Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Alternatives and ALCHEMISTS Anyone have a Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy?

I am wondering if anyone here has had experience with a Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy and could either share their experience and/or point me in the direction of some good reference material.
I have been having to go about every 6 months and repeat pulsed radio frequency nerve blocks to help manage my pain so I can stay "active". I went to my pain management doctor to schedule my next procedure and he suggested I try a Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy so I don't have to go for blocks every 6 months. He is a little concerned that I am in my 20's and have already had so many blocks. He wants me to find something that provides better/longer relief. I plan to stay on Simponi, but I would like to be able to cut back on pain meds if possible.
I have started doing some research, but haven't found much information regarding Spinal Cord Stimulation and arthritis. I plan to talk to my rhuemy before I make my final decision, but any information here would be appreciated.
Thanks!

hi engineering girl i had a spinal cord stimulation implant.it worked well for a while.i think i was to active and the thing kept moving. i would have to go back and have the controller adjusted. the battery is implanted in your back, i never got used to having it there. after my back surgery i no longer need it so i had it removed. while it was in i was able to get by with a lot less narcorics. mike

Thanks for sharing your experience. One of my concerns is additional discomfort from the battery implant. If it means decreased pain and fewer medications, I think I can handle some discomfort from the implant.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the back surgery that you had?

Thanks.

i had the bottom 4 discs removed and fused. two rods were installed from the pelvis to T10. it was a big operation but well worth it. all pains down my legs stopped a year later i weaned myself off the pain meds mike

Hi Engineering Girl,

I had intractable pain and was out of options so my pain specialist told me that a pain pump was my last stop. My Rheumatologist said that I will always need future MRI's with this disease and I couldn't have any with the Stimulator in so that idea was out. I had the pain pump put in last March and it changed my whole life. That horrible pain is now gone and I can live again. I still have flare ups that I feel in my feet and hands still. If you have more questions send me a private message and we can chat more about the pump if you want.

Thanks for sharing. When I brought up the MRI issue with my doctor, he told me that there is an option for the Stimulator that has FDA approval for MRIs. I'm doing some more research on the MRI safe model, but after speaking with my doctors I think a Stimulator is a good option to try. I'd love to be in less pain and I also like the possibility of cutting back on pain medications. I don't think it is good for someone in their 20s to be on as many pain medications as I have to take to "function".

when they did mine they hooked up a temporary one for a few days so i could see if it worked good mike

Yes, on both the stimulator and the pump you get a trial. Good luck on whatever you choose. I have a friend who has both. She tried the stimulator first and then had a pump put in a few years later.

I do have a SCS and it has been a life saver. I take no narcotic pain meds since having it implanted. There are models that are MRI compatible so that is not an issue. There is a trial period, and some hoops to jump through to get one.. But for me at least it was the best thing I could have done..

Thanks for the input.
I was looking into the MRI compatible unit by Medtronic. I've been trying to decide if I want the rechargeable or not. Do you have a rechargeable unit? If so, approximately how often do you use it and how often do you have to recharge it? I realize it will vary on use, but wondering if it will be closer to daily or weekly recharging.
Thanks again.