HI!...new here. Just had the trial sps put in yesterday. I am diagnosed with lupus, hashimotos, ra, degenerative disc disease and stenosis, had a laminectomy, disectomy, and lumbar fusion. I have been working with pain medicine for too long, and had really good results with pain medication. I was able to go about my normal routine until the pain medicine folks started acting like everyone with chronic pain problems were just drug addicts. No one likes to take the stuff but, after the morning dose, I was in pretty good shape. Thus the trial of the sps. So, I know from the MRI 3 months ago, that the area above and below the fusion is a mess, and a new cyst has grown around the nerve bundle. There is also cervical degenerative disease. My problem? I don't see a huge difference from the sps, and if pain meds were doing the trick, why go for more surgery. If it looks like I will need more back surgery, why permanently put the sps in, if it isn't doing all that much...after much reading, I have read that more of the folks dealing with auto immune issues have such trouble after sps surgery. ...honestly, I am so disappointed with everything. After serving 8 years in the Navy and 3 in the Guard, then being a hospice nurse, I'm just stuck, doing nothing..just because of pain. The temp sps comes out Friday morning, and I just don't know what direction to go. More than anything, I just wish I had a doc that would listen!! They all keep leaving because of the constraints on pain medicine now!