You were, indeed, very unfortunate. It's not unusual for the permanent implant to give less relief then the trial. This is often a result of the paddle not being placed in the "sweet spot" in the intrathecal space during surgery. My trial went well, too, giving me about 80% pain reduction. After the implant, it was more like 50%. Fortunately, that, along with my pain meds, provided good pain relied for more than three years. Yes, a health network usually affiliates with one particular type of SCS. Of course, you can request a different type, but, as you said, going in for the first time, you don't have that information, and, they likely won't tell you. Does Medtronics or Nervro get a "kick back" for each unit implanted. Not sure, but it's possible.