Hi Daniella,

My experience with the Spinal Cord Stimulator is five years old, and I understand that the SCS has changed somewhat and is much smaller, and the process might also be a bit different, but here is what I would like to pass on.

The generator/battery unit was placed in the “hip” area. This is below the belt and above the seat, so normal clothing and activities shouldn’t be any problem. I did question the doc, though, about the fact that there did not seem to be a lot of “room” there. Some people have more “padding” (if you know what I mean) but others of us do not. He said that was the standard location.

I now have a bulge there that seems to constantly pull on the skin and poke from the inside. After I lived with the discomfort for a while, I showed it to a different neurosurgeon and he said he often would place the unit in the abdomen, because there is more room. The reason to put it in the back is that it is easier access – you don’t have to flip over during the installation – and the wires get routed a shorter distance. You may want to discuss options with your surgeon. I need to always cover the battery pack area with a Lidoderm patch.

Also, the place where the wires were anchored to the vertebrae was not set with a deep enough screw. So it, too, is poking at the skin from the inside. The aforementioned neurosurgeon also said that should have been placed differently.

I am coming to the end of the battery life. If I get a replacement installed, I will try to find out how many SCSs a prospective doctor has put in, and if I could interview or write to some patients. I would like to know he/she has satisfied customers. Because of privacy laws, this might not be possible, but it would be nice to avoid repeating the same problems.

On the plus side, there recovery was very quick. This was a long time ago, so I don’t remember for sure, but I think only a week or two before starting to work back into normal activities. I believe I was totally back within about a month. Results were pretty much immediate.

Now that it has been five years, I am not so sure the SCS is doing as much. This is partially because the RSD has spread and I have also added rheumatoid arthritis to the mix.

Mike