Back Pain Support Group

Hi ~ I had the stimulator for 6 months, but had to have it taken out. There were a couple of reason, actually. First, the idiots who did the trial with me gave me so many restrictions (during the trial) that I didn't get a good assessment of pain relief. I found out later that they shouldn't have done that. I should have been able to go about my normal routine, except don't reach or twist. But that wasn't the case, so since I wasn't "able" to do normal things, I thought I got great pain relief. After they implanted the permanent one, I got little relief, regardless of how high I turned the thing up. I had it reprogrammed several times, with no luck. The other reason was that I didn't have enough 'fat' content in my body and the generator tried to work itself out. ICK.

I've talked with MANY MANY others who have the stimulator and they swear by it! IT'S highly successful for pain relief. Why I didn't have luck is beyond me.

Does it hurt? Do you mean the surgery? Well, it's a bit ouchy. It's not terrible tho. It's NOTHING like regular spinal surgery. There's normally NO side effects at all. The batteries usually last about a year, depending on how long you leave the unit on. If you have it on 24/7, then it's not going to last a whole year. If you turn it off once in awhile, and at night then it's going to last. It takes very MINOR surgery to replace the battery because the generator is JUST below the skin surface so it's very easy to get to. You shouldn't need to replace the unit.

You have a hand-held device that you use to control the unit yourself. You turn it on and off and turn it up and down. They will train you how to use it, and in fact during the trial and during the implant, a representative from the manufacturer will be with you the whole time.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me. I wish I could have kept mine, but such was not the case. If you do go this route, I'm SURE you'll be able to reduce your pain. I've heard of very FEW who haven't gotten significant pain relief. Best of luck! Hugs,Lee

I had the temporary unit put in as a trial. I had hopes and dreams of no more pain no more pain meds with all their side effects but it was no to be. They could not cover the areas where I needed it. I heard it works better for leg pain originating in the back but could work for back pain too. I just wasn't one of the lucky ones.

If the have to put in a paddle lead expect a much bigger surgery.

Hi Robert! I had a spinalcord stimulator placement in Nov 2000. It helped with pain for a very short time(a few months) Then it was more irratating than anything. No it does not hurt unless you got the settings turned up high and then turn it on you will get the shock of your life, cause it feels like electricity all the time so you want to keep it at a low setting and go from there until it covers the pain and you can handle it. As far as the battery thats gets replaced every 5 years, it could be longer or shorter depending on your usage. But they say the normal life is 5 years, yes it is another sergery but it's a minor one.

I dont have one yet, but I have a consult for a second opinion scheduled for July 16th. The first doctor told me I was not a candidate because all the metal in my back would interrupt the signal. My surgeon said there is a new type of stimulator that can be used in patients with metal hardware. My biggest concern is that I learned once you have one, you cannot be defibulated during a heart attack and heart disease is heavy on my mom and dads side of my family. I'm 41. My brother Ted had a heart attack at the age of 46 and my brother Mark had a heart attack at the age of 48. Also, I have learned that while the insurance will cover the device, they will not cover the cost of having the batteries changed and I dont know how much that will be. While I have tremendous back pain, I also have reflex sympathetic dystrophy which causes a lot of pain in my feet and I dont know if the signal will go that far.

Here is a link to a video where you can learn about the procedure:
http://www.spine-health.com/video/...

I had the permanent SCS installed in June of 08 and it is the best thing that happened to me! One thing that a lot of Doctor's don't make clear to their patients is that the SCS is NOT for mechanical type pain, it does not work for that! The SCS was designed to eliminate and alleviate nerve pain/radiculopathy pain. If what you have is mostly nerve pain, the device will be your best friend. If your pain is mechanical in nature, it will not work for you.
I have both mechanical and nerve pain. The SCS took care of my nerve pain beautifully! for the mechanical pain I still take my pain medications.
My model SCS a Boston Scientific/Precision, the battery is said to last about 10 years, and yes you will need a minor surgery to instal a new battery. My battery is on my left butt cheek.
The surgery did not hurt, I was doing fine within a few days and was in the hospital over night. I hope that this info, helped.

hello, tipper is right my paind dr. told me not to expect to get back pain relief, but my nerve damage should deminsih greatly. I got the trial this morning i will have it for a week and if i like it they will scheduale the surgery to implant it. It is hanging out of the back with a clip on moniter on my pants. they have new stimulators out now mine is going to be minimum 10 year battery life. then you will have a minor surgery to replace the battery. You can recharge it yourself until the battery completely goes out. I will let you know how i am liking it in the next couple of days after my tenderness from the procedure is better.

That is correct koliover. My trial SCS was hanging out of my back with the little monitor/battery on my waistband. And yes, I can recharge my SCS very easily and I do it every morning with a velcro belt that they provided to me, sometimes I even go do my shopping while wearing my charger.
My battery also has a 10 year life, so I can expect to have another minor surgery to replace it in 2018!

I had one put in in 2006, and it worked awesome until this year when another disk ruptured just outside of the coverage, I was actually 80 percent pain free with it and drug free too! The batteries last about a month you recharge it through the skin with a remote charger the internal batteries can last up to ten years. Some people build a resistance to it but even then you turn it off for 90 days then you try again and usually thats all thats needed........I am thinking about a surery to replace the leads in a more central area to get the new pain area covered....I give mine a big thumbs up

This is a specific reply to : IMFCLCLS

Hogwash lol! I have a back full of steel and titanium, and the stimulator works fine additionally I have a Bicuspid Aortic valve and so the need for defibrillator is very real with a leaky valve that could cause a heart attack I have heard this comment from two Doctors and then I called the manufacturer of my unit Medtronics they said of course they could still use a defibrillator on you and that the Doctor was misinformed.....please get another opinion from a doctor that knows about these devices or call medtronics
800-328-0810

BTW.....Imfclcls, when it comes to a matter of life and death, and in case of an emergency, you will get defribulated, no worries about that! They rather fry your battery and have another one installed at a later time, than having you die. Trust me, we did it at the hospital were I worked at! We fried several batteries, but we kept our patients alive! :-)