Trying to decide....SCS or pain pump?
 

Hi. Found this forum when I was doing a search on pain pumps.

I've had five back surgeries over the years and still continue to have problems. Have been on many meds., most if not all, giving me more problems with side effects that haven't been worth the pain relief I get. Recently began seeing a pain mgmt. dr. who specializes in SCS and also does pain pumps. In fact, my first visit there he introduced me to the SCS (Boston Scientific's) as I think he's thinking I need to go that way.

My neurosurgeon is cautious about me getting this SCS now as he feels it's a last resort surgery, and since I had four surgeries in '09 he says I need to give my body time to recover from those. I've read up on SCS and read good and bad experiences. So, I've been wondering about going with a pain pump as it's supposed to help with pain without the usual side effects (nauseau, sweating, insomnia, feeling bummed out, memory problems etc.).

So, does anyone have any experience or opinions on either a pain pump or SCS? Has anyone had a pain pump and then went on to get the SCS?

All and any input GREATLY appreciated.:winky:

Thanks,
Fiona, Columbus, OH

Hi Fiona ~ I'm sorry you've had to have so many surgeries! I've only had 2 but that was enough for me!

If I were you, I'd go for the pump. I had the SCS and for ME, it tended to irritate the sciatic nerve more than anything. I KNOW that you have a trial period before the implanting, but they gave me so many restrictions during the trial that I didn't get a good pain assessment. When I went about my daily activities (somewhat) during the trial, I "thought" I got good pain coverage, but since they didn't let me do much, little did I know! :eek: After the implantation and the healing period, I went about my business and good grief, I was in awful pain. The darn thing didn't cover the pain at all. It just irritated things. Plus I didn't have enough fat content to hold the darned thing in as it's kinda heavy (the generator) and it tried to work itself out! UGH. So after 6 months I had to have it removed, and believe me, it's very painful having it removed as it's developed scar tissue around the leads and the generator. I now have a very sensitive spot in my mid back where the leads were.

I did have the pump trial (which was stupid since the pump is 3 times as heavy as the SCS - I don't know what doc was thinking) Anyway, I got TOTAL pain relief from the pump. I had NO pain. It was wonderful but then he said I couldn't have it was it was too heavy. I wanted to kill him. LOL.

So if you're not 100lbs soaking wet, I'd go for the pain pump in a heartbeat. They can regulate your meds in the pump, it doesn't make you loopy, and you only need to have it filled maybe once a month or longer. The battery doesn't need changing often either. Not like the SCS.

Hi Fiona ~ I'm sorry you've had to have so many surgeries! I've only had 2 but that was enough for me!

If I were you, I'd go for the pump. I had the SCS and for ME, it tended to irritate the sciatic nerve more than anything. I KNOW that you have a trial period before the implanting, but they gave me so many restrictions during the trial that I didn't get a good pain assessment. When I went about my daily activities (somewhat) during the trial, I "thought" I got good pain coverage, but since they didn't let me do much, little did I know! :eek: After the implantation and the healing period, I went about my business and good grief, I was in awful pain. The darn thing didn't cover the pain at all. It just irritated things. Plus I didn't have enough fat content to hold the darned thing in as it's kinda heavy (the generator) and it tried to work itself out! UGH. So after 6 months I had to have it removed, and believe me, it's very painful having it removed as it's developed scar tissue around the leads and the generator. I now have a very sensitive spot in my mid back where the leads were.

I did have the pump trial (which was stupid since the pump is 3 times as heavy as the SCS - I don't know what doc was thinking) Anyway, I got TOTAL pain relief from the pump. I had NO pain. It was wonderful but then he said I couldn't have it was it was too heavy. I wanted to kill him. LOL.

So if you're not 100lbs soaking wet, I'd go for the pain pump in a heartbeat. They can regulate your meds in the pump, it doesn't make you loopy, and you only need to have it filled maybe once a month or longer. The battery doesn't need changing often either. Not like the SCS. So best of luck and I hope whatever you decide works great for you. God bless and take care. Peace, Lee :)

Thanks Leesa. I'm tending to lean towards the pain pump as it seems less invasive than the SCS and has less issues that can go wrong. My neurosurgeon is saying the SCS should be the last resort, so hopefully he'll agree to a pain pump.

I'm currently working with a pain mgmt. dr. who does the SCS units, and I see him next week and I'm going to bring up the pain pump issue. He is aware I'm unable to tolerate a lot of oral narcotics due to their side effects, and can only tolerate dilaudid suppositories if I also get a phenergren suppository as a chaser. Even then, that combination puts me to bed and is a literal waste of a day (or two or three) before the pain gets manageable to where I can do some stuff around the house, and even then I'm in a fog and feel like there's a desert in my mouth, I'm so dry.

I'm hoping that if I get the pain pump I can get pain relief and get some sort of life back. I'm concerned that I'm losing muscle strength etc. My pain mgmt. dr. told me that if I don't get on top of this soon that he sees me being bedridden in 10-15 years, which is NOT what I want. So I'd like to get the pain under control to the point where I can do physical therapy and get my body back in some sort of shape as I'm only 51 years old and don't relish the idea of having to have someone give me sponge baths in 10-15 years (unless of course, he's awful handsome :D)

Fiona,

I have had 2 scs units, and I currently have a pain pump and I LOVE it. THe scs caused my rsd pain to spread, the battery moved around, and my leads moved out and I ended up having to have it removed, developed a MRSA infection, ended up in a nursing home, and swore I would never have another surgery. Fast forward almost a year. Pain level high, Mind foggy from drugs, sleepin all the time, not able to drive, ride my horses, or anything that means a lot to me. I asked my drs here about the pump. they said no way, it doesn't work, they will not do it, I don't need it, and about 20 other excuses. Went out of state, found a dr that does them. had the trial, then the perm one. I'm 6 wks out from getting the perm. Even tho I need a med. increase, I love havig it. Surgically, it was by far the easiest. my mind is clear, I will be able to go back to riding my horses, etc. Of course, that will all happen when I've healed, like any other surgery. I wish I had this option 3 years ago when all I could get was the scs. I would never have gone with the scs. I would never go back again. IMHO. lol

Hugs
Mary

Thanks Mary. I had posted an answer to you yesterday but my computer locked up and kicked me off and I lost all that I'd typed. I had asked you what type of pain pump you had, what meds. they put in it, if they found the right med. for you the first time around, etc..

Since then, I've had a call from my pain mgmt. dr. office and they said he can't do my pain pump because all he uses is morphine and since I'm allergic to sulfa drugs he can't do it. They're supposedly referring me to another pain dr. who does pain pumps and can use dilaudid, which I can take. What a run around! Unfortunately I googled this new dr. and he has patients who say he's great and others who say he's the worst they've ever gone to. Here's hoping I catch him on a good day :-)

Fiona

just got scs
 

I just got my trial Boston Scientific scs this morning. I was soooo nervous, but it went well. I was awake the whole time. The pain during the surgery was hardly anything, and the whole thing took about a half hour. I have chronic high-level back pain on the left side, as well as hip and leg pain on the same side. Multiple procedures and many many injections left me in the same pain, so my pain doc suggested this.

It's only been a few hours, but I can tell you that the pain I am feeling is mostly fron the surgery. I was taking Norco 10 every 3 hours, and already my intake of pain meds is less. The rep from Boston Scientific was in the o.r. and super supportive. He made sure I knew how to work the device before I went home, and gave me his number to call anytime.

If you have had long time pain that has not been helped with other methods, why not try the SCS. It is easily removed and the trial gives you a good idea of whether you want to go ahead with the permanent unit. You can cover large areas with it as well, which the tens unit couldn't do. If you have any other questions, let me know. And I'll post my progress. Good luck to you,

Glad to hear your trial went well and wish you all the best in getting the permanent.

Guess maybe I've scared myself about the SCS by reading up on it too much. Have read several people having problems with it, and that the permanent one didn't turn out to be as good as the trial experience. Also,considering it's a more invasive procedure than a pain pump, I'm leaning towards the pain pump for now. My neurosurgeon is concerned about the SCS as I'm given to getting infections easily due to my genetic immune system problem, so he's happier to hear I want to try the pain pump first and leave the SCS as a last resort. Keep us posted on how you do!!

Fiona