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Pain Pump or spinal cord stimulator?
I am 79 years old and have had a pain pump for 10 years. It needs filling every few months. I am worried about being placed in a nursing home and the pain pump not filled as often as it should be. Should I have it removed and have a spinal cord stimulator implanted instead?
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You would need a physician to prescribe it. Be aware that it doesn't cure pain, it mitigates it. Be further aware that it might not give you the relief that you want.
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1 Reaction@bajjjerfan Is the pain pump not giving you any pain relief now. If it is, don't swap it out for an unknown quantity. Your pain doc should be making sure that your pump is being refilled on a timely basis. There are services that will come to you to refill your pump. At one time I would have been an advocate for the SCS, but I have encountered too many people here on Connect who have had less than stellar experiences. If you did not have the pump, I would say go ahead and do the trial. But, with a pump in place and working, stick with what works. I wish you all the best, my friend.
@heisenberg34
I'm currently not on a pain pump. A SCS is sort of a last resort. In March I am going to try the Sprint PNS system. Like other SCS devices there is a week trial and if it provides relief the Sprint system is removed after 2 months and after that you should be good for the rest of your days.
You can't just ask your doc for it as it has to be medically justified since nothing else works. I'm not sure a pain pump would work for me.
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1 ReactionI am one month in….for nerve pain in hip. About 20% relief for me so far. Sprint. If it is on back, you need a person to change battery and bandage daily if it is unreachable area.
@fjeldbar
Is that for the whole 2 months or just the trial period? Is anything removed or covered for showering?
@bajjerfan 2 months is trial and you can shower but no swimming or bathing:(. Also you need to think about where your waistband hits as the battery is about 1/2 + inch.
@fjeldbar
How much of an incision is there and what exactly is implanted? Can you link any articles which discuss this?
Has anyone had a PNS device, like Sprint, implanted after having a nonfunctional SCS removed? I tried to have a trial of another SCS about a year and a half ago, but the doc couldn't get the lead in the sweet spot due to scar tissue. Thanks in advance.