Battery Life
 

My dear fellow buzzers and soon-to-be buzzers...

I'd like to know how long your battery(s) have lasted, for those veterans who've had yours long enuf to need changed.
And if you still have your first one or are waiting to get your implant, what has your Dr or Rep told you about the life of the battery.

I'm just curious and hoping to get an average expectancy of these things. Of course, some of it will depend on how much you run your unit and how high your amplitude runs.

Thanks!
Rae
:grouphug:

Hulloooo
 

Hi Rrae

I have my battery 2 years, well it was faulty after 6 months, so suppose this one is only really 20 months:D but I met my Consultant in the supermarket one day, of all places!!!!!

He asked how I was etc and he remarked that he would hope that I get anything from 7/10 years out of my battery. Imagine that. Wouldn't it be fantastic. But as you say depends how you use it and look after it too.

Great thread though :cool:

Hope your keeping well.

Jackie :hug:

Yes, Jackie
 

I immediately thought of you as I was typing that post!
What a time you had to go thru! 6 months and your battery petered out on ya. Like you really needed THAT. :rolleyes:

7-10 years sounds wonderful! Since I've only got the ONE lead pulling juice from my battery, I'm thinking maybe it will last even longer ? One can only hope so!

The Everlasting Battery Chinchilla
 

Uhhhhh Yup, what we have around here is a real case of Everlasting Batteryitis. The just keep buzzing and buzzing......

Maybe, just maybe I will never need surgery again at all because this two plus year old battery will last until I am planted.

Yup,
Mark56:D

When I saw the surgeon last week, he said the battery for the addaptive interstim. lasted five years. I am guessing that he is assuming this is because you buzz 24/7 with the device making the appropriate adjustments as one changes position or activity. I, too, will be a butt buzzer. The belly is totally off limits in his opinion. All of my weight gain has been in that area. He believes that once I am up on my feet, standing errect and walking again, the core will begin to strengthen and the belly will become smaller. My posture is currently rather bizzare due to compensating for the pain when in an upright position. Looking forward to lots of postive changes in the future.

I will second that motion
 

Hi Spine! I am in great hopes you will have and experience much positive change through your SCS! Adaptive stim, here you come!
Prayin,
Mark56:hug:

I know I sound like a broken record but.....
 

I find it soooooooooo ironic that Medicare will pay for this expensive gizmo but would not pay for a needed celiac pannel. Give it up, Spiney ;) Happy Thanksgiving everyone. :D:hug:

battery life
 

good morning Spiney,
I too carry belly fat...I am very pleased with my battery in the center (a bit to the r) of my Right butt cheek.

Rae...I only "buzz" 12 out of 24....maybe 5 out of 7days and have it programed @720 upright and @620 laying down...it is set it and forget it. The doc and rep both think my Medtronic Adaptive Stim Battery should last 9 years.


I have just begun my positive changes now that I have an "all ok" from the surgeon and 4 xrays that I looked at.... So just now the thought comes to my head that since viewing the xrays and seeing it in me...I have a "kinder" attitude towards it...interesting...hmmm.
I am looking forward again too!!
all my best
Being Light & Love
Johanna*:cool:

You never sound like a broken record, Spine! Some things bare repeating. Sometimes I feel as tho I sound like a broken record, but there's always someone new happening along who will take that with them as a nugget of wisdom.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it :D

Thank you Johanna! So, I'm gathering from what I'm reading that the 7-10 yr would be a good average to go by. That's good to know.

I'm gonna stalk Pooh until I get HER input :p. I believe she's on her 3rd battery

Third Unit
 

Thus third battery, so she is worth the stalking, Rae, for input and wisdom.
Yup,
Mark56;)

Hi Rae!!!

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

My SJM rep told me that my batteries should last 10 years...I was happy about that :)

Nanc

Well Hey Nanc
 

That is pretty doggone GOOD, if you ask me.......
I like those numbers,
Celebrating!
Mark56:grouphug:

Thanks Nanc!!
 

Thanks for making my day, Nanc!
Heck, who knows, maybe my battery will outlive ME! :eek: :D

Wull Rae.....
 

