Intrathecal Pain Pump

I to have a pump with Morphine being the doctors choice. I had been on oral morphine for at least 10 years and being older wanted relief without worrying about addiction and stomach problems. I too have had many adjustments, but remain lower than the tabs I had taken. I think I really started doing much better when I realized that my back pain was being addressed, which is why I originally wanted this pump. I expected all body pains to being addressed, but that is not the case. It was installed so that the spinal cord is sprayed with the measured amount of morphine, and because the back pain is controlled through the spinal cord, and the pain center, it really helps. Other pain, not back, I handle with 600 mg Tylenol. I hope I didn't sound like I was trying to sound like an expert on these pumps, just trying to say, mine works beautifully.

It's great that the pump does such a good job in handling your pain. I'm not expecting 100% pain relief. ^0% would be great. Especially my feet. They have hydromorphone in my pump. My first trial by injection used morphine but did not help. How did they do your trial for the pump?
Keep on keeping on. Have a blessed day.

I have had an intrathcal pain pump since July of 2024. In 2020 a physician preforming a discectomy cut into the arachnoid layer of my spine L5, S1.
For the last 5 years I’ve had electric shocks in my right foot and thigh, continuous pain level 5-9. My pump contains morphine,fentanyl, and baclofin. I have tried every form of P.T.,Water therapy,red light therapy. I can go on and on. Do you have any suggestions for pain relief
Laura

Mine works great. Best thing I ever did. Get a new one next Thursday. The big one ! 2 months between refills ! I use 800 Motrin for all other pain.

Hi, all you pain pump users. I'm back with another problem. Two weeks ago I had my pump's output increased by fifteen percent. I also had four boluses per day. The day after my appointment, I took my usual meds after lunch and gave myself a bolus. About thirty minutes later when I got up and started walking, I noticed that all the pain in my feet and all the pain in the back of my legs HAD DISAPPEARED! Not gotten better, totally gone. I was ecstatic to say the least. Then, the next morning, all the pain had returned. Man, was I disappointed! I went back to my pain doc yesterday, telling him what happened. He didn't seem to have any explanation. Just upped the output of the pump again and added two additional boluses. I went home, pretty depressed, and gave myself all six boluses during the course of the day. Still no relief today. I am wondering if anyone out ther in painpump land has experienced this. To have such great pain relief was amazing. In fact that was the very first time I had gotten any relief from this thing in almost two and a half years. Like I said, I am a bit disappointed and depressed. Looking forward to hearing from some of you. Thanks for listening.

Looking for some insight. I’m struggling and don’t know what to do. I have had two failed disc replacement surgeries in my neck. Both anterior. C5-7. The pain has been horrific for
Nearly 4yrs now. I had the first surgery in May and the pain continued. My surgeon said the disc below needed replaced so 6mos later I had the second. After that, the pain got worse. He dismissed me to a pain clinic. He was done and didn’t have any further suggestions at that point. Fast forward
- I got a second opinion. After many tests, etc- this surgeon showed me scans of the disc replacements. He stated the surgeon put in discs that were double the size of my actual discs. He stated that he consulted with his other surgeons and none could understand what his thinking was behind this action. So my discs are 3mm, 8.5mm, 8mm and then back
To 3mm when you look at the scan.
I had a posterior cervical fusion in December in hopes of stabilizing my neck and ending the pain. Unfortunately, it has only worsened. I live in agony each day. Laying down for bed, driving for work, sitting on the bleachers - everything exacerbates the pain. I don’t know what to do.
I’ve had Botox in my neck and muscles, trigger point injections, you name it. It’s getting worse as the months go on.

What do I do from here? 😭
Please help……thank you

This is so terrible! I don't quite understand how this could have happened...but, there it is. What is your current pain level on the standard 1-10 scale? Have you looked into devices like spinal cord stimulators and pain pumps? Both offer potential help for severe, chronic pain and both have a trial that will give you some sense of whether it will help you. I have had both and the scs worked well for about two and a half years. But, I have read many stories here on Mayo Connect about patients who had very bad experiences. After mine failed, I finally had a pain pump implanted. I am still having it adjusted and looking for any pain relief. All I can say is if you are like me and the pain is so bad that anything offering even a glimmer of help seems wonderful, then check both options out very carefully. There are no guarantees. I wish you well.

I had an intrathecal baclofen and morphine pump for 6 years. Now I have lumbar arachnoiditis because of it. So all my original complaints plus new ones. Arachnoiditis is not common but is becoming more frequent as more procedures on the spine are being done. Best to be as informed as possible as we make these important decisions.

Hi, everyone. Heisenberg34 again. I am getting my pain pump refilled today. As a reminder, the pump has not given me any relief in two and a half years EXCEPT for one day about 7 weeks ago. I just had my output increased again and also given six boluses. The day after my appointment I had just given myself a bolus in the afternoon. In about thirty minutes, I was walking down the hallway and suddenly noticed that ALL the pain in the back of my legs, ankles, and feet had disappeared. It was amazing. I thought I had finally reached the magic number for my pump. I was ecstatic. Then, the next day, I got out of bed and the pain relief was gone. All the pain returned. I guess what I am asking is what output have you had to reach in order to get lasting pain relief. I'll ask the nurse tomorrow where I am at. How high can I go? Here's what I do know. The trial dropped my pain from about a 7 down to an 2. So, the hydromorphone works. I got a day of good pain relief, so the pump is able to do what it's supposed to do. Dye test confirmed that the medication is going to the intrathecal space. Please help me out, fellow pain pump users. How high did you have to go? Thanking you all in advance.

@heisenberg34 I’ve had the pump for 8 years and just had it replaced with the 40ml unit. The Medtronic rep at my first implant didn’t have any 40’s, so I got a 20. And monthly refill trips. My trial was with morphine. After the 6 week dry out. She injected 250 mcg. (A 1/4 of a milligram!) within minutes, I was dancing in the hallway with my cane like Gene Kelly singing in the rain. The trial dropped my pain from a 9 to a 1 ! When I went for my first refill it was 275 mcg. And that wore off pretty fast. 8 years later, I’m on 12.1 mg./day. Four 2.5 bolus’s and 1.97 continuous. I went from 8 to 6. How I long for a level 4. My first doc was very conservative and it took over 18 months to be titrated properly. I have a high tolerance for morphine and pain. But my 6 turns to a 7+ at night and a strong 8 on rainy days with a low pressure barometer. At the time I got it, hydromorphone was not acceptable in a pump. But at 40x the strength of morphine I’m going to ask my doctor to plan on switching meds. The best part for me is now I have a full 2 months between refills! And I’m in PT which has to hurt before it helps. If he won’t change to the Dilaudid then it’s another 15% increase in 6 months. Unfortunately I live in the MS/TN border and all health care is in Memphis and it’s awful.