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Anyone with a Medtronic Stimulator that they're not happy with?
My trial was great, it brought my pain from a 8-9 down to a 5-6. I'm currently having to recharge my battery daily, where I have to sit for a full hour and a half at a time. Sitting with Arachnoiditis is absolute hell, so charging causes my pain to skyrocket and lasts throughout the rest of the day/night.
During the stimulator trial I was able to sit for quite some time and not deal with the pain near this bad. Doctor is extremely concerned and said it is not normal, but doesn't have any answers yet of why I'm not getting the relief, so I'm being juggled back and forth with Medtronic and Pain Management and nobody seems to have any answers.
Anyone else have a similar experience with either a Medtronic's device or another brand?
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Hello @stormcruzzer and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sorry that you are not getting the relief you were expecting. I wonder if members @gcranor @marcya @pita99 and @carol228 can join you to share their experiences with Medtronic Stimulators.
How long have you had yours?
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1 ReactionOne should question why Medtronic is allowed to continually use illegally measures surrounding the pain stimulators if they are actually safe & effective - and why FDA does nothing to stop this kind of repeat offender conduct.
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1 ReactionYes, the initial test was great; however the implanted device did not provide any additional relief and the Metronic’s staff gave up trying to help with the setting “they” control. If I didn’t have the best and understanding pain doctor I would still have the dam thing implanted.
Now the Metronic’s pain pump has provided relief since it was implanted 5 years ago and to this day.
Why aren’t the patients like me who had to get the Metronic’s stimulator removed. I had pain after the implant and after the removal of the Stimulator. Plus I had to deal with the lies of the Metronic’s staff who did the settings; they knew it was not going to work.
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1 ReactionI had a Medtronic Intellis implanted in 2017 and it has brought me life changing pain relief. I am charging for about one hour every 5 to 7 days. Can you lie down while charging instead of sitting?
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1 ReactionI had one implanted about three months ago. Jury is still out.
I charge mine every morning. Takes about 30 minutes average.
My biggest complaint is the lack of information on how it works. You get the thing implanted and you get NO information on what to expect or what each of tha 4 programs do. If you call or text your Medtronic rep and he might tell you to change the intensity by 2 notches. Or he might suggest you go from program A to program C. No explanation why or what the difference is between the two settings. And why did we skip program B.
I compare it with a new driver. They put you in the car and show you the gas and the brakes. And good luck.
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2 ReactionsI am looking at getting an Medtronics pain stimulator installed and would like to hear feedback. Pros/Cons. I have sciatica on my right side.
My insurance company would not approve it after 4 years of trying to get it approved and it may not work for certain kinds of pain.
SCS and SubQstimulation are not the same thing. These suits were for SubQ, not their SCS devices. We don't know what device stormcruzzer is speaking of and can't assume it is a SubQ.
I did research on the different types of SCS and found the Boston Scientific to be the gold standard. Be sure the reviews you read are not written by the manufacturer - there are many out there. My trial dropped my pain level from 8/9 to 5 and the implant should work even better. Mine is relatively new (5.5 weeks) and we are still working on the programs. I was told up front it can take 2-3 months to find the best program. My reps (I have two I can contact) respond to me promptly with all my questions. We can meet in person anytime I request for reprogramming. They want their device to work as much as I do. I am their walking billboard.
Backpain is awful. I have chronic L5 nerve damage (Failed Back Surgery L4-5 fusion) and the pain traveled down my into left thigh - that is now gone. Sitting for over 2 hours is still an issue and we're working on that. I wish you the best.