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Implantable neurostimulator for chronic pain
Spine Health | Last Active: Jun 21, 2023 | Replies (334)Comment receiving replies
Hi Jim,
Just wanted to touch bases. As you know I had the Abbott Stimulator which tested good but upon installation and after 4 revisions gives me no relief.
I then had the DRG test and it was amazing. However, a few months after installation it lost its effectiveness on me also.
I’ve tried every tech in Oklahoma and now MN several times and they cannot get it to be helpful.
I’ve had them off for most of a year with tests when they try to readjust.
I was never told and did not have the initiative to find out that there were other options.
A friend asked if I had tried a Medtronic pain pump. I had to suggest it to my pain clinic and they said “yes, that sounds like a really good fit for you”. Can you believe they install them but never posed it as an option!
I had it tested and installed last January and it has been a literal life changer for me. It took a long time to get it titrated up, but it helps more than either/both stimulators combined and there is room for improvement as time goes on.
Just want to be sure you hear about the options before getting The DRG implanted.
I wish you he best of luck and am glad you found a med that helps.
Carl
Replies to "Hi Jim, Just wanted to touch bases. As you know I had the Abbott Stimulator which..."
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@cbrackle Hi Carl. I don't know how I overlooked your post. But at least I didn't delete it without reading it.
My SCS has been turned off for two weeks now and I haven't had any more pain than when it was on. I found a lidocaine cream on Amazon and tried it out last night. I don't remember what I paid, but it was way, way cheaper. It seems that my feet have burning pain when I lie down in my bed for the night, even though they hadn't been hurting during the day. That's essentially the only time I use the cream, though I've used it during the day in the past.
I've wondered about the possibility of a pump. I'm going to see the surgeon who will do the drg implant - if I decide to go forward with it - on the last Friday of this month, and then the following Monday I have an appointment with the pain specialist. I'm going to talk with them about a pump. Someone else here has a pump for Dilaudid and it's been a life changer, if I remember correctly.
Right now I'm really active, working in the yard and around the pasture, and doing maintenance on the house and barn and garage, and working on one of our vehicles. I'm on my feet a lot, so I expect to have more pain than if I sat in my recliner all day. I've been taking morphine sulfate contin 3x a day, up from just 1 or 2 a couple of months ago. I think the Imipram is helping, though it's just a low dose. The pain doctor might up the dose when I see him in a couple of weeks. For arthritis I take Meloxicam and Tylenol, and I suppose it's possible that it helps with the neuropathy pain. I suppose that doctors will have me stop taking some of those. Did the pump reduce the oral meds you were taking?
One thing I'm concerned about is that if the pump doesn't work out for me, my doctor would probably refuse to prescribe the narcotics that I'm taking now. But there's no point in worrying about that stuff until I try the pump.
I'll go online this evening after I get home from church and do a little research. It would surely be nice if I could get relief finally. Thanks for telling me about your experience.
Jim