Spinal Cord stimulator battery pain

First thing I want to say is, it is not normal to have “pocket pain” that long after the implant procedure. Most SCS batteries today are quite small units, and there normally is plenty of spaces in your body where this battery can be fitted in a somewhat “comfortable” way. You should most def have a discussions with your surgeon about ifeal placement for you, you must discuss where the implants fit best on your specific body. Everyone is different, especially us who are
in pain management. My point is that you may very well experience much pain right after the actual implant surgery. That is completely normal. And it is hyper important to folow the “no bend no twist no bearing down” for the first few weeks to ensure an optimal outcome. In my experience it takes between 4 to 8 weeks to heal enough for scar tissue around the implant and wires to form. And if your surgeon placed your battery in a sound spot you really should not
feel that much discomfort from
the pocket, the post op pain should not last more than 2-4 weeks. And I feeel that I know what I’m talking about, I have two implants (pain pump + an SCS) both sitting on my lower back /flanks on each side. I sleep on my back so I thought my days of sleeping on my back were numbered, but much to my surprise both implants have found their pocket and stays there making enough scar tissue for it hold it all in place. I only deal with the awful post op painfor some weeks. The pain pump was by far the most painful of the two,
it took me 2-3 months to feel better. But today I have very little pocket pain and I know this is because both implants were done by one of the best neurosurgeons
in the country. I wish everyone out there dealing with implants well,
it is not easy to adapt to these
implants but in my experience they become a part of you, or rather an extension of you. And pumps and stims can be life savers for so
many, it is just imperative to get it right the first time and avoid complications. If done right a stim or a pump can literally give you much of your life back so it is worth considering them.Just use the best surgeons if you have one available and near you
But today I hardly feel them
anymore unless I accidentally sleep right onto of my pump, which rarelt happens. My point is this:
make sure your surgereon who does your implant(s) is the moet
experienced doctor you can find placing this tech inside your body. An inexperienced surgeon might make many “small” errors which easily results in a bad outcomes; both post op pocket pain and lack of efficacy on the SCS itself comes from inexperience. So if you consider an SCS or any other tech for pain that needs an implant operation you must do whatever you can to get access to the best surgeon to do the job. When it is done correctly by a sound surgeon you are much more likely to have a successful result. It is not normal to deal with a lot of pocket pain. and complications down the line. I am
almost certain the issues you experience stem from mediocre work by an inexperienced surgeon uaing you as a guinea pig. If done right pocket pain should be a minimal issue, but if done wrong and when. your body rejects the implant then you are likely better off using less invasive treatments and sticking to oral medications.
These implants are pushed hard on us chronics, it doesn’t take long before you get a brochure from Abbott or the like..again, please make sure to see only the best and brightest surgeons in this field. There are far too many horror stories out there about medical malpractice causing much harm to many..so vet your surgeon and pain management doctor before you agree to a trial and then the actual implant. Take your time, be sceptical and make sure this implant is right for you. This tech is
certainly not for just anyone

@ericanelson02

That sounds about like my problem with what you said having sciatica in my right leg and pain well I have it in my knee and all the way to my toes. But I also have now Ben getting these sharp sporadic sharp pains that shoot across my lower back. Very bad pain. Only last a few seconds but very painful. I do have disc problems. I'm not sure if I should contact my Dr who put my spine stimulator in or not. My stimulator also bothers me. Sticks out and sometimes itches. I've had it 8 years and never needed the battery changed yet.

@alexandercrps Finding the best surgeon possible seems like good advice. However when you don't have Gold Insurance you are usually at the mercy of finding a surgeon that takes your insurance, and is In-Network.
My loved one is not getting the help from her Abbott SCS. She has severe Nerve pain, that was treatment resistant. So they suggested SCS. It hasn't worked very well for her. We used the Doctor referred by her Ortho Doctor, and In-Network.
We went out of pocket to have a consult with a good Neurosurgeon out of pocket. He recommended taking out the leads and installing Paddles.

@cman55 I can certainly appreciate that. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m so sorry to hear about your wife. With regards to paddle leads all I know is that that this procedure is much more painful with a longer recovery. It also means a tad more advanced surgery than regular SCS implant, however whom ever surgeon doing it better be experienced as there are, as you know, some serious risk associated with these implants. I hope your wife gets the best carr possible, she is likely desperate for any form of pain relief. My heart goes out to you both❤️

@alexandercrps Thanks for the reply, and your concern. Yes, the chronic pain she can't seem to shake really sucks. She has lost faith in the SCS, and the surgeon that put it in. We're still trying to get it adjusted to get some relief. Not many options otherwise. Going back again tomorrow to meet with a new Abbott rep/tech. The old one has given up. Nice, right.
I am anxious about the paddles, the laminectomy part especially. We think we found a good Neurosurgeon, but at least for now he is not taking her insurance. We have a consult with yet another Neurosurgeon to access what treatment she should have next to relieve her pain. Or what he thinks. He does take her insurance.
I have had a feeling for some time that it is a impingement of a nerve. None of the Doctors, no matter the specialty, agree with that, even though a EMG found 4 nerves that tested to be, not normal. None of the Doctors are willing, or maybe able to explore that. Very frustrating for me. She thinks a nerve was damaged from the kyphoplasty, and probably can't be fixed.

@cman55 Hey and thanks for sharing. First, I’m so sorry you and your wife have to deal with this. To me it sounds as if she has symptoms of Crps Type 2 (with known nerve damage) and given I have had this diagnosis since 2020, I truly hope it is not that but it does sound a lot like it especially her symptoms. I also have to say I am a tad skeptical to the paddle
leads, as you are too it seems, as next step. If they couldn’t
get the regular SCS to work
I honestly fail to see how paddle leads are gonna fix that and it sounds as if the
same paddles will make her respond better to the SCS. Also
you are discovering smth central about the medical reps
from Abbott and Medtronics. and Boston Scientific et al;
these folks are often wanna be doctors but could not get in or
afford the cost of medical school. In the case with getting either an SCS or a pain pump you see these reps frequently,
they act super friendly and supportive, they give you their number and says to call at any time..they act like this before the trial and up until placing the permanent, these guys and girls are in the operating theater when it gets placed. Then after some recovery time you start programming the unit to get it to work. During this period you also typically see
your med reps frequently før reprogramming or maybe they need to show up to restart the
pain pump after an mri etc. However it does not take long before you are pretty much alone with all this tech inside you. It soon starts to become problematic to get a hold of your rep and they almost seem a bit annoyed for having to show up for a reprogramming or worse, when the stim just stops working as it should. I have been ghosted several times by these med reps.
And it says nothing in the catalog about how these med reps soon stop to care about you; they spend all their energy on the new sale, the new chronic pain patient who will provide him with a nice bonus from Abbott from being “the SCS Seller of the Year”..
I am of course just joking about the latter but it is true that these reps are in it for the money, and there is no bonus or pay or any economic incentive for the after care from this tech. Sadly health care in America is a business, not a human right. And nowhere is this more true than for the medical equipment field.
Lastly I hope you and your wife finds the best doctors there is and try hard to get help from
them. In ya’ll’s case it doesn’t even seem like the doctors even know what is wrong (and docs don’t like it when “normal people” like us propose a diagnosis..I think you are right, and that this is medically induced injuries and nobody wants to be responsible for it.
I am sending good vibes your wag, dealing with nerve pain is absolute hell, I have nerve damage in my left leg and my crps type 2 has basically destroyed my life as I knew it. You have my deepest sympathies and I am sending much love to your wife who I know suffers in dehumanizing ways. Best of luck to you both and thank you for being such a strong partner for your wife. Your love for her is evident and that love is what keeps ya’ll fighting. Keep up the good fight, my friend.

@cman55 Hey and thanks for sharing. First, I’m so sorry you and your wife have to deal with this. To me it sounds as if she has symptoms of Crps Type 2 (with known nerve damage) and given I have had this diagnosis since 2020, I truly hope it is not that but it does sound a lot like it especially her symptoms. I also have to say I am a tad skeptical to the paddle
leads, as you are too it seems, as next step. If they couldn’t
get the regular SCS to work
I honestly fail to see how paddle leads are gonna fix that and it sounds as if the
same paddles will make her respond better to the SCS. Also
you are discovering smth central about the medical reps
from Abbott and Medtronics. and Boston Scientific et al;
these folks are often wanna be doctors but could not get in or
afford the cost of medical school. In the case with getting either an SCS or a pain pump you see these reps frequently,
they act super friendly and supportive, they give you their number and says to call at any time..they act like this before the trial and up until placing the permanent, these guys and girls are in the operating theater when it gets placed. Then after some recovery time you start programming the unit to get it to work. During this period you also typically see
your med reps frequently før reprogramming or maybe they need to show up to restart the
pain pump after an mri etc. However it does not take long before you are pretty much alone with all this tech inside you. It soon starts to become problematic to get a hold of your rep and they almost seem a bit annoyed for having to show up for a reprogramming or worse, when the stim just stops working as it should. I have been ghosted several times by these med reps.
And it says nothing in the catalog about how these med reps soon stop to care about you; they spend all their energy on the new sale, the new chronic pain patient who will provide him with a nice bonus from Abbott from being “the SCS Seller of the Year”..
I am of course just joking about the latter but it is true that these reps are in it for the money, and there is no bonus or pay or any economic incentive for the after care from this tech. Sadly health care in America is a business, not a human right. And nowhere is this more true than for the medical equipment field.
Lastly I hope you and your wife finds the best doctors there is and try hard to get help from
them. In ya’ll’s case it doesn’t even seem like the doctors even know what is wrong (and docs don’t like it when “normal people” like us propose a diagnosis..I think you are right, and that this is medically induced injuries and nobody wants to be responsible for it.
I am sending good vibes your wag, dealing with nerve pain is absolute hell, I have nerve damage in my left leg and my crps type 2 has basically destroyed my life as I knew it. You have my deepest sympathies and I am sending much love to your wife who I know suffers in dehumanizing ways. Best of luck to you both and thank you for being such a strong partner for your wife. Your love for her is evident and that love is what keeps ya’ll fighting. Keep up the good fight, my friend.

@alexandercrps Thank you for your concern, and kind words. One thing that I might not have been clear about. Her SCS was placed with leads, not paddles to begin with. The Neurosurgeon we talked to suggested the Paddles might offer more effective relief.
I'm not sure about the CRPS Type 2 because it seems like it effects limbs, but I appreciate the info. I will do some research into if it can happen with the nerves in the lumbar area. I read it causes a sensitivity to touch, and cold? She is sensitive to touch, but uses ice often, and is not sensitive to cold at all. I really think Medical Science could do better for people with Nerve issues/pain. I hope we all get that relief soon.

@cman55 Hey and thanks for sharing. First, I’m so sorry you and your wife have to deal with this. To me it sounds as if she has symptoms of Crps Type 2 (with known nerve damage) and given I have had this diagnosis since 2020, I truly hope it is not that but it does sound a lot like it especially her symptoms. I also have to say I am a tad skeptical to the paddle
leads, as you are too it seems, as next step. If they couldn’t
get the regular SCS to work
I honestly fail to see how paddle leads are gonna fix that and it sounds as if the
same paddles will make her respond better to the SCS. Also
you are discovering smth central about the medical reps
from Abbott and Medtronics. and Boston Scientific et al;
these folks are often wanna be doctors but could not get in or
afford the cost of medical school. In the case with getting either an SCS or a pain pump you see these reps frequently,
they act super friendly and supportive, they give you their number and says to call at any time..they act like this before the trial and up until placing the permanent, these guys and girls are in the operating theater when it gets placed. Then after some recovery time you start programming the unit to get it to work. During this period you also typically see
your med reps frequently før reprogramming or maybe they need to show up to restart the
pain pump after an mri etc. However it does not take long before you are pretty much alone with all this tech inside you. It soon starts to become problematic to get a hold of your rep and they almost seem a bit annoyed for having to show up for a reprogramming or worse, when the stim just stops working as it should. I have been ghosted several times by these med reps.
And it says nothing in the catalog about how these med reps soon stop to care about you; they spend all their energy on the new sale, the new chronic pain patient who will provide him with a nice bonus from Abbott from being “the SCS Seller of the Year”..
I am of course just joking about the latter but it is true that these reps are in it for the money, and there is no bonus or pay or any economic incentive for the after care from this tech. Sadly health care in America is a business, not a human right. And nowhere is this more true than for the medical equipment field.
Lastly I hope you and your wife finds the best doctors there is and try hard to get help from
them. In ya’ll’s case it doesn’t even seem like the doctors even know what is wrong (and docs don’t like it when “normal people” like us propose a diagnosis..I think you are right, and that this is medically induced injuries and nobody wants to be responsible for it.
I am sending good vibes your wag, dealing with nerve pain is absolute hell, I have nerve damage in my left leg and my crps type 2 has basically destroyed my life as I knew it. You have my deepest sympathies and I am sending much love to your wife who I know suffers in dehumanizing ways. Best of luck to you both and thank you for being such a strong partner for your wife. Your love for her is evident and that love is what keeps ya’ll fighting. Keep up the good fight, my friend.

@cman55 Thanks again for the info. One important thing I have learned is that ice, even though it might feel as if it makes things better, it actually makes things worse. If she experiences burning in one or more of her extremities, this certainly suggests nerve damage. Furthermore nerve damage often leads to vasoconstriction, ie your nerves that normally control blood flow is now comprised. The limb basically gets chocked from its blood flow which makes the limb feel like it is burning but the affected limb is actually stone cold. Ice on
the limb may likely actually increase pain and make things worse; ice furter exasperates the said vaso constriction and I learned this the hard way. I used ice bags constantly in the beginning of my crps journey and it only made things worse. Ironically heat works better for nerve damaged limbs, at least this is my experience.
Lastly, I did understand that your wife had regular leads on her scs. I would still be sceptical to getting paddle leads especially given how poorly she is responding to the regular leads. It is also, as you know, a lot more invasive as they chip off a piece of bone to connect the leads…I understand that your docs want to try this route, I just worry about the torture and post op pain she’ll have to deal with and I just find it hard to believe that paddles is the fix to her issues. Have ya’ll discussed intrathecal pain pumps? If the scs fails she might be a good candidate for it. I’m sure you have looked into it..I havw both an Abbott SCS and a Medtronics pain pump so feel free to dm me or ask any questions you might have. I appreciate how stressful this situation is for you both and if there is anything I can do to
help then I am happy to.
Stay safe and I send you my best wishes