A pain pump is a surgically implanted pump with a catheter running up the spine to deliver tiny doses of narcotics or other meds directly to the spinal fluid. Search wsh66. I have written extensively about the pump on this forum. There is a process one must go through, at least there was for me, to first be accepted by a pain management clinic and then I had to be free of infections for one year before the surgery. I return every 10 to 12 weeks to have old meds removed and replaced as they lose their strength with time. This is considered palliative care which seems to be the magic word to unlock the access to narcotics. It doesn't mean that you are in the process of dying but rather that you will be in pain until you do die.