Pain Stimulator Implant Any Ideas Options

[buickx]

A fellow Vietnam friend of mine has had his stimulator in his back since 2003, and the problem with several other stimulators, then his, is the life if the battery. Here is the internet site of his below:

http://www.medcompare.com/details/39273/Pr...SCS-System.html

[sixthscents]

Well while I do use pain meds still, my old implant died (the battery went dead). It was shocking to realize that my med use almost doubled between then and the time they implanted the new one. Since then it is back down to normal levels.

I learned a simple rule with pain med, dont take a bit more than you need. Its hard to manage, but if you ever get caught on that spiral, its tremendously hard to break, so its what I do.

Oh, BTW Dilaudid... for some reason I metabolize it weirdly and it has almost no effect at all on me. Aspirin works better. Go figure, but I took it back and said give me somethign else. Also, I make a point of occasionally taking any extra pain meds I may have and turning most (I always keep some if the VA screws up and is late) of them in to the local VA clinic for destruction. They were very suprised the first time, but I made sure they annotated in my med records that I brought them in that time and every time since. Hard to say you are a drug seeker when you take them back to them if you dont us them huh? I was told that I was the only one who ever had at the local VA clinic, which did suprise me... they didn't even know how to destroy them. I had to tell them to pour hydrogen peroxide over them in the sink as long as it was city sewers... you never want to flush meds into a septic system.

Anyway the implanted stimulator works well for me for mild to moderate pain.

[oldman273]

Umm. a tens unit while using similar principal is not the smae thing. Sorry but the stimulator is a thousand times better, and I have used both extensively. The leads for the stimulator actually come into contact with the spinal cord. It makes for a huge difference.

Further I had the surgery mentioned below, and it did not correct anything. The nerve was already damaged. Nerves conduct their signal along the outside mylan sheath, and mine was severed. Nerves do regenerate but the process is amazingly slow... I'll be dead long before mine could heal.

Again..Im going to PM you with my phone number. Please feel free to call, no matter the time, and collect is fine. I will help you with understand how the control works, and we can work together on getting you some relief here ok? I am more than willing, cause I hate to see what could be a real benefit be passed over. My stimulator works incredibly well during low or even mid pain cycles. When the pain really ramps up it is useless to me, but it certainly gives me more bad than good days. I just had a new one installed a few months back, and since they are now rechargeable, and supposed to last between 10 and 20 years I am a big advocate of them. My old one was great until the battery died.

Bob Smith

Hey Bob Sorry I was off line for a couple of days I am seriously thinking about doing the implant only thing got me to thinking about it is being on the hook for drugs through the VA with everything I deal with I hate to be looked at as a druggie. I know us people with bad backs are looked at sometimes as drug seekers but I would try anything up until surgery myself. I have had 1 civ surgeon and 1 military surgeon both say my back is toast surgery cannot help. I am just at a point to where I have to do something else. I am sure many of you know what I mean. I am not into hurting myself not a shout out just angry tired and ill cause of this old broke down back. I sent you a message sorry for the lack of response but my mind has been elsewhere. Adios..

[retiredat44]

I have a tens unit. It is the same thing except sort of messy. It gives me minimal relief. I wish the VA would prescribe heroin. That is the worlds best pain killer. Heroin was invented as a cure for morphine addiction. Methadone was invented as a cure for heroin addiction. What is the cure for methadone addiction?

I don't know, but I was on Morhpine, went to methadone.. I hated it,, and went back to morphine...
there are no good pain killers, some are just better than others..


Dilaudid is way too strong for home use..
Morphine can be handled in most situtations.. but is still very strong..
Methadone can be handled in most situations.. but it still very strong.

I found some side effect of methadone bothered me more than other pain killers.. dry nose.. some mood swings on the up and down cycles..

I have been through withdrawls of these pain killers... and withdrawls are horrible..

trying to get a smooth cycle so that it stays at an even dose 24/7 for months and years.. is very difficult.. it takes a lot of trial and error to find the dosing..

I also spent lots of time with pumps.. (while hosptialized..) you press a button to tell the machine when to release the medicine into your vein..
I never had Heroin... I don't want to...
(IMG:http://www.hadit.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif)

I have a medical electronic stimulator for my back... it applies current to my muscles near my spine.. I am also getting new spinal shots soon... for pain for spinal disease pain..

This post has been edited by retiredat44: Nov 8 2009, 04:22 AM

[sixthscents]

Umm. a tens unit while using similar principal is not the smae thing. Sorry but the stimulator is a thousand times better, and I have used both extensively. The leads for the stimulator actually come into contact with the spinal cord. It makes for a huge difference.

Further I had the surgery mentioned below, and it did not correct anything. The nerve was already damaged. Nerves conduct their signal along the outside mylan sheath, and mine was severed. Nerves do regenerate but the process is amazingly slow... I'll be dead long before mine could heal.

Again..Im going to PM you with my phone number. Please feel free to call, no matter the time, and collect is fine. I will help you with understand how the control works, and we can work together on getting you some relief here ok? I am more than willing, cause I hate to see what could be a real benefit be passed over. My stimulator works incredibly well during low or even mid pain cycles. When the pain really ramps up it is useless to me, but it certainly gives me more bad than good days. I just had a new one installed a few months back, and since they are now rechargeable, and supposed to last between 10 and 20 years I am a big advocate of them. My old one was great until the battery died.

Bob Smith

[john999]

I have a tens unit. It is the same thing except sort of messy. It gives me minimal relief. I wish the VA would prescribe heroin. That is the worlds best pain killer. Heroin was invented as a cure for morphine addiction. Methadone was invented as a cure for heroin addiction. What is the cure for methadone addiction?

[vmo]

I had the L5 On S1 fusion. The stimulator is temp at best. It is inserted surgically-implanted. My opinion is to have corrective surgery. My sister suffered with one for the past year, had it taken out to prepare for surgery to fix spine. Again, there are those the stim. has helped. I believe in medication, therapy, and as a last resort---surgery.

[dav_marine72]

Hi,

I had a spinal stimulator trial and it did not do much for me. I'm not sure what kind of trail you had. Mine was with two wires one on each side of my back. They tell me the permanent procedure will be a paddle and should cover more of my back and leg pain. I have been on the meds game for 4 years now. My back issue have been ongoing for 12 years. I have had two failed surgeries including my latest L3-S1 fusion this year. I was at the worst taking 4 30mg oxycodone and 3 40mg 0xycontin. I had seen stories about oxycontin actually increasing the pain instead of helping decrease. My pain clinic doc switched me over to 80mg of methadone and 4 30mg oxycodone a day. What a difference. The methadone is has provided way better relief than the oxycontin or oxycodone ever did. My issue now is that the methadone is driving my asthma crazy. I can take it for a couple of days and then my breathing gets worse. By day five I'm wheezing like mad. I go off and breathing improves. Not sure what you have taken but if you haven't tried methadone it's definitely worth a try. The only down side and reason I can't stay on is the asthma. Keep in touch and let know how things are.

[sixthscents]

I've had a stimulator for 6 years now....

just turn the amplitude down until you can just barely feel the tingling, or until you just barely cannot...

I think you will find that experimenting with the amplitude, pulse width and frequency will help

its a trial and error thing... each person is different, and even when you sit vs. lying down makes a difference

feel free to call me if necessay...PM me for phone number ill walk you thru the controls etc.

Bob

[oldman273]

Hello I just got a trail implant for a pain stimulator for my lower back today feels like 10000 ants or bugs traversing down my body. I suffer chronic pain as a result of SC back injury and am at wits end. Tired of going back and forth on the med merry go round. Any thoughts on what helped and did this type of procedure do you any good. I know everyone is different but witht he stonewall at the VA I had to try something. Adios and really would like to hear from others in the same boat. Funny I thought that the thing would help with ROM but I still am not able to bend hardly at all more like a half of a bow to another asian. I would be considered rude as the deepr or lower bow is a sign of rrespect I am glad I am still here in the US. Adios....