Trial Removed Today
 

I confess; I have been lurking for several months gleaning knowledge about the Boston Scientific SCS. I had the trial Stimulator installed last week and removed today. The trial went extremely well, no complications, and the final implant is tentatively scheduled for the last Monday of this month.

By way of introduction; I am 73 years old and have had "back problems" since my late thirties. The diagnoses have ranged from Degenerative Spinal Disk Disease to Spinal Stenosis with a couple of others thrown in when they really didn't want to mess with "another back issue."

After a few years of Darvocet, Gabapentin, Lyrica, Xanax, MRIs, XRays and numerous others and increasing leg pain, I went to a pain specialist where I had three Epidurals, again with absolutely no improvement even for a short time. From there a back Surgeon prescribed an X-Stop procedure. I think it was placed at L4-L5. The results were totally unremarkable. No reduction in pain. I did, however, graduate to Hydrocodone and working with another pain specialist added Fentanyl.

At this point the medications were controlling the pain; however, I slept most of the time, missed a few grand children's birthday parties, and gained 30 pounds.

Enter, stage left, a young (all doctors are young when you are 73) Pain Specialist/ Anesthetist who was entirely willing to handle the pain medications but also actually listened to me for more than the standard 5 minutes allocated for patient/doctor dialog. After two more unsuccessful Epidurals (insurance requirement) she suggested we might try Spinal Stimulation. Only one week for Psych and insurance approval and we are now up-to-date with the coming out of the closet lurker and a successful Trial Period.

They removed the single lead at 2:30 today and by 4 the intense burning leg pain returned with a vengeance. I expected that from reading the experiences on this sub forum. I haven't added much to encourage/discourage newcomers to this experience. I will try to add more details of the trial and decision making progress if there are any lurkers out there hiding in the bushes hesitant to come forward and participate.

I do add my sincere thanks to those who post here regularly. You all have been a wealth of knowledge and encouragement for me, even if you didn't know it.
--------------------------------
Silverback
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Wise and appropriate saying of your choice inserted here.

A Grand Welcome to YOU Silverback!
 

Lurking is certainly cool and quite OK, but making that commitment to share is a GRAND event to be celebrated for your experience adds to the common wisdom pool. You are beyond the Trial, knowing well the return to the burning and that permanent implant date awaits you. Before you know it, the day will have arrived. Given your age, I imagine you may be advised as I have been to use low dose aspiriin while aging to manage heart risks.

One of my faux pas experiences was in the failure to CEASE the aspirin two weeks before the surgical date. Postponement was my sentence after a stern talking to by the surgeon about schedules, how could I, and such.

May your preparations for the permanent go well, your surgery even better, and your results outshine your Trial. Such is the hope of my prayers.
Mark56:grouphug:

Hi Silverback! I'm so glad that your trial went well and that you finally have something to help control your pain!! I'm also glad that you decided to join here! Lurking and reading is very helpful but you can eat even more support and answers to your individual questions by posting. I hope your permanent implant date comes soon so you get to feel the wonderful relief again :)

Welcome Silverback!
 

How wonderful of you to come out of hiding :D
Thank you for sharing your experience and also for the kind words. One never grows tired of being told they are appreciated, in fact sometimes a compliment as such comes in due season when one is needed most. :hug:

I'm very excited that you responded well to the trial! Isn't it great when you finally find a healthcare professional who actually seems to CARE!
I truly believe you have a bright future and that the SCS will allow you to have a better quality of life (your grandkids will be grateful as well! :))

I'm very happy with my SCS and it covers a large portion of the burning pain in both legs. Now, if I can just get my 'head' straightened out! :eek:)
Been one of those weeks. Being a fellow chronic sufferer, I'm sure you can relate.

It's really great to have you Silverback and I hope you stick around and let us follow along as you get your permanent unit!

Rae
:grouphug:

Hiya Silver, and thank you for telling us about your experiences so far. Glad to hear that your trial went well!

I probably should have lurked a lot longer than I did...but those ten minutes seemed like such a long time to be quiet.

:o)
 

: o )

Too funny Joan!
Mark56:D

Hi Silver

Glad to hear your trial went so well and that your implant is just around the corner.Good luck! Your grand kids and family will be happy to see you getting relief from your pain.
[WELCOME........

SandyCOLOR="Red"][/COLOR]

Permanent Implant installed
 

The permanent implant was installed on Monday, the 12th. I don't recall much about the actual procedure. I assume the anesthetic was such that the planned "sleep, wake up to verify correct placement, back to sleep," didn't go as planned. Consequently, I have to return next Monday for additional programming. The current programs are "close" but miss the areas that really need to be covered. One program I actually feel in my left side, directly under the lower rib. It is supposed to be in my left leg from thigh to foot.

We will see what Monday brings. I'm not discouraged in the least. This is going to work!
------------------------------
Silverback

Silver!
 

THANK you so much for this update!
Sounds as tho you were a 'heavy sleeper' :p

It sounds as tho your team has things under control and once they get you tweaked you'll be good to go!

I hope you aren't in too much pain right now.
Take it easy and let your body recoup from the surgery.

Hoping for a successful programming session!
Please let us know how it goes.

Rae
:grouphug:

Welcome to the Perm Buzzers Silver!
 

