@ess77 - Your personal perspective is so helpful. I feel the pain management doctors are too quick to recommend spinal cord stimulators and pain pumps. Your perspective helps me understand I am not ready for "treatments of last resort". I function with a lot of pain now, but I still walk my dog and perform my minimal activities of daily living.

I am wsh66 and I don't expect to be playing tennis any time soon. I did just return from a nice walk and some light tree trimming using my Trionic all terrain walker. The pump reduces my pain from unimaginable to bearable. The pump was never intended to allow me to play tennis. It is a form of palliative maintenance care. I'm not about to pass away but I'm not expected tp get better either. Thus I am qualified to be given this form of "palliative" care. Generally that form of care is for those moving towards the exit from life's great saga.

Even at this stage of life I still have to manage my body and mind to enjoy life fully. Pain and how one experiences it is effected by so many things. It's not just about getting the right drugs. I took a long drive yesterday so it was hard to sleep last night. I had more pain than usual. If I do too much yard work I will pay with more pain. I need to regulate my activities accordingly. Like anyone else I need to get regular exercise. I'm turning 70 this July so of course I can't do what I did when I was 50. However, I can do an awful lot more than I could before getting my pump. Before the pump there were all the narcotics I wanted. My doctors understood by giving me that control I would have better outcomes from the meds. They also knew as long as I wasn't using them to get high or escape a bad situation I would need less medication if I was in control. However I reached a point where the oral meds were ineffective no matter how much I took. I wasn't high but I was dulled, my brain was not as sharp as it should be. When I finally went 1 year without a serious infection I was allowed to have the pump. I'd had a string of pneumonias brought on by large doses of chemo and my immune system would just suddenly crash and I be in an ambulance headed to the U of MN. If an infection like that got into the pump it would have killed my in hours. It's a nonstop route to your spinal fluids and therefore very risky.

My point is and the reason I'm writing this is to impress upon you that your son, just like me is still a pain patient with all the responsibilities that all pain patients have for their own care and he like I can still benefit from all those other things they want you to do.

The most important of these is managing your mental health. Depression and pain are cousins and depression is the bad cousin that wants to lead you a stray. It will tell you that it's not depression. It gives so many other reasons for your predicament, especially the failure of all the other things you've tried. (I have also written on this chat about "Pain and Depression", another thread you should read). I must remain aware of my status visa vie depression. I must have the right meds. I must eat well. I must exercise and stretch. I must find constructive ways to use my time and enjoy myself. So many people with any number of medical issues refuse to entertain the idea they may be depressed. It's still viewed as a character flaw or weakness by many otherwise intelligent people and causes so many conditions to be worse than they need to be, not just pain. Depression is not about what happens to you. It is about how you look at and think about what has happened to you. If your a pain patient and you're not asking about depression and getting a professional opinion and doing everything you can to stay mentally healthy you will pay the price. The same goes for a diet of over processed, unhealthy junk food. Not enough sleep. Not enough exercise.

Medication can only do so much. If you're lucky enough to have a pump and you're sure you have the right meds in it you're much better off than most and much better off than you would be without it. I have to make a point of getting all the other stuff, the exercise, the diet, the sleep, etc. or the pump will be of minimal value. Cancer treatment, not cancer itself, took one of my lungs and damaged the other and left me with neuropathy which will never go away . I have to wear compression garments from my toes to my crotch on one leg 23 hours a day. the combination of the two can be excruciating. Still, I know I am lucky to be alive. I've been an advocate for people with disabilities for 40 years and I know there are so many in worse shape than I am. You must work at this. Practice Yoga or Tai Chi. I myself practice the oldest of these, QiGong. I make a point of enjoying life. I drink very good wine and eat gourmet meals everyday. I cleave myself to people who bring me joy and avoid those who do not. I never say I'll do that tomorrow or someday I'll give that a try. I still study music and practice every day. I never feel disabled with a guitar in my hands. I'm game for anything I can do from a chair.

No doubt, if you can qualify for a pain pump, you're in a tough spot. It is a very serious surgery which involves someone running a catheter up you're spinal column. You must remain aware that all the other things they wanted you to do other than the drugs still have value. Exercise, diet, meditation and things you do to bring you joy are still what will make the difference. I got my pump in 2016 and I have progressed slowly back to where i am today. No tennis or soccer in my future but there is so much more. I wish you Love and Blessing and I hope you can find the things that will make you happy. On the worst days, it is still better to be alive.