Comparison of Spinal Cord Stimulators from Boston Sci., Nevro

I now have pain in my lower back and in the calf's. besides my feet. I am scheduled for a 4 day trial using the Nevro HF-10 device on January 23rd, 2023. I will update my condition on this site in February.

Please give us a current update on the Nevro implant. Thanks

My husband is preparing to have a trial version of the SCS(by Abbot) implanted. He tried to have the procedure done back in November (2022), although the doctor could not implant the device due to calcification. Therefore, that doctor referred my husband to a Neurospine Surgeon. The Neuro Surgeon is planning to try the procedure again.

However, I have several concerns that I would a Neurospine Specialist to address on this forum:
My husband is 73 years old and has gone thru Seven spine surgeries since 2016. After the second spine surgery he got sepsis and also most died. He had to be treated with special drugs by an Infectious Disease Specialist for 8+ weeks. Also he had to have another back surgery to remove the hardware which that surgeon implanted. Since then he has had Five back surgeries.

After the last Two back surgeries his right leg tighten up on him when he tries to walk short distances or stand for very long. In addition, he has back spasm on his right side. We went to several Spine Surgeons to find out if another surgery would help and they all discouraged surgery, therefore the SCS was the option they suggested. I have heard that it is "possible" to get sepsis from this device and due to my husband's history what would be your recommendation/comments? I would also like to hear if anyone else has had similar experience, as my husband and either done well or had bad repercussion from getting the SCS.

Hello, I am interested in discussing with anyone who has had the Abbott Proclaim AND the Nevro SCS systems combined. I have the Abbott Proclaim XR for DBS/SCS in the brain stem and cervical spine. I still have to crawl and some days cannot walk. . The Abbott Proclaim XR was inserted into my brain stem through laminectomy of the C1 vertebrate in August of last year when I was 39. I am a female, and will be turning 40 in late June of this year, 2023. While I was dealing with the impact of my SFpNeuropathy and FM with other means, I still had such severe pain and I was bedridden for years. Anyways, I was then in a DMV accident where the at fault young man crashed into my while i was stopped at a red light and, as such, caused damage to my brain and my spine. This was in 2020. In any case, at this point in time I need more surgeries. I would like to find out more about the placement and the experiences of others who have two SCS systems, and especially those with experience with Nevro for neuropathy as this is a huge concern of mine and Nevro, to my knowledge, seems to be the leading option for neuropathy. My surgery is happening as soon as my neurosurgeon's team can appease my new insurance plan (please do not get me started on the Marketplace, lol. I went from being a full time professor as well as content editor for national geographic and working in Ed-Tech while also a full time PhD student to not having money for food, and I somehow cannot seem to qualify for help from the same federal programs I have paid into for 22 years. At present I am facing Dissertation and Orals defense and surgeries, and I'm working in Ed-Tech not because I can, or because I have the time, but simply because I have no money and I must. I am so exhausted and quite frankly I'm concerned I will die soon. My mother had lupus and died at 47, and the neuromuscular neurologist that diagnosed my SFpN through a nerve biopsy suspects I do indeed have an autoimmune disease, plus I have fibromyalgia and a history of cervical cancer (once in childhood, and then again in 2020 when I had a total radical hysterectomy and salpingectomy, etc.) Can anyone tell me if they have both Abbott and Nevro, and if it works well? I'm not entirely please with Abbott and I'm not sure if this is because only 1/3rd of my body is receiving 'relief' or if it is just the wrong option for me. Also, I wonder if I can have it removed? My frame is petite, and my waist is narrow. the battery pack chosen for me is the 7 not the 5 due to the strength required for my particular pain, and the battery pack was implanted subcutaneously under my left rib cage. it juts out and feels like a large river-bed stone is under my skin, all of the time. It is impossible to get comfortable. Please, I am in need of help. A support group, experience from others who have both Abbott and Nevro, and some older folks to help me navigate what at my age is a precarious predicament. friends have fallen to the wayside and i can no longer date. i do not have the wisdom that comes with bodily degeneration and I'm ready to give up, but i cannot. i still have some things to share, to give with this world, but i cannot take the constant migraines and stress and lack of relief from the Abbott SCS / DBS Proclaim XR. I wish i'd never had it permanently inserted. Can I have it removed? Sorry so many questions, I'm just glad this forum exists and I hope someone else out there has a similar experience and can share some knowledge with me. These next surgeries are going to happen soon and if I need to make sure I find a different vendor, perhaps a different surgeon and a different location, the sooner I know the better. Thank you very much. Nicole Marie.

Hi Martyk,

How is the Nevro SCS working for you? I currently have the Abbott Proclaim XS DBS/SCS for brainstem and cervical spine but I am in excruciating pain and in need of another round of SCS surgeries to take care of my small fiber poly neuropathy. the Abbott was more to address the brain trauma and stenosis and disk degeneration - and was supposed to help with hemiplegic migraines and more but it does not. I am hopeful that these upcoming surgeries can include Nevro because I read that it's the only one of the market approved for neuropathy and i so desperately want to walk again, to practice ballet again, to live again. I hope your recovery is goingwell and i hope to hear back from you. Thanks.

Hello nicom26,I did do the NEVRO trial on March 13th. I had it removed after 5 days on March 17th. It was actually 4 days. It was inserted at 1pm on the 13th and removed in the doctor's office at 1pm on the 17th. I had pain in my lower back, legs and right foot. I don't think I got 50% relief. I did get some relief but I don't think it was 50%. I was expecting a higher percentage. So I saw another pain management doctor on Monday and he does the permanent SCS but he wants to see a 70% improvement in pain before he implants a permanent one. So he thinks we should try an epidural injection on Monday. I will let you know how I make out. Good luck to you.
Marty

I had the Medtronics SCS implanted in August of 2018. The trial went very well, probably a pain reduction of between 60 to 70%. The actual implanted device did not provide quite as much relief as the trial, perhaps 50%. But, along with my pain meds, I was able to resume most of my normal daily activities, including cycling and gentle skiing. Then a bunch of the electrodes of the paddle burned out and the relief stopped. Tried Nevro trial, but they couldn't get the trial electrode under the implanted paddle. So, I can only comment on the Medtronics unit. I would give it a B+.

All the best to you Marty! The epidurals didn’t make much of a difference for me but the SCS did. Please keep me posted.

Oh wow! So did you have another Medtronic paddle inserted? Gentle skiing sounds amazing. How are you now? I’m so sorry to hear about the paddle bursting. Did your healthcare team offer any solutions?

Replacing the paddle would be a very tricky operation, so, no. I will be having the Nevro SCS removed soon. The paddle didn't actually burst, just some of the electrodes burned out. Never worked and is just a large bulge on my lower, left side. Will likely install another medtronics unit so I can have an MRI if needed. Just had pain pump surgery today. Went well. A little incisions site pain but no real problems. Will likely go back next week to have pump level of pain med delivery upped a bit.