So....... here you are, having been all trussed up and made operational. I sincerely hope the programming session goes for you as a LARGE step in the right direction.... down those legs where you intended the stim to travel. Work with the rep carefully to ensure they understand each reply you provide pertinent to their tweaks and such. There is so much about "dialing it in right" just like an old tube radio set dialed just so at night so you could pick up that radio station in OK City, OK when I was MUCH younger [forgot the call sign, but I thought, living out west.... WOW and to think they are So Far Away. You just need fine tuning!

Prayin it goes well,
Mark56:grouphug:

Old Timers?
 

The radio station was KOMA out of Oklahoma City. They even had a very popular song KOMA, KOMA, KOMA, etc. One of the first "Clear Channel Stations."

Fine tuning is due Monday. Surprisingly, to me at least, as the incision site is healing, the program is changing. One of the two programs has somehow changed in frequency and pulse duration, even though that option is apparently not enabled on my stimulator. The manual states the option is available so I may ask that it actually be enabled. I think I like the idea of being llke to change the frequency and duration of the pulse.

As an aside, I wear very strong hearing aids, which I asked my audiologist to let me program myself. Best aids I have ever had! From what I have seen so far, however, I am not ready to program the stimulator, although the prospect is intriguing.

Program changing...
 

Scar Tissue - yep. As it forms, the shape it takes is unpredictable and it can cause problems. This is one of the reasons several re-programming sessions are required.

KOMA! Wow, I remember listening to that when I was a teenager - milleniums ago! At that time it was the ONLY good station we had available here in Toto-Land (Kansas).
Boy, that brings back memories :)

Yeah, KOMA
 

On a Saturday night.... in the car.... somewhere enjoying the stars..... yeah.
Believe it,
Mark56:cool:

We are also in "Toto-Land" although just barely. SE Corner.

6th day after implant. Recharged today. Only one bar down; really just wanted to see that it worked. So far everything compares favorably with the success of the trial.

May it be ever so
 

Friend Silver I pray
that your life now and always
be restored to the wealth
of a sporit in health
given newness of hope
of the peace of pain's slope
steep and slip to your past
managed now, life a blast
carefully proceed forth
to the knowledge of more
while pain is at bay
your life joy filled way
of embracing anew
the peace as you choose
to move forward once more
through life's open door.

Prayin,
Mark56:grouphug:

Awaiting trial stimulator
 

Thanks Silverback. I am a brand new user, and just stalked the site for a couple days after I discovered it!

I am 56 years old, and have had "back trouble" since I was a child. I had scoliosis in my cervical and thoracic spine, and had a fusion when I was 11 years old. My doctors told me that I would be completely fine after I finished puberty. They said that once I finished growing, my bone wouldn't curve anymore. They were totally wrong, though knowledge of scoliosis has advanced at an unbelievable rate since 1966...My cervical and thoracic spine are wonderful today, but my lumbar is in rough shape. I now have a 70 degree curve! I fhave been on all kinds of pain med cocktails, but nothing works longer than a couple of days. I want to ask all you SCS people to tell me everything about it! What is the procedure like? How long does it take,and how painful is it? How long does the procedure take? Do you feel immediate relief What is the recovery like? What is it like wearing that belt and "recharging" yourself? It sounds a little weird to me...Please just tell mee verything you know about your experience, good or bad. I would just like t o be informed of what is coming my way. Thanks, everybody. Good luck to you, Silverfox!

Hello Lizzylou!
 

WELCOME to the group!
I'm sorry for these issues that are affecting your quality of life. Hopefully the SCS will offer you an effective form of pain control.
Oh yes, there are many many questions that come to mind when presented with this thing. There's alot of info and testimonies here to read thru that you will benefit greatly from.

Stick around! We're a great bunch and the support here is fantastic.

It's great to have you!

Rae
:grouphug:

Hi Silverback!
 

Glad you are healing well, and finding some programs that work for you!!
:hug:
Vivian

Welcome! To some of your questions you will be able to get a lot more comprehensive information than anyone can type out by reading through people's threads on this boards to hear their firsthand experiences. But to answer a couple: yes, I did feel immediate relief and I'm sure it is the same for everyone- you should know right away if it works for you. And as for the recharging, I think you get used to it- I was weirded out the first time too. I have issues with my charger overheating easily but most don't and you can't really move around very much- but it's better than it sounds :)

Welcome Lizzylou~~I also was a stalker and just recently became a member of this site. I am 52 and have had alot of cervical and lumbar problems that ended with a 3 fusions. Anyway I found this site in hoping that I would get support and get my questions answered before seeing my neurosurgeon. I've been dealing with this pain for the last 10 years and I don't know how everyone else feels but I feel that my family and friends get tired of hearing about all of the aches and pains that I have---even tho they ask and seemed interested. You can ask all the questions here and everyone feels the same aches and pains as you do. That's one thing in common that we have--I don't know how great that is but at least we can vent our fustrations here!! Good luck to you
And now to end on hopefully a postiive note--I am scheduled for the SCS implant on January 3rd. Of course couldn't get it in before the end of the year for the insurance--hahaha I guess I shouldn't worry I will meet my deductible right away this year. IS that a GOOD thing or a BAD thing??? :wink:

Oh DEAR! This happened to me as well. The really bad thing of it was I did my trial at the end of the year, had to meet that deductible....then had my permanent the following January and had to meet a NEW deductible! did this happen to you too?

Well, I take the blame for that because I dragged my feet so long to get this thing :eek:

Rae
:hug: