[irishh_bob]

just wondering if anyone on this forum has had one fitted and what were its effects ?

been suffering from chronic pain now since 2007 , had an accident and hurt my back and rib area , back is now more of a problem as i went to see a chiropractor last year who made things much worse , i have wear and tear on my lumber spine and thorasic so not sure whether a spinal cord stimulator can help with this

rib are pain is more a nerve problem according to doctors , have had two nerve blocks and the 1st one made the pain worse , happy to have a stimulator fitted but at this stage , im not sure i can take the dejection if it doesnt work

[squeky]

hi ya irishh_bob,

I have a spinal Cord stimulator implant the past 2 years for all my right side nerve damage, its helps me about 35% which is very good but for some people it works better and some it dosent help at all, your best to try the trials 1st and see how you go, PM if you want to no anything

[squeky]

have you still got the stimulator sara

[Sophie_]

Hi Bob,
I have a spinal stimulator for lower back and left leg pain, I've suffered from chronic back pain for years and after exploring loads of options from 1 Dr telling me it was in my head to another Dr wanting to do a four level fusion. At the end of my tether I found Dr Declan OKeeffe who suggested the stimulator and I had it fitted in Dec 10. It has completely changed my life, I went from horrible constant agonising torturous hell to be being reasonably normal, I'm back to work and pretty much as active as i can be. I'm not totally pain free but it's manageable pain compared to before hand. I think the stimulator works differently for everyone but definitely worth a try. I think it was squeky who accurately described the process on this link http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...php?p=62121994
I'm more than happy to answer any other questions for you if you want
Best of luck
Sophie

[Bidd]

Hi Bob,

Before you have a SCS implanted you do have a 'trial' where you can then decide if it something you want to use to help you with pain control.

There is a very good Forum called "Neuro Talk" with a sub-forum on SCS's and Pain Pumps which is very informative:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum118.html]

Nearer to home there is the Chronic Pain Ireland Forum where a number of members have had SCS's implanted and if you join you can talk to members who have gone through the procedure. For anybody in Ireland it is a good place to talk about any aspect of chronic pain with others who understand what you are going through.

http://www.chronicpain.ie/

Bidd

[irishh_bob]

Originally Posted by Bidd

Hi Bob,

Before you have a SCS implanted you do have a 'trial' where you can then decide if it something you want to use to help you with pain control.

There is a very good Forum called "Neuro Talk" with a sub-forum on SCS's and Pain Pumps which is very informative:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum118.html]

Nearer to home there is the Chronic Pain Ireland Forum where a number of members have had SCS's implanted and if you join you can talk to members who have gone through the procedure. For anybody in Ireland it is a good place to talk about any aspect of chronic pain with others who understand what you are going through.

http://www.chronicpain.ie/

Bidd

yeah i regulary visit chronic pain ireland but the majority of contributors on that forum have been disapointed with the results from a spinal cord stimulator

[irishh_bob]

Originally Posted by Bidd

Hi Bob,

Before you have a SCS implanted you do have a 'trial' where you can then decide if it something you want to use to help you with pain control.

There is a very good Forum called "Neuro Talk" with a sub-forum on SCS's and Pain Pumps which is very informative:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum118.html]

Nearer to home there is the Chronic Pain Ireland Forum where a number of members have had SCS's implanted and if you join you can talk to members who have gone through the procedure. For anybody in Ireland it is a good place to talk about any aspect of chronic pain with others who understand what you are going through.

http://www.chronicpain.ie/

Bidd

thanks for your post

dr o keefe is my pain specialist now , i saw two other pain specialists before that ( dr joseph keaveny and doctor valerie pollard ) but doctor o keefe is more specialised when it comes to spinal cord stimulators from what i hear


i have a few questions

i understand you operate the spinal cord stimulator like a remote control , do you not find this quite strange or even cumbersome , if pain is persistent , do you litterally have to keep activating the stimulator like a video game player operating a joy stick

did you have the proceedure as a public patient , i only ask because i might not be covered for such a proceedure in a private capacity

[Sophie_]

Hi Bob,
Declan will explain everything to you, are you having the medtronic or navroe system?
Basically after you have the trial and the implant is going ahead a technician calls to your room, sets up your required setting and shows you how to use it, it's actually easy to use it. After about 6 weeks the technician sets up your stimulator to automatically detect whether your sitting, standing or lying and the device changes to settings you have previously set.
To charge your device you attach a circular type pad over the stimulator which is on a belt. The pad thing you will have already charged just like you wld have charged your mobile so you can walk around and do normal stuff while charging. I work, walk and pretty much anything when I charge, I need to charge about twice a week, if you let it go too low it can take hours to charge back up and tat annoys me a bit so I charge more often.
I hope tis all makes sense, if you've any Q plse feel free to post and I'll ans them. By the way how did you get on with Keavney, he told me my pain was in my head! Needless to say I'd never recommend tat sort of carryon to anyone. I think Declan is fantasic he really cares and knows what he's talking about.

[Sophie_]

Oh yeah my stimulator is on 24/7 but everyone is different, some turn it off at night and you can set the remote thingy to do this automatically so you don't have to remember to do it. I find I need mine at night cause I still get alot of pain in my back plus it helps my restless legs so I get some sleep. This stimulator you're getting is top awesome technology that's worth about €30k! Amazing stuff that has saved my life from total hell to having a reasonably normal life. I have to have a 2nd device fitted in the next few months.

[gamgsam]

Hello,

If its a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) that you're after, then there's a cheap way of finding out if it'll work for you. The Tens machine exploits the gate control theory of pain which explains why rubbing an injury causes the sensation of pain to be dampened.

If a good (professional) massage can dampen the pain somewhat, there's a chance it'll work - as both are working by the same neural principles.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain#Gate_control
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pain.html

Might seem like childish definitions but they are well explained.

Hope this is of some benefit

[Sophie_]

Originally Posted by gamgsam

Hello,

If its a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) that you're after, then there's a cheap way of finding out if it'll work for you. The Tens machine exploits the gate control theory of pain which explains why rubbing an injury causes the sensation of pain to be dampened.

If a good (professional) massage can dampen the pain somewhat, there's a chance it'll work - as both are working by the same neural principles.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain#Gate_control
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pain.html

Might seem like childish definitions but they are well explained.

Hope this is of some benefit

A TENS Machine is certainly good to try but I wouldn't waste money buying one unless it actually worked, My GP loaned me one to try and i'm also aware that some Pharmacies also loan them out to try if they know you. For me the TENS machine didn't touch my pain but then the SCS works a treat as it works different and deeper (it's directly connected to your spinal chord) but everyone is different and if you can find one to loan try it. I also saw some in LIDL a few weeks ago and it was only €40

[irishh_bob]

Originally Posted by Sophie_

Hi Bob,
Declan will explain everything to you, are you having the medtronic or navroe system?
Basically after you have the trial and the implant is going ahead a technician calls to your room, sets up your required setting and shows you how to use it, it's actually easy to use it. After about 6 weeks the technician sets up your stimulator to automatically detect whether your sitting, standing or lying and the device changes to settings you have previously set.
To charge your device you attach a circular type pad over the stimulator which is on a belt. The pad thing you will have already charged just like you wld have charged your mobile so you can walk around and do normal stuff while charging. I work, walk and pretty much anything when I charge, I need to charge about twice a week, if you let it go too low it can take hours to charge back up and tat annoys me a bit so I charge more often.
I hope tis all makes sense, if you've any Q plse feel free to post and I'll ans them. By the way how did you get on with Keavney, he told me my pain was in my head! Needless to say I'd never recommend tat sort of carryon to anyone. I think Declan is fantasic he really cares and knows what he's talking about.

while keaveny done nothing for me , he was at least nice unlike doctor pollard who i saw before that , she wouldnt even sit down while talking to you , keaveny telling you that it was in your head was just the usual doctor way of making excuses for the fact that he was unable to solve your problem , its a cheap shot and the last arrow in thier armour

i saw doctor o keefe again yesterday and it looks like i will have the scs fitted by the end of september which is good news , i had to have a psychological assessment yesterday aswell , apparently the insurance companys insist on it , apart from the fact that the assessment consisted of a bunch of pointless and completely irrelevant questions about my life in general , the consultant who carried out the assessment was incredibly smug and condescending , wouldnt let me ask any questions and seemed to delight in asking me deeply personal questions about my family , she even went so far as to ask me how i felt about my dad dieing suddenly over a decade ago , as if that was remotley relevant to my having a spinal cord stimulator installed , when the assesment was over , she told me i needed more education about how the spinal cord stimulator , she seemed surprised that i couldnt explain how it works in the same way a mechanic might explain how the combustion engine functions , frankly , i think theese people have to put you down on something in order to justify thier 220 euro for 15 mins work

[zinzan]

My Mum has one fitted and swears by it (well worth the ordeal of getting the implant done)- it has reduced her pain by ~50%.
One thing to be wary of however is that weight loss or sudden impacts can cause the electrodes to shift and thereby loose effectiveness - a combination of a fall and some weight loss meant she lost some of the relief, but underwent the procedure again and it helped restore the efficacy.

[Sophie_]

Since I wrote this comment a few months, I'm now stuck! Yea I got some relief for the first few months but then it was like the nightmare returned. My Dr would like to take this SCS out and put in a different one that works better for back pain.

I'm out of work again, I'm in total agony although the stim does help without it I wouldn't be able to stand up let alone walk around the house! I'm back on alot of meds that I really hate taking, life sucks but you know what I'm not giving up, my mind to get better than what I am now is truly set, I will get there and byjaysus if I can do it anyone can!

It's time to kick some ass, make myself heard and don't apologise for it and get the fcuk out of this bed!

I wish everyone on hear the total and very best, keep sharing your thought, fears, frustrations whatever and fight for a better pain free life!

Love to all in this crappy painful world of ours

Sophie xxxx

Originally Posted by Sophie_

Hi Bob,
I have a spinal stimulator for lower back and left leg pain, I've suffered from chronic back pain for years and after exploring loads of options from 1 Dr telling me it was in my head to another Dr wanting to do a four level fusion. At the end of my tether I found Dr Declan OKeeffe who suggested the stimulator and I had it fitted in Dec 10. It has completely changed my life, I went from horrible constant agonising torturous hell to be being reasonably normal, I'm back to work and pretty much as active as i can be. I'm not totally pain free but it's manageable pain compared to before hand. I think the stimulator works differently for everyone but definitely worth a try. I think it was squeky who accurately described the process on this link http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...php?p=62121994
I'm more than happy to answer any other questions for you if you want
Best of luck
Sophie

[Sophie_]

Hey Bob,

Did you have your SCS fitted yet? If so how's it going for you?

S


Quote
i saw doctor o keefe again yesterday and it looks like i will have the scs fitted by the end of september which is good news , i