Connect
Pain pump failure
I had the Medtronics pain pump implanted a year ago. Nothing else had worked to relieve my severe lower back pain which radiated down to my buttocks, legs and feet. My spinal cord stimulator also stopped providing any pain relief. I had the pump output increased six to eight times with just a few days of decent relief. Then we moved to another state. New pain doc has increased the output 5 or 6 times. With my pain still hovering between a 7 and a 9, I was desperate. I took an old oxycodone which actually helped. But the pain amped up after a few days so I went back and he upped the dosage by 30% (quite drastic). By the end of the day, The pain had turned into a numb feeling. That night I could not sleep. I was on the verge of nausea and felt like a zombie. How much dosage is too much? I am still in bad pain unless I give myself a bolus, which sends me back into the numb, zombie state. I am afraid that I am in an overdose situation. My voicemail to the doc with these concerns has gone unanswered. How can a pain pump not relieve pain at this level? Really looking for someone with similar expereince and what you ultimately did.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.
Connect
Here I am back again. I just came back from my pain management doc's office. My pain was so bad that I had difficulty walking. I have been seeing this guy for over two years. So far he has done two things for me. Increase the pump output every couple of weeks. Tried adding some kind of anesthetic to the hydromorphone(it did not help). My current pump output is 2.3 mg continuous. Six boluses of about .03 each. So far the bolus does not help. Some of you have been kind enough to tell me that you are at a much higher dosage that helps with your pain. I am getting the output increased, but it is such a slow process. My trial involved getting 4 mg hydromorphone injected which dropped my pain from an eight down to about a two. Having to endure the severe pain in between dosages is so frustrating. As I sat there in excruciating pain, he looked at the notes and told me that since the pain meds weren't doing much, and he already tried everything with the pump, there was nothing left that he could do except keep raising the output. I felt very helpless and alone, Here is a pain doc who has done very little who's telling me that he can't do anything else. Really? What a joke. There are no other pain pump docs in the area that I can go to, so I have to just suffer. If I can't reach some sort of therapeutic level from this pump, I don't what else to do. I guess I'm just mainly venting. Thank you all for your support.
@heisenberg34 So sorry to hear of all the pump issues. I had one put in 2 years ago and my spinal issues are pretty good. The pump is to treat spine only, a mm d when I realized that, I took my all over body pain, which was severe, to a Rheumatologist who right away put me on Pregablin. I feel like I did 50 years ago. The pump is almost perfect, but we are still raising the dosage on it, but for other pain, Pregablin is great. Hope you get all straightened out.
PAIN PUMP: The source of my pain is in my spine. Chordoma. It's like lightening strikes: short, intense... random. Some days none. I do tylenol; I take pregabalin 100mg pills, one per night. But the pain keeps coming. I saw the pain pump doc at MSK... it could be a GO, but I wanted to speak to someone who has a pump.
What was it like to have the pump installed? How many visits did it take to get set up to moderate the pain?
Is it worth the hassel? This dreaded pain is happening as I write. I hope to hear from you.
@bestoflife Thanks for your great response. It really encourages me when I learn of fellow commenters being able to get their pain under decent control. If I may, please answer a few questions. Do you know what kind of meds are in your pump? Daily dosage? How long did it take to get the good relief? How many times has the dosage been raised?
I switched from gabapentin to pregabalin. but it didn't really work any better. I hope you continue to get good pain relief.
@jefffoxx Did you try a spinal cord stimulator? I had one which worded well for about two and a half years. I am currently on a pain pump. I did trial by single injection. First one was morphine...no help. Second one was with Dilaudid. It dropped my pain down from about a 7 down to about a 2. Permanent implant has not helped yet. But, I am continuing to have the output increased every few weeks. Some commenters have said that it took quite a while and a high dosage to get relief. I guess that is the case for me. Have you tried a spinal cord stimulator? Mine worked well for about two and a half years. Then it just stopped. No real explanation. I wish you well in your search. Happy New Year!
@jefffoxx The pain pump for your back is absolutely worth. There is a trial so you know what it will feel like. A bit uncomfortable but only for a short amount of time. Neurosurgery, then pain doc fills the pump, many rechecks to increase or decrease the meds going into the pump. Now I only go every 3-6 months then once a year for annual refill. Totally worth it!
@mina2021 So, fellow pain pumper, I agree with everything you said. I have not had your success. Trial went great. Injection of hydromorphone dropped pain significantly. Implant has not given any relief since almost three years ago. I am hoping that continued increases in its output will give me the relief that I had for one day about two months ago. I am currently at 2.3 mg continuous of hydromorphone. Do you know your output? It shows on your remote. Glad it’s working for you.
I couldn’t find my output anywhere on my phone but I have this device for 2 and 1/2 years so yours may be different than mine. I get a printout after my visits. I’ll have to take a look at it but it’s always in my purse and I’m too lazy right now to get up. Long day.
@mina2021 I have a Medtronic pain pump. It has a remote which allows me to give myself a few shots of extra medication each day(six, currently). These are called "boluses". After each bolus, I can scroll down on the remote and see all my current setting...how much I am receiving each day; how much each bolus gives me. I am guessing that your pump is connected to your phone via bluetooth. The printout you get should have all this information. If not, ask your doctor to share that with you next time you visit. Or, you could call the office and ask them for it.
I have 3 meds. When annual fill:
Morphine 5.0mg/mL
Bupivacaine 2.5mg/mL
Clonidine 2.0mcg/mL
myPTM Bolus usage is set for x3 daily if needed. I rarely use.
Average Morphine daily 0.474
Average Bupivacaine 0.2037mg/day
Average Clonidine 0.1629 mcg/day