Yup - as Mark said....self programming really should be the standard of care. Like Mark, my rep gave me the reins and I clicked many, many buttons - testing out what each one felt like as I changed them. The scientist in me was very much in the "I wonder what that button does" mode!

Before my rep handed over control she was making changes and asking what it felt like. Well, there are only so many ways you can explain a "tingling" or "buzzing" sensation...even if it feels slightly different in either location or sensation with different settings. It is almost impossible for them to understand how this feels. Not only that, but they are trained to deal with the settings in a certain stringent manner; I asked why she never tried settings in a different combination she would reply with something like "because that is ineffective." When I sat down at the programing computer and set up the settings as I had asked, it gave me a much more pleasant/less harsh sensation than what she had wanted to leave it at. Again - they have NO WAY of knowing how any of it feels.

Additionally, like Mark, I am aiming to be narcotic free. Over the last year (since getting my stim) I have completely eliminated my ER opiate, and am now on about half the dose of IR opiates than I was on when I first started my pain management journey many years ago. The stim of course is a big part of it, but is also complemented immensely by massage, mmj and knowing my limitations