Nevro senza
 

Hi everyone, I had the HF Nevro senza implanted 11 days ago. I am having a lot of problems with pain at the battery site. Has anyone else had this problem?

Welcome, I'm still a newbie here but have found a lot of support through my journey so far. Hopefully you will come to feel the same way too!

I'm almost at 5 weeks post implant of the Nevro Senza. My Nevro rep and specialist have told me my case is not normal, so please take my experience with a grain of salt!

In terms of pain the sensation on the surface of the battery site and surrounding area it is still numb and has been like this from a couple of days post op. In terms of nerve/internal pain, I get pain from the centre of my back out across to my hip that feels like a ripping sensation, I have been able to recognise that this occurs when my battery is moved slightly in the pocket due to positional changes like sitting or lying; my specialist has checked this movement and is not concerned. This pain was eased with the introduction of Lyrica, and once I was up to 300mg per day and some re-programming to reduce the output on all 3 of my programs. I have however started to ramp the Lyrica down and things are flaring again.

I'm sure your doctor has stressed the importance of keeping an eye out for any sign of infection such as redness, swelling, fever etc as if you suspect this may be the case contact your doctor straight away. My understanding