Ifn your battery outlives you, shall we place it in a lamp or something commemorative? Or maybe a Buzzer for the front door? A Buzzer would be fitting, yes?
:D
Mark56:D

belly laugh
thank you

battery
 

Hey the battery out living you is no joke...
......I just did my will yesterday ....I had to put in a clause to be sure the crematory has the battery removed first...gosh what a way to go out...by exploding :OuttaHere:the furnace!!!

while I love the humor of it....Iwould not want to be the cause of such a mess

Well Understood
 

It is appropriate to give all proper considerations to the battery issue and you bring up a proper and sobering thought as we contemplate mortality..... since we are now bearers of batteries, we become environmental hazards as it were, realizing the need for proper disposal of the batteries we carry when the time comes.

You, Johanna, have caused us recognition of a mortality concern with which we have not ever dealt on these threads.... proper battery disposal. It would not be any different than environmental risk disposal issues surrounding casting off batteries in any other circumstance. Responsibility is key. Your counsellor has brought you to the realization appropriately.

Next, and of equal importance will be forewarning our loved ones there may be [and since everyone has their hands out in these times] additional expense associated with final costs for the removal and safe disposal of the battery units.

Humor, well it is a sure means to calm all we who endure these things, while ever being mindful of stark realities as you kindly brought to the fore Johanna. Well done.:winner_first_h4h: :You-Rock:

Many, Many Thanks,
Mark56:)

:D:D:D:D:eek:

:yikes: You guys are just TOO MUCH!! :ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO:

Bio Hazards! yes! THAT's what we are!!
We'll have to change our gang-name from the Bionic Butt Buzzers to the "Buzzing BIOHAZARD Butt-bunnies" :confused:

Well, I'm sure we can come up with something better than that...

Thanks for the BELLY LAUGH!

Happy to be a BBBB
 

I mean, after all, since the Better Business Bureau is BBB, it is so nice to outdo them with BBBB :D:D:D:D

All due and appropriate consideration for the environment.... we are definitely likely, or our loved ones will, to have to deal with the "battery" issue post mortem. If they are a landfill haxard, a hazard of ashes to ashes or cemetery proportions may be a point. I never thought whether the cadre of pacemaker recipients has had to deal with this issue, as some must surely have met the maker.

Oh, and Rae, we could add another B by including Borg in the group name, thus achieving a lofty FIVE, count them, FIVE Bs..... now that is a lot of Bs [pun intended]. The Borg Bionic Biohazard Butt Buzzer Bunnies..... but that is SIX...... is there a seventh? We can at least be the BBBBBB club. I think that deserves a dot com.....

:yahoo::You-Rock::Bow::winner_first_h4h::highfive: to Rae!

Well, I have to stop this so I may get ready for work and go be serious for a few hours.
Love you folks,
Mark56
Belly laugh, Belly laugh, laughing all the way....... [sing to Jingle Bells tune for a festive spirit]:D

Years and years and years...and .... year....
 

explode!!!!
 

[QUOTE=Mark56;935816]I mean, after all, since the Better Business Bureau is BBB, it is so nice to outdo them with BBBB :D:D:D:D

All due and appropriate consideration for the environment.... we are definitely likely, or our loved ones will, to have to deal with the "battery" issue post mortem. If they are a landfill haxard, a hazard of ashes to ashes or cemetery proportions may be a point. I never thought whether the cadre of pacemaker recipients has had to deal with this issue, as some must surely have met the maker.



Hi Mark,
I had to get out my booklet on this to be sure because the other day when I made reference to the battery exploding....I had NOT thought about being a biohazard...I meant really exploding... This is from the book...

"The cremation process causes the battery to explode."

I do apologize if I caused anyone to squirm at the subject.

:rocket::BeamUp:

THANK you for this! You know....since the birth of this forum, this subject has never been hit on! I'd certainly say that this is a VERY important issue that ALL should be well-informed. Something I'd consider to be mandatory to include in a last will and testament.

Thank you for breaking new ground for us!

Rae
:grouphug:

ALSO an important nugget of wisdom! Thanks, Andy.
I was told NEVER to let my battery drain past half-tank. They said that if I forget to charge and let it drain out completely, that it will pretty much ruin the battery, but that I'd still possibly have 'one' more chance of it continuing to run. But, let it drain TWICE and game over.

Yup Jo
 

[QUOTE=Hannabananna;936096]You see, any battery of the genus NiCad and more recent will purportedly explode during incineration. For this reason, fine print regarding such little [or large] items warns user NOT to allow battery into a fire.

I did not squirm.
Please don't beam away......
Prayin,
Mark56:hug:

All things considered, I like The Borg Bionic Benevolant Biohazard Butt Buzzer Bunnies. ;) When my time comes, I am supposed to be nuked. While I adore the idea of going out with a bang, I am certain that it is standard for the cremators to ask if there are any implanted devices since there are so many people walking around with so many different devices. Back to bed. Night Night!!!!!!:p

Now talk about a hard one to accept
 

Spiney...... Nuked? I have always referred to the microwave as the device by which we "nuke" leftovers........... :eek: I gotta tell you your use of the word "nuked" inspired icky thoughts. Are you sure about the nuking? I have not heard such finality as being nuking before.......

I am not intending to cast aspersion upon your plans or create ill thought where there is likely none. Just looking for clarification here where the use of syntax can inspire thoughts you know.

Respectfully and prayin still,
Mark56:hug:

I guess that was an oops. My cousin owns a funeral home and crematorium and refers to cremation as nuking........obviously not when dealing with customers. My uncle founded the business and their home was in the facility. I spent a lot of time there growing up, heard all of the "shop talk" and don't think anything of it now. Come to think of it, my kids were a bit uneasy when I said I wanted to be nuked rather than saying I wanted to be cremated. I guess it does sound a bit jaded. :sorry:

No Guilt
 

Hey Spiney-
This is well understood, and guilt was not a goal here, just information. I, too, have had funerary folk in the family, and they lived "upstairs" for many years. Yeah, there are stories many to share, like when we were little we would play running around through the "show" caskets which were inventory and then get in trouble for it.....

Oh well,
Be well,
Prayin,
Mark56:hug:

it's like when i tell my
doctors i am just rotting away

someone who cares

Hello from the woods!
 

:Wave-Hello: Sorry I have been MIA for so long. Life in my world has been rather unhappy. No time for that nonsence now.
Rrae, I am indead on my 3rd battery. I burned through my first on in two years (it was NOT a rechargable unit as they were not ready) my second unitstopped working after a nasty fall(old bones tend to break) And in doing so I yanked not one but TWO leads loose.As life was looking out for this old broad , I recieved one of the first "rechargable" units my surgeon put in( the man told me during surgery that I had indeed pulled them loose as they gave just a gentle tug and out they came) This was during surgery, we also discussed his twin boys who were just starting football at the time. But I am rambeling I have been told by the man tat the battery will last 10 years, but will shut down in 9. I am about half way through my nine years. I have talked with my rep about the newest Medtronic unit that senses body position and changes itself (after initial programming) So no turning it up, turning it down, or having to change programs in the middlle of the day:cool: As I understand it will be rechargable also.:wink:My doc has warned me to keep the charge "up there" Or I could need "jump started" apparently (sp) there is only one jump start per unit:eek:
Sooo:Heart: n:hug:z to you all
PS If any one knows how to destroy Boxelder bugs I would appreciate a solution to kill off these million nasty buggers!

Oh Pooh......
 

And I had feared you lost in the hundred acres of woods...... glad you are found and able to write. Thank you for chiming in about batteries. I will try to hold out hope my battery unit will last twenty or thirty years because I am definitely TIRED of surgical suites..... forever.

Gasoline and a match for boxelder bugs. I have never found anything else to do the trick...... and, if you have one of those huge paper wasp nests similar to the supposed bee hive in the tree of pooh bear, the same treatment works wonders on that as well. Burns brightly for a little bit. No, I am not a pyro, and this is not a trick or a skill one should try without child supervision [I remember a kid in our neighborhood when I was little who burned down a garage playing with just such implements and liquids]......

DO take CARE out there in Nowhere!!!!!!!!!:hug:
Lots of love for you all here:grouphug::circlelove:
Still prayin,
Mark56:hug:

Oh..... I forgot!
 

I am pretty particular about "running off of the top of the tank" power wise, keeping my battery charged so as not to run the battery to exhaustion.

Yup,
Mark56 ............Bzzzzzzzzzzzt [sound of a bug zapper, or a mythical butt buzzer]:)

POOH! :hug:
I just KNEW you'd show up! I'm sorry things aren't going so well for you.
You've been thru so much as it is, I hate it that you get pelted with these frustrating situations :(
My PM box always has a special place for you if you ever need to talk, vent, or feel like kicking a kitten :p

You've had quite the experiences with batteries! I sure hope your present one lasts beyond the 10 yrs.
My concern is - I won't have the same health insurance by that time. Wonderin if I'll have a hard time getting it covered. Hopefully our healthcare system will have improved (:rolleyes:) and that the term 'pre-existing condition' will be null and void.

Regarding the box-bugs hmmmmm :Scratch-Head: I don't have any tips offhand, but I WILL tell you this! We battled brown recluse spiders IN OUR HOUSE!! :eek: for over a year....what a nightmare! Anytime one of my sons got so much as a ZIT on their face, I had myself convinced that they'd been bitten by one of these!
The ammunition I used were some of those glue-traps (worked like a charm!) , had pest control spray every 3 months, and put those 'hedge apples) around the house (inside and out). They only fall from the trees in the fall and alot of people don't put any stock in the idea that they work. I was leery of the notion that they would work but used them anyway cuz I was desperate and wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Well, a year later and we haven't seen any....none show up on the sticky glue traps.

I hope you can get rid of those pesky things, Pooh!

Rae
:grouphug:

My poor brother was down in his man cave last week and all of a sudden...... he got swooped by a bat. :yikes: He caught the darn thing and released it outside at which time it flew up on the roof and quickly disappeared. He had a new roof put on the house five years ago and thought it was sealed up tight. Wrong. He went up in the attic with a flashlight and found a large colony hanging all over the place.

He got some batologist from Ohio State to come in and deal with it. He chased out or caught and released all of the bats then vacuumed up the "droppings" and sterilized the attic. He found all of the little openings the bats used and got them closed up. It's an older home near a cave system. It turns out that the batologist said his house was the sixth house he has had to deal with on that street in two years. My brother was furious that nobody would tell their neighbors to be on the lookout for bats and have their attics assessed. That ended up costing him $2,500. Merry Christmas!!!!

Yuck :vomit:

Guano Have to Think about That One
 

And to think, Spiney, that your brother evidently did not receive the guano?!? $2500 and the best part is carted away. That stuff is pricey out here as fertilizer...... I am glad we have never had a bat in our belfry.:eek:

Then Rae and Brown Recluses..... oh my oh my... I hate spiders, especially the "I'm going to kill you" kind. You see, I had a friend who battled life after a spider bit, supposedly a brown recluse, and he eventually succumbed to the effects. Not a happy situation at all.

Guano have to have a party at Pooh's and we can all sick 'em on the bugs for her and git them outta Dodge before settling down to BBQ and music.
Uh huh,
:partytime2:
Mark56:)

I have the medtronic scs and I had surgery in 2008 for my initial scs permanent placement. I'm going on 4 1/2 years and Dr. informed me that the battery will last approximately 5 years. Not looking forward to the future surgery to replace it.....mines located in right buttocks.

Well Hello Sande!
 

WELCOME aboard! :hug:

Your feedback is very much appreciated! I also have the Medtronic. If I remember correctly (I was still in my twilight daze :rolleyes:) I think they said approx 7 yrs, give or take.
Mine was implanted Feb 2010, so I'll going on my 3rd year soon.

I sure HOPE yours lasts longer than 5yrs!! 5 years goes by way too quickly and I can certainly see why you wouldn't be looking forward to it.
However, I was told by my surgeon that it's a simple fix to change out the battery.

It's great to have you with us! Stick around! We could sure use your input since you're a 'veteran' around these parts :)....most of us are still within our first few yrs of having these bionic buzzers in us! :p

Rae
:grouphug:

Well Sande
 

Those Docs are not always best at appraising how long something will last or take to do, because they, like we, are just human afterall. Maybe, just maybe, you will find the battery will last longer than originally believed, although staying close in touch with those who hole your case responsibility in your hand is a good thing. Concept being, make sure that battery doesn't run out on you.

Yup,
Mark56:grouphug: