Hi! My name is Becky, and I was blessed to find this forum yesterday in my quest for information and insight.

A brief history:

Cervical - Anterior fusion, August 2013
Lumbar - Laminectomy, 2010; ESI's, medial nerve block, radiofrequency ablations (both sides), and epidural lysis, 2013.

The neurosurgeon I have been seeing for the past four years recently said that there are three of my lumbar levels that are equally bad, but he can't pinpoint which one is causing my back and leg pain. For about a year now I have been unable to sleep in bed for more than an hour before I end up in the recliner for the rest of the night, and walking is becoming increasingly difficult. He sent me for a nerve conduction study (EMG) in an effort to identify the level. The study was inconclusive in pinpointing the level that is causing the pain. He said that no one is happy with a three-level fusion, and suggested a SCS trial.

I had the trial implant on Thursday of last week, and it was removed on Monday of this week. I was skeptical going into it, however, I really did experience about a 75% reduction in my pain. Success! Due to insurance changes in the new year, if I am going to get the permanent implant, it would need to be done before the end of the year, so I am scheduled for surgery on December 24. Merry Christmas to me!

However, during the trial, I experienced a LOT of pain (sharp stabbing) in one spot in my mid-back. I thought it was perhaps where the lead was placed, but when I asked the Medtronic's rep, she seemed perplexed - as if this was a new pain she was hearing about - and said she would ask my doctor. She came back with maybe it was the position I was in when the trial unit was placed. The pain was so bad that I could not lay on my back, and sitting back against a chair was very uncomfortable. That specific pain was the only reason I needed pain meds during my trial, as my normal back pain was controlled by the SCS. When I had the leads removed, the nurse removing them said she thought that pain was due to the leads.

So here I am three days after the leads were removed, and I am still having considerable pain in that same spot. I saw my pain mgmt. doctor yesterday, and he said I shouldn't have the permanent implant until this is completely healed. Therein lies my problem. I'm unsure as to what caused this - if it was the lead, and the permanent lead is placed in the same spot, will it always hurt like this? If so, I would be trading one pain for another, and that doesn't make sense to me.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Any insight or thoughts would be so very appreciated!

=Becky