I trialed a scs device which is an electrical stimulator and it did not yield results for me but from what I understand it can help some and it is an excellent way to get pain relief without drugs. I am going to have the medtronic pain pump installed and hope that it will relieve my thoracic pain from a failed fusion and severe osteoporosis. I wish you the best and hope this can work for you. The trial is relatively painless. I had leads put into my spine and had to carry around a small device and spoke to someone regularly on the current levels.
I trialed a scs device which is an electrical stimulator and it did not yield results for me but from what I understand it can help some and it is an excellent way to get pain relief without drugs. I am going to have the medtronic pain pump installed and hope that it will relieve my thoracic pain from a failed fusion and severe osteoporosis. I wish you the best and hope this can work for you. The trial is relatively painless. I had leads put into my spine and had to carry around a small device and spoke to someone regularly on the current levels.
I have a pain pump, have had it for 3 years. I am so glad that i finally decided to do it. I get much more relief from the pump than i did from pain medicine taken orally. Although i do have pain meds through the pump, it works more effectively than the pain meds taken orally. If you decide to get the pump, i wish you good luck and i hope it works for you.
I did a trial with the stimulator for pain in my ankle and feet and it was not helpful for me. I have found more help with the new Quell tens device on the market now. I think that if you don't get substantial relief from the trial it is not worth going through having it implanted. I found the trial stimulator very annoying and actually painful at the site of it and it seemed very unstable. I know they are working to advance the success of the device but it just was not for me. Be very selective about the doctor that does the implant. The doctor I visited with that would actually do the implant was unimpressive and in fact he told me the infection rate was about 2% which seemed high for me, particularly when dealing with the spine. Maybe things have improved since then since this was a few years back. I hope you have success.
I had no problems with the trial. The unit I'm getting is quite new, called Burst, marketed by Abbott. It's totally MRI compatible, which was important to me, and I had significant relief from the pain during the trial. I hope it will be effective long term.
I had one and then two stimulators placed to calm down my pain. They worked fine except every time I sat down I had to adjust the controls. I had to repeat this process when lying down, turning over in bed, and bending over. It just got too much for me, and eventually had both removed.
I had that same experience with the changing levels until they got approval and turned on the Burst technology. Now I never feel it and it works way better. That was the end of last year.
Hi,
I have posted above.
I have Nerve damage all over my body from Chronic Lyme disease.
One thing I would think about and discuss before the surgery is the placement of the control box. At first I just went w what they said figuring there was no choice. Now I have one on my belt line and one mid back on the side (on opposite sides - kind of abnoxious). You need to think about how it might effect the things you do (of course when I started the process I really did not see any future so my mind was not thinking about that). They can use extensions if you want it in a place too far for the leads but there is added risk w extra connections.
There are lots of important details that no one ever brought up w me that I started to question once I could think better.
How does it work, having it on your belt line? I'd think that it would be uncomfortable. I'm quite slim, so I don't have much padding to cushion it. What are the options? The rep spoke very briefly about placement, and I haven't given it a lot of thought. There's a battery unit - is there a second unit that's implanted?
jimhd
I had two stimulators placed for peripheral neuropathy. Used them for two years with some success, BUT, I became tired of having to adjust them EVERY time I changed position. Even in bed. It was too painful until I could adjust them so I had them both removed. 5 years later I needed an MRI and it was discovered thru an x-ray that the wires were still in my back so I had to have them removed. Yet another surgery. The MRI could now be done. The radiologist said that the wires were not ferrous (made from steel), but would likely heat up during then MRI.
I had one and then two stimulators placed to calm down my pain. They worked fine except every time I sat down I had to adjust the controls. I had to repeat this process when lying down, turning over in bed, and bending over. It just got too much for me, and eventually had both removed.
The Burst technology has made significant changes to the spinal cord stimulator. It's said to be completely MRI compatible, and is easier to regulate. The wireless control stays at home, except for extended trips out of state. I may be getting a second one because neuropathy has numbed my urinary system.
I just hope I won't be incapacitated very long after the implant, as this is the peak time of yard and garden work. I'm working hard now so everything is caught up.
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I trialed a scs device which is an electrical stimulator and it did not yield results for me but from what I understand it can help some and it is an excellent way to get pain relief without drugs. I am going to have the medtronic pain pump installed and hope that it will relieve my thoracic pain from a failed fusion and severe osteoporosis. I wish you the best and hope this can work for you. The trial is relatively painless. I had leads put into my spine and had to carry around a small device and spoke to someone regularly on the current levels.
I have a pain pump, have had it for 3 years. I am so glad that i finally decided to do it. I get much more relief from the pump than i did from pain medicine taken orally. Although i do have pain meds through the pump, it works more effectively than the pain meds taken orally. If you decide to get the pump, i wish you good luck and i hope it works for you.
I did a trial with the stimulator for pain in my ankle and feet and it was not helpful for me. I have found more help with the new Quell tens device on the market now. I think that if you don't get substantial relief from the trial it is not worth going through having it implanted. I found the trial stimulator very annoying and actually painful at the site of it and it seemed very unstable. I know they are working to advance the success of the device but it just was not for me. Be very selective about the doctor that does the implant. The doctor I visited with that would actually do the implant was unimpressive and in fact he told me the infection rate was about 2% which seemed high for me, particularly when dealing with the spine. Maybe things have improved since then since this was a few years back. I hope you have success.
@gailg
I had no problems with the trial. The unit I'm getting is quite new, called Burst, marketed by Abbott. It's totally MRI compatible, which was important to me, and I had significant relief from the pain during the trial. I hope it will be effective long term.
Jim
I had that same experience with the changing levels until they got approval and turned on the Burst technology. Now I never feel it and it works way better. That was the end of last year.
Hi,
I have posted above.
I have Nerve damage all over my body from Chronic Lyme disease.
One thing I would think about and discuss before the surgery is the placement of the control box. At first I just went w what they said figuring there was no choice. Now I have one on my belt line and one mid back on the side (on opposite sides - kind of abnoxious). You need to think about how it might effect the things you do (of course when I started the process I really did not see any future so my mind was not thinking about that). They can use extensions if you want it in a place too far for the leads but there is added risk w extra connections.
There are lots of important details that no one ever brought up w me that I started to question once I could think better.
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Hug
4 Reactionsmy son had a medtronics ns and worked well. still has it in but not using due to unrelated problems
@cbrackle
How does it work, having it on your belt line? I'd think that it would be uncomfortable. I'm quite slim, so I don't have much padding to cushion it. What are the options? The rep spoke very briefly about placement, and I haven't given it a lot of thought. There's a battery unit - is there a second unit that's implanted?
Jim
jimhd
I had two stimulators placed for peripheral neuropathy. Used them for two years with some success, BUT, I became tired of having to adjust them EVERY time I changed position. Even in bed. It was too painful until I could adjust them so I had them both removed. 5 years later I needed an MRI and it was discovered thru an x-ray that the wires were still in my back so I had to have them removed. Yet another surgery. The MRI could now be done. The radiologist said that the wires were not ferrous (made from steel), but would likely heat up during then MRI.
@zjandre
The Burst technology has made significant changes to the spinal cord stimulator. It's said to be completely MRI compatible, and is easier to regulate. The wireless control stays at home, except for extended trips out of state. I may be getting a second one because neuropathy has numbed my urinary system.
I just hope I won't be incapacitated very long after the implant, as this is the peak time of yard and garden work. I'm working hard now so everything is caught up.
Jim