@subaroux01 I'm on a path very much like yours. Have you had a spinal cord stimulator implant? I had one in June of 2017, and it gave me 75% pain reduction. It was wonderful! First I had to go through a bunch of formalities, including a screening by a psychiatrist. It took several months to do all of that. Then came the week long trial, to see how effective it would be, then a few weeks of waiting to get on the surgeon's surgery schedule, and after that, another six weeks to let the surgery site heal. And finally the stimulator was turned on. For a year I enjoyed relief from the neuropathy pain in my feet, and after that the Abbott rep made adjustments. The longer I had the stimulator, the shorter the pain relief lasted. Now I meet with the rep every 3 months to make another adjustment. I would feel better, though it didn't last long, but I held off for a while before I called him again.

Even though the scs isn't as effective as it was at first., I'd do it again because living with that pain before the implant would pretty much have shut me down completely.

I met with a surgeon a couple of months ago to discuss the possibility of a drg implant. Her recommendation was that she would speak with the Abbott rep about other adjustments to the scs. I'm waiting to hear from him. She is very knowledgeable and has had a lot of experience with both the scs and the drg implants. In the meantime, my pain doctor prescribed yet another medication, imipramine, and after a couple of months, I can say that it's greatly reduced the burning pain in my feet. I still deal with some pain, but it has lowered from between 6 and 9, to 3 - 6. During the day my feet hurt the most when I walk very much, or stand on a hard surface, and, strangely enough, putting my feet up in the recliner or bed. It's pretty unpredictable.

Back to the drg implant. The implant specialist wants me to try a different approach to the settings on my stimulator, and maybe she knows medications that I haven't already tried. I'm on hold for now, doing what I can to deal with the pain as best I can. The specialist indicated that she wanted me to do a few things before getting the drg implant, because the drg is essentially the last resort, to be done when every other option has been tried and ruled out.

So, given that I've tried every medication available for neuropathy, an SCS and pain therapy, my recommendation would be to give all medications that could possibly lower your pain level, and any non pharmaceutical option, and hold off a drg if you can. Be aware that this is not a recommendation from a healthcare professional, simply sharing my story with you.

Jim

Have you looked into trying Myofascial release therapy or MFR? I too have had trouble standing or sitting for more than 5-10 minutes before my feet start to burn. Since I’ve been having MFR therapy, I have been able to do much more , still have some pain but is tolerable enough to enjoy life. I too was very active but a fall and 5 back surgeries, including a spinal fusion, a Neuro stimulator, and many more alternative options gave me no hope until I found the benefits of MFR. It’s a specialized form of PT, so if you do pursue, be careful to make sure the therapist has had the special training.
Good luck and hope things improve your quality of life !