All I can do is tell you the story of my SCS and hope you can glean some valuable info from it.

One of the most disappointing experiences of my life was the failure of my SCS. I was so hopeful. The trial was great. It knocked down my pain about 40-50 percent. I went ahead with the implantation of the permanent unit. As soon as we turned it on I knew immediately there was a big problem. The coverage went only halfway down my arm. It didn't even reach the elbow where my nerve damge is.

I went on the surgery table three different times while my doctor tried to adjust and placed the leads correctly. He said the leads "kept rolling on him." He finally gave up. I was pretty well done with the SCS until he recommended having paddle electrode emplaced by a neurosurgeon. I went ahead and agreed. The surgery was horrible, the worst of my life. He did a laminectomy and put in two paddle electrodes. They worked OK, not great, for about three - four months, then relief got less and less. Medtonics tried many times to configure the unit so that the coverage would be better, to no avail.

The unit was removed when they implanted my pump. My pump is still working well. I have been doing well lately and only taking 1-3 dilaudid breakthough tabs per day.

love and hope,
Coleen