Day 2 of SCS Trial
 

Had the trial installed yesterday. Stayed at hospital most of the day, came home last night. During the surgery the leads were inhe right place but haven't been since. Turned it on last night., no luck. Sensations still in my back and buttock. Rep thinks the leads moved while they were transporting me back to my room. I have an appt tomorrow for an xray to see where they are and how to fix. Anyone know about this.? Will I need to have the procedure again? I'm in so much pain I hats to think I'm wasting time in pain without being able to use it. I just want it fixed asap., anyone know how.?

How disappointing!
 

Hey Kelly! Been thinking about you. So sorry to hear that you are having this issue. I did not experience the leads moving during the trial, my dr taped everything on the outside down really well. I had my permanent move, which is why they had to switch them out for paddle leads.

I have read a few posts about this happening, so hopefully someone will chime in and tell you what happened with them.

Hope you get some resolution real soon. Keep us posted!
Nanc
:hug:

Hi Kelly
 

Hi Kelly :)

Im sorry to hear that you arent experiencing the sensations in the correct places. How long is your trial for? Mine only lasted two days , put in on a Wednesday and out by Friday. If you are going in tomorrow for an xray it will show exactly what is going on. Im sure they can fix them so that you wont be in much pain, I hope so. At least you are having it looked at and not waiting to go back once the trial ends.

Good luck with it

Jackie :)

I'm scheduled to have it taken out on Tues. But since its in a bad place I'm sure it will be sooner. Maybe tomorrow. I just want it fixed so I know if it works or not. If they do the procedure again will they do it right away or have to wait.? I scheduled time off now and it will be hard to do again in a month or so. Plus I might be too scared by then.

Hi again Kelly. I would think they would do the procedure right away. You need to really express your needs to the dr. Make sure he knows that you are off now and want/need to complete your trial now. And if he says he wants to wait, tell him exactly how you feel about that. My dr moves rather quickly on procedures we decide on and listens to me in regards to my needs - work schedules, etc. He works really well with me. I hope you can get the same results from your dr.

Let us know what happens tomorrow!
Wishing you the best!
Nanc
:hug:

My Leads Shifted as Well
 

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. My trial was for 8 days and after 5 days, they shifted and stopped working. In fact, it only worked in my lower legs when I need relief in my lower back, butt, thighs and calves. They said had they shifted earlier, they would have went back in to move them.

Sending many, many happy thoughts your way!

Kelly,

The same thing happened to me. My doc said it just needed tweaking so on the third day after surgery they fixed it. It really was not that bad. Nothing had healed so the pain was about what you would expect from an invasive procedure, (nothing compared to my revisions later). I had built up a tolerance to the narcotics I was taking so my doc switched meds and upped them and that helped a lot. I also slept in a recliner with lots of pillows to prop me in more comfortable positions.

I don' know if it is standard procedure to do this right away or to wait, but I was working at the time and was on spring break so I had to get back to work.

My trial was supposed to be for eight days but it stopped working on day six so they took it out. My doctor thought that was enough to call it a success.

I did develop an infection but my wife spotted the signs so we jumped on it right away and it was no big deal. I only needed a few extra days off from work.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Hi James. Thx for the info. So to fix the lead placement they had to do the surgery again.? My back is so tender the thought of that scares me.how long did they wait to do it.? What signs of infection did uh see.? As for the incision it's totally covered so no one can see if it's red. I'm so upset cause it hurts and I haven't had any use of the device.

Hi Kelly- Trial
 

This is bizarre that the leads were not sufficiently secured to prevent shifting during the Trial. Gee Whiz, if doc takes the goll darn things out now you will never know whether it would work or not. It is as though sloppiness on professional parts have left you wondering..........

Seems to me they should place you back in the OR and re-secure the leads on proper position then tape the h e q q out of your back to prevent movement of the wires...... Yeah, I know it means trying again, but striking while the iron is hot is what gets things accomplished and provides you a recent evaluation. You can IN NO WAY MAKE A REASONABLY WELL INFORMED CONSENT TO IMPLANT DECISION on the basis of this faux pas.

I would DEMAND to have it done properly so I could evaluate it, rather than be told make a decision based upon what you now know, which is absolutely nothing.

Further, watch for infection as Trial nears end..... I had a whopper of infection with all of this leaky pus which, while wearing a red polo shirt, made people think I was bleeding out. What a soaker..... so I had to overcome the infection. The D A M insurance company did not want to pay for biotics because it could have been a fraud attempt to treat a sinus infection. B S and that is that. So, I paid for the ding dang antibiotic and the insurance had to cut a check to me for their B S. I am certain their B S was oh so much more efficient than the possibility of having a patient try to squeeze a sinus infection treatment in on a work comp case. I shoulda just let the infection go as long as they refused to pay for the med, then they could have paid for my hospitalization for runaway sepsis of the spinal cord..... or something worse. So James is right about keeping a weather eye on infection of any sort around where the Trial leads enter your back.

I am prayin you get this sorted out.
Mark56:hug::grouphug:

Hi Kelly,
Sorry I did not reply last night. I spent some time outside and all that fresh air an it put me right to sleep.

Yes they would basically have to do the procedure over, but there is no scar tissue as in a revision surgery of the permanent stim.

My infection was caught early. I was feeling quite lethargic, and running a very low grade fever. My incision was feeling very angry, in addition to the pain. My wife trotted me off the the ER, we did not wait until morning. As Mike said, spotting the infection is all but impossible and it can spread very quickly and get very nasty. If it had not been for my wife's insistence, I would have waited it out.

I don't know if you can blame your doctor for the difficulties. My back was tapped up like a mummy and I still had the same thing happen.

If you feel this is doctor error, as Mike has suggested, I can't imagine letting him have another go.

What I have found through my entire experience with my Spinal Cord stimulator is the best guidance in decision making should come from that little inner voice, not from anyone else.

Hope you are feeling better very soon!!!!!