Spinal Cord Implant

I have had a implant for 11 months - Saluda. I have always since implant put in had pain from laying on insertion point of the leads, and where the battery is located after laying on my back for more than an hour. It stopped working about 5 months in, had the implant re-adjusted many times, and finally going to have it taken out on Monday! I was told I felt it more because I was 'skinny'! I am actually about the correct weight for my height. I could have put up with discomfort IF it had really worked, as I really wanted to get off my heavy duty drugs.
But you try these things, sometimes you get lucky other times not.

I was wondering on Spinal Cord Stimulation Results whether positive or negative. I had first back surgery in 2018 “ Triple Laminectomy “ Second back surgery in 2022 “ C2-T1 Decompression & Fusion “ Between those two surgeries I have had physical therapy, 20 multiple level cortisone injections, 8 epidurals-Never Again! If you know than you know! Was going to receive further surgical intervention But was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, So No surgeon will intervene unless life or death intervention is necessary. Next intervention was pain management 30 mg morphine every 6 hours then upgraded to dilaudid 4 mg every 6 hours. Pain control went from 10 everyday to 8 But long term pain management was not controlled. Surgeon sent me to Pain & Spine to get evaluated for Spinal Cord Stimulator, After attending the appointment was told by the Doctor that he believed with my MRI images that he thought I would only get 10-15% relief max & recommended that it wasn’t even worth having the procedure done. I have relocated to a different state & have had to redo my medical evaluation. Upon my evaluation national brain & spine was referred to Spinal Specialist for a pain management pump. When getting evaluated by the doctor, I was told that the pain pump was not effective that it only lasted 5 years after which no other pain management program would manage my pain care, He recommended that I have a Spinal Cord Stimulation Trial, I will be having the trial in about 4 weeks. I am not really expecting anything from this trial especially considering what the previous pain management doctor discussed with me about his opinion on the management of my pain with the Spinal Cord Stimulation.

HI Am new to this group so I am still figuring it out, you are the first post i read. I went through the SCS trial it hurt like hell after the placement was done I felt great I could walk more then a 1/2 of block and stand without pain I was on top of the world and anyone that suffers from chronic pain, would understand how I felt.
Then the big slap in the face, I had to have a Thoracic MRI done first, before I could see the surgeon had all the other MRI done already, at the Neurologist surgeon appointment happy as can be he tells me according to my Thoracic MRI there would be know way to put in the wires I should not of even had the trail done my Pain doctor should of done the Thoracic MRI first the neurologist said I could of been paralyzed from the waist down and looking back on the day of the trial the doctor hit something and my hole body flipped on its side and my leg went straight up in the air I was told by the Neurologist he would not recommend the SCS either one of them the chance of being paralyzed is to high

@wtaylor1028
I felt so good when i had the trial SCS in i could walk and stand without pain but then found out I could not have a permanent SCS put in, good luck to you

@dar61 Thanks for your Feedback, That’s what I am worried about. The first Doctor that I seen in Florida said that there was no where for them to put in the wires. My surgeon said that I was born with half of a spinal column of a normal person. My spinal cord & nerves are all squeezed into that area & I have nerve damage & severe nerve stenosis. On top of that I have a scar from the top half of the back of my head all the way down to my tail bone. My Doctor in Florida showed me that there no space & it’s scar tissue

@jacque45 I also have a Saluda SCS. About 2 years ago it was implanted. I must have met with them for reprograming about 12-15 times. I also found different positions affect my comfort level. I want to compare notes with someone who has the same SCS but they keep promising me to try to arrange something. I would love to speak with you. Please get back to me. julkun@hotmail.com

@wtaylor1028
Same here T 7 was bad they could not go through with the wires, and for me i would of had to have wire with a pad on it like a hockey stick shape and then go through T 10 and that would not hit my pain area and the risk of being paralyzed from the waist down was to high.
So now not sure what the next step is for me I see the Pain doctor in OCT he did up my buccal film to 300 mcg for my pain I have good days and bad day I wish you good luck.

@julkun
I had a medtronic SCS trial for 1 week sorry i cannot help you.

@dar61 Thanks for replying. Looking for someone who had the SCS implant.

@julkun I have had the implant since 2007. First scs was a Boston Scientific in 2007 which lasted until 2017 when they replaced the battery. In 2005 I had it removed and had an MRI compatible scs implanted from Medtronics. Boston Scientific also had scs that is mri compat. The doctor steered me to Medtronics from Boston Scientific. Bad choice. The Medtronics is far behind Boston Scientific's first implant even in 2026. It does help my back pain.