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

@suzzie64 I have had 2 Abbott stimulators installed the DRG with 4 leads and the Abbott Proclaim with 2 percutaneous leads (not paddle!). The DRG stimulator had to come out within months; I had lead migration and a terrible increase in leg pain. Even since the device was removed, I struggle more than before. I have 3 lumbar fusions and have had 13 spinal surgeries all due to an injury 30 years ago. After 25 years of lumbar fusion I needed to have my neck fused. The trials always seem to work better than the actual implants. I have had my Abbott SCS replaced once already from a non-rechargeable to a rechargeable, I am a thinner person, and the non-rechargeable is huge, its placement was very bothersome. The rechargeable is losing its effectiveness quickly and now I can no longer keep it on constantly after some time it will spike my pain. I have had every steroid injection on the planet repeatedly. The Abbott burst DR technology does not work that well at all. My leads move all over the place, stimulation changes dramatically with movement. I am now up to bat for the Medtronic device. It is a closed system that automatically adjusts stimulation levels when you move around. Be trepidatious, if you look at the efficacy of these devices long term many people need them removed after 8-10 years and the risk of injury goes up for explant at the 3 / 5 / 10 year marks. I am certainly a lucky individual (in SE PA), I do not have trouble getting pain medication, but I am extremely diligent about its use. It took my current physician and I 5 years to trust one another completely. Previously, before the Opioid crises I was on long-acting medication with the same doctor for 15 years. I refuse to return to that dosage format under the Opioid crises and the stigmas attached. Additionally, many doctors are definitely shying away from morphine pump implants, they are not that effective, and many people still require oral meds ... so what would be the point? Get a GOOD doctor. Not all implant doctors are treated equally. Additionally, any of the implant trials hurt, have them done in a surgical center .... an office is unacceptable.

My friend, I have been fortunate with scar tissue, I do have a lot of scar tissue in my L4 and L5 nerve root sleeves and due to repeat surgeries and fusion surgery in the 1990's (they used to just about crack you open) my low back is full of scar, when my physician placed the leads for the DRG under fluoroscopic guidance, he indicated it was just nothing but scar but he had no issues placing them appropriately. Strange that an SCS would leave a large amount of fibrosis (large amounts of hardened scar tissue) in your thoracic spine. Did you by chance have paddle leads installed? Percutaneous leads leave very little scar tissue in fact one of the major issues I have is that the leads move around far too much with positional changes. The new Medtronic system uses a closed loop system where in they sense a change in position and adjust stimulation accordingly. They also use multiple wavelengths to prevent the issue that many SCS patients have ... the body gets used to the signals and lose efficacy, typically starting around the 6 year mark. Depending on sources, up to 40% of SCS systems are removed by the 10 year mark due to this complication or lead migration. I highly recommend that all patients have both the trials and the installations done in a surgical center under strict fluoroscopic guidance. I am only 52 (I was seriously injured when I was 20) and having so many surgeries at a younger age, I am sure, helped prevent some of the complications that I now have with the surgeries in my 50's. I would highly encourage you to seek another opinion and then after that get another, as much as Philadelphia is a pain, I have been told by multiple surgeons that the A students are in Philadelphia, New York City etc. I went all the way to New York city for a tertiary opinion before having an additional decompression & fusion done at L3-4 due to adjacent segment disease. Was the severe scar tissue indicated in an MRI or CT Myelogram? As much as many of do not like to face it, the surgeon's skill is paramount as is the approach. Boston Scientific also has a top notch open system SCS that alternates wavelengths. Was the 2nd stimulator approach attempted with percutaneous leads? Given their small footprint they rarely leave large amounts of scarring and you may be able to get a better result with lead placement. Get another opinion brother there are doctors that specialize in almost nothing but stimulator implants.

@dkpffdp Quiet a story! My Medtronic unit had a paddle leaf. After it died, they told me that a number of electrodes had burned out. Just my luck!

I have never heard of any of the SCS working long term despite the companies claims. My wife got about 2 years on hers before she got no benefits anymore.

When they do the trials tey jack the thing up as high as they can go to be able get results in the 7 days, but it is not a sustainable level long term.

I have always believed that your body gets used to it and finds ways to couneract it. Pain is a bodies natural reaction so its just trying to do its job.
Just my common man's opinion.

The biggest winner in these things are all the Mfgs, reps & Dr.'s at 50K a pop.