the top rated ones. Don't let your doctor push you into one kind of stimulator. He/she may receive compensation from that company. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. Most SCS will work. But, which has the greatest coverage of your body. There are quite a few YouTube videos out there on SCS. I wish you well. I think the stimulator is a good choice.

After my laminectomy,I developed foot drop and needed a brace for 2 years.i did the fusion and foot drop beca.e better over the next few months and I have not used the brace ever again.as for the stimulator...same! I did the trial with about 10% improvement and decided against it.dr kept pushing to ha e a permanent one and I refused.

A CT scan will show scar tissue. Best of luck to you.

I am having an MRI on Wednesday. I pray they can find a way to treat this pain. I know I have degenerative discs. I just want to be able to stand and walk again without pain. Thank you for your response!

I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and have exhausted all my options dealing with all the issues that come from AS. I recently had bilateral SI joint fusion which seems successful however did nothing for the clinical nerve pain. I’m now looking at spinal nerve stimulation device, Abbott Proclaim XR is the device my dr has recommended. Anyone out there that has similar issues & experiences?

Is the spinal nerve stimulation device also known as the spinal cord stimulator (SCS)?
I am unaware of a spinal nerve stimulation device, yet I am familiar with Abbott SCS. Are you able to have a trial to see if you are a candidate? The trial could and could not help, as many patients see the benefits of a SCS yet the real stimulator isn't the right tool for them.
Do your research and talk with the representatives, and others who have used it.

I did have a lumbar spinal fusion ten years ago and have never been the same. My pain specialist tried 10 minimally evasive surgeries and none of them took the pain away. The last one was a spinal stimulator from Boston Logistics which did not help. That's not saying that it won't work for you. I talked to two people who had it and it helped them allot.