Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Being the medical/health care field for some 40 years, I have worked with implants and patients all my nursing life. What I have found is that some devices work and some don't - depending on what the purpose is and how well planned out the manufacturer put into the device. Of course the patient and physician have the other part of the burden as far as the outcomes of using the device as required. Paring up a device with the right/correct patient to a device and following all of the directions as outlined by the manufacturer will or should make sure the device performs as it should with the anticipated outcomes or hoped for. That's alot to say about a piece of machinery and a human being.
Technology is wonderful as long as it works according to the rules for which it was made. However, there are glitches or mistakes at times when the devices were made well but the thought behind the device did not anticipate what the body would do with the device inside the body and things to wrong. The device is then discontinued to do no further wrong. Much of this takes place behind the scene because these are the trials for manufacturers on products they want to bring to the public.
The Spinal Cord Simulator has gone through this trial period and has FDA approval for human use.
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/spinal-cord-stimulation-chronic-pain/what-to-expect/spinal-cord-stimulator-trial.html
You can read about it on this website and talk to your doctor about it, When you agree to it, there is still a trial period for the temporary simulator before they can put in the permanent one so they know this is what you need. This is not like a Stint for your heart or a pacemaker which needs to be put in permanently. This device gives you a time to evaluate whether it helps you with your daily life activities. You would move around with it to assure it would help you do the things you can not do now. IF it doesn't help in the 10 day period, then it would not be for you.
Do your investigation now and talk with you doctor on the various options you have.

@lillee, @pa58, Good morning. I regret that you are still uncomfortable and tormented by chronic pain. Because I have been fighting the battle for a few years, I have had a chance to experiment with many forms and dosages of Cannabis. For me, it is without a match for controlling pain and giving you the freedom to enjoy the sunshine and watch the birds at the feeder. I know that there is a lot of hype and holler about CBD oil. What you may have chosen is hemp seed oil. Unfortunately, it doesn't have enough cannabidiol to relieve pain. The real and genuine CBD is from the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. Just make sure that your dispensary is stocking the correct products. I would hesitate to purchase online....without a referral from someone with product knowledge. You may also be purchasing total CBD without any THC. I have found that my best results for pain submission are 2:1 (CBD/THC) and 1:1 (CBD/THC). THC activates the CBD and gives you some mental relaxation that comes pain relief. You may want to do a little more research. Here is a link that explains some of the differences between hemp oil and CBD oil. I don't want you to waste your $$$$. https://honestmarijuana.com/hemp-oil-vs-cbd-oil/ . Be safe and free of suffering today. Chris

I have 2 spinal cord stimulators. one in my neck and one in my back. I would not live without them. World of difference

Hi
My Name is Eloise and I am kind of all of the place. I apologize for putting my answers in everyone questions but my life has been filled with many speed bumps along the way.
I am a retired Nurse/Case Manger. I have experienced death three times with MVAs, coma X1, viral meningitis, C-diff, GERD, Hearing loss since birth with tinnitus, hypercusis, vertigo non-stop, chronic pain, broken bones, influenza X3, and a whole host of other diseases and allergies including central auditory brain disorder, but I am still standing and working to help others take care of our bodies.
I am religious, and work to serve others because it helps me in the long run. I am the first of seven kids; my mom is 90, I am her POA, and there are lots of grandkids and great-grandkids in our extended family. I am married 45 years - we met in High school so long ago....I love learning and worked to get my last degree - an MBA in Health Care Management in 2006. I am a writer and have been published. I just recently wrote my Memoir but need to publish it. You can goggle me if you want. [Nurses are Patient People] I was also featured in the HLAA news magazine a few years back when I attended one of the national conventions. That's enough about me...too much really.

Thanks for all the advice

Plus I live in Alabama don't have much and choices

My name is Valerie Windsor and I have lumbar arachnoiditis and cervical neuropathy as well as hyperrflexia my pain is horrible. My nerve conduction study showed how much pain I'm living in, but still denied enough opioids to allow me a quality of life. I have been told that my condition was caused by a medical procedure gone wrong, and I know which procedures caused this. It was the spinal nerve block injections, yet I was forced to have them or my insurance would not authorize my prescription for oxymorphone; as well as the doctor would not write the prescription. I told my insurance and the doctors the injections were making me worse, yet I had to submit to them. My last nerve block injection was in January, right after I felt tingling on the top of my left foot and shortly after extreme pain in my left leg and now it's going on 6 months of horrible pain. Before that spinal injection in January my left leg had no pain. Before the spinal injections and after my spinal surgeries I only had pain in my right hip, after the injections my knees, right calf, bottom of my right foot, left hip, left knee, left thigh...I know there's something in that medication because there's no way every doctor is incompetent. I also was told of any possible adverse reaction to these spinal injections, I was only told I had to submit to them.
I have actually tried everything to combat the pain from, massage/physical therapy, tens-unit, acupuncture, surgery, spinal cord stimulation, ultrasound treatment, the horrible spinal injections, and all forms of non-opioid medication. The only relief I get is from opioids. The attack on opioids is bs, and never have I heard anyone defend them, for opioids are the only form of relief for most chronic pain patients
I can't keep living in this pain.
Since these opioid laws have now denied chronic pain patients Human Rights, Civil Rights, and taken away our HIPPA protection.

Chronic Pain Patients are the new Lepors (Leporsy) That is who we now identify with.
Valerie Windsor

I tried the spinal cord stimulator, it didn't help me at all.

@tazscott Glad it's helping you my concern is how does it affect your thoughts ? So far I've replied for @against

Hi Nurseheadakes, you are 100% correct, I enjoyed reading your post, yep its about making the most of a bad situation and keeping busy if possible and you just might improve unknown to yourself, keep up the positive posting, thanks Sean