Hello fellow implantees..

I am getting my medtronic pain pump implanted on friday. Trial went great (but was cut short a day by my service dog stupidly racing by me and snagging the tubing and breaking the connection between my spinal catheter and the inline air filter on the tubing just below the catheter/tubing to external pump connection... ) anyways, NOT a newbie to implanted stuff...on my 4th medtronics stimulator (which I managed to fracture 2 of the 8 electrodes a week before the pump trial... SCS works great for my legs but can't get back..) SCSs #1-3 were implanted in 99-2000, and all got removed to infections, ect...17 surgeries in one year... Then no doc would touch me, was on so many drugs i'd fall asleep standing up at work! In Dec 2003 i completely blew out my L3-4 disc and partial of L4-5... had 2 level lami 12/28/2003 and redo in may 2004... tried working again but stopped due to inability from pain and drug side effects. Got disability in 2007, and new pain dr, who took me off most drugs and did a drug holiday... then the meds started creeping up again. In 2011 asked about trying a stim.. he said he'd "try" ...trial and implant went great and helped leg pain. Then in Nov 2014 i had a large compresion fracture of L4.... got ct scan, saw ortho spine suurgeon who said theres "nothing he could do".. my L3 and L4 and L5 are rubbing bone on bone, so L4 is shaped like a V now...short in front, tall in back, and its slipped forward several mm's. Surgeon said till cord is compromised can't help me. My insurance only covers 4 pain meds, 2 i'm allergic to/can't take, 1 my doc won't write for and morphine... which I take but just 60mgs a day and i'm a zombie! I also take 80mg of baclofen. So, i've "failed drug and surgical options"... thats the short version...

I need help with where to place my pump... advice more like it... i have a large 12" scar on my left flank from one of the stim lead tracks being open and packed, so can't place pump on side. Heres the kicker, i'm a BIG girl .. 5'6" and 330lbs. So i have a flap of fat/skin that drapes down a few inches past my waist/hips. I read one dr said in obese patients to put pump on left abdomen just under last rib with top of pump (the "point") angled inward so as not to hit ribs. I'm leary of having it near my waist band as one of my SCSs batteries wore a hole through the incision from my waistband rubbing on it (and I worked in the OR at the time as a CT scrub tech.. also implanted several pumps and stims, too, so familiar with process.) So where does everyone (thats happy with it) have their pump located? (I'm getting my SCS revised after i'm healed from the pump, as back up pain control.)

Thanks!
Jill

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Hello Jill, Welcome to Neurotalk Support Groups

Gosh, you have had a lot to deal with. You will find many supportive and understanding people here, though this subforum may not see as much activity as some others.

You may find other areas of the forum helpful such as Spinal disorders and Back Pain

Chronic Pain

You will find a Search feature at the top of every page that will help you research specific topics. There is also an FAQ there that answers many common forum usage questions.

I hope your procedure goes well and you get relief soon,