megan it is too bad our dear sandy passed away on Sunday she had one and could have told you all about them....she is sadly missed and I really know nothing about SCS except that it does something to help some people....good luck...my mom uses a tens unit now on her back and seems to help her....

Megan, I've had my SCS for almost three years. It is the only thing that helps my nerve pain. I swear, I'll always be thankful to whoever invented this thing 45 years ago.

You will be able to tell if it helps you during your trial. They make you try it before you buy it. Our dear Sandy also had SCS implanted for her RSD nerve pain in her foot. She loved hers too.

Imagine getting a cavity in your tooth drilled without a nerve deadening shot (nerve pain), THEN getting a shot of novacaine(SCS). It is truely like that When I awoke from the anesthesia, all I could think of was "ahhhhhhhhh." You have complete control over it, deciding how strong the stim signal needs to be, or even turning it off if you want to. (although I can not imagine wanting to turn the pain relief off). Relief is immediate, and there is no waiting for pain meds to kick in or not.

I'm sounding like a commercial for SCS, aren't I ? Well, as great as it has been for me, I'll sing its praises as long as I live.

It took me about one day to get used to it. I have the same leads implanted as I had in my trial. They offered me a paddle-type lead that a neurosurgeon would have to implant, but I chose the leads I knew would work for me because they worked for me in the trial. Also, I HATE to be in the hospital, and my leads were put in on an out-patient basis. In at 6 AM, home by 10 AM. And NO hospital. I have been and continue to be so happy with mine. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me.

Fingers crossed for you dear.

You didn't answer the question though, and I'm curious also, how do you get imaging done with your SCS?

No MRI's, but you can still get CT scans.

My neurologist said he would only order an MRI if the pain got much worse. And if the SCS relieves the pain, no need for an MRI. He's so wise.

And if you absolutely must have an MRI, the SCS could be removed. I have to say that NOBODY is ever going to take mine out. It's going to my grave with me. It works that well.

Does that make any sense? I was never expert at coming right to the point.

OK. Thanks you guys. I picked up my TENS unit this afternoon and have used it for 90 minutes today. I got hooked on a random cleaning spree and re-did my entire bedroom (dressers and closets) and I finally picked up the trash that had piled up in my living room. Of course I am now regretting that 3 and a half spree because my pain has shot up. But, it felt good to accomplish something that I really needed to do. I had definitely let things go.

Thank you also for explaining the imaging with a SCS. As I've already had MRIs of my low back, neck, and brain, I don't think I will need any more MRIs in the near future. So, my insurance completely covered my TENS unit...but would they cover the SCS? I have already tried a radio frequency thermocoagulation on my right side (I have the left one on the 21st) and I've had little success with that. So, maybe the insurance company would cover that cost? Keeska, did your insurance cover the procedure? How much out of pocket cost did you have? Sorry about so many questions. Thanks for your patience.

~Megan~

Megan, they covered it all. It was done at an out-patient surgical center by my PM doc who is an anesthesiologist. It took a week for insurance approval. You can get the info you need from your ins. co. They're the only ones who can tell you based on your policy, but if they covered the TENS unit, I would expect the SCS to be covered as well.

Gook luck Megan, and try not to over-do again. It feels great to get things done, but it sucks when the pain catches up to us.

Although there are still periods of time when the pain overrides the stimulator, the stimulator has been amazing for me. It does help. You get to try it before you have the entire thing implanted. I did have to have a revision of my implant but that is unusual. You can still have a CT scan and x-rays with the SCS and I believe there are other ways to do imaging.

Well thats good that if they have to do magnetized imaging they can take it out. Unfortunately when your joints are rebuilt with screws and rods and cadaver bone your screwed as far as MRI's go...but on the plus side, CT's are alot cheaper!!!

I'll come in from another angle. My SCS trial was a wonderful success in Nov. 2012, and after jumping through some relatively simple insurance hoops I was approved for my SCS. In January 2013, an orthopedic surgeon placed the permanent version, however because of some scar tissue the lead placement was not where I had the best coverage. I had some pain control, maybe about 15-20% relief in my hips. Within weeks I had increased pain in my thoracic region.

On top of not having placed the lead in the optimal spot, the lead migrated and was now causing excruciating pain due to nerve involvement.

After finally getting in with, and seeing the top Neurosurgeon at U of M he scheduled me for revision surgery last week. I was awake for 5 hours (lying face down on my ribs) during this surgery while he cleared out the scar tissue that was blocking the original placement, and anchored the SCS in place. He also needed to move the signal/battery unit (I'm not sure the proper name for the damned thing!), he needed to move it because it ad healed on its side and wasn't getting a good signal. So.....roughly 6 hours later I had 3 incisions. One along my spine is roughly 10-12 inches, one on my hip to remove the signal thingy, 4" and the last incision on my upper abdominal area which is also about 4". I stayed overnight. My pain level in recovery was never lower than a 6.

Almost a week later. The placement seems to be ideal this time....I can feel it tingling away from my waist to my knees. I have high hopes that this placement will work and I'll experience just as much pain reduction as I did with my trial which was roughly 35-40 %.

Not as great as some people have......I've heard of some folks getting 90% pain reduction. The pain relief I got was wonderful! I was able to sit for 45 minutes and watch my daughter dance with my trial in. I was able to make short trips into the store without the motorized cart. I was able to sleep at night without a sleep aide. All gifts from God and man as far as I'm concerned.

So I'm really hoping for those things now that everything is fixed. My pain is decreasing a little everyday so I hope to see some benefits soon.

I guess the SCS is an answered prayer for many, I'm hoping for me too....my surgery just didn't take the first time. Whether it was a bad surgeon or just my own body I guess I'll never know:-) Oh, my first surgery was terribly expensive and the only thing I had to pay out of pocket was the psych eval co-pay which was 100.00.


Best of luck!
Deb

Deb, I'm so glad they got it right for you. When it's right, it's a miracle. Mine's a miracle.

I'm praying that yours is a miracle too Megan.

Hugs.

Keeska

Hi,

My pain management doc said that I am an ideal candidate for a spinal cord stimulator. I am starting summer school soon and I am wondering how long the recovery period was after getting it implanted. Were you able to return to a semi normal functioning within a reasonable amount of time?

Thank you,
Megan

I've been disabled since 2006 but from the information from the hospital it seems recovery time can last as long as 6-8 weeks. I had my surgery 10 days ago and I still very reliant on ice packs and pain relievers. Then again others might have better recovery story's than mine;-)

Hi Debra,

Do you happen to know what model of SCS they implanted? I am seriously looking at doing the one Medtronics provides. It has a sensor to detect changes in your position and it also has models that allow MRI scans of your head.

As I was recently diagnosed with a small (3mm) pituitary microadenoma, it is beneficial to have a system that allows for monitoring of the tumor. They said it might be an incidental finding, but they want to do periodic scans to monitor it and make sure it isn't growing.

Thank you guys again for your help. I talked with my mom on our way home from our trip, but I haven't yet had a chance to speak with my Dad. He definitely works best knowing all the possible facts.

~Megan~

Hi Megan. My SCS is made by St. Jude's and has given me absolutely no problems. It was put in in 2010. Recovery was just letting the incisions heal. About 10 days for me. Sandy's CS was Boston Scientific and she told me she would NOT recommend that brand to anyone. She had many problems with it not re-charging.

From the get go, I felt so much better I could have done back flips. Not litterally, but you get the idea. My SCS displaced the horrible burning, stinging pain I'd had for three years.

If your nerve pain is your major problem, then SCS should help immediately. The tasks that you haven't been able to do because of the pain they cause will be easy again. I swear, it's like flipping the "off" switch on the pain. If pain is your only limiting factor, you should be back to normal pronto.

I did have mild incisional pain until my body scarred over the hardware (maybe 8 weeks), but that was a piece of cake compared to the nerve pain.

Are you going to do a trial SCS?

I am currently conversing with my parents about if they will support me in this. I managed to talk to my Mom while we were on a mini-vacation this weekend, but I didn't get a chance to talk to my Dad. I did quite a bit of research and I believe the model I am most interested in is the Medtronics one. There are some models by them that will still allow for MRI scans of the head. I sent my Dad a long e-mail and included links for more information about what a Spinal Cord Stimulator is and how it helps. I'm crossing my fingers right now that he'll be up for it. I sent the e-mail three hours ago and haven't heard back, but he's super busy with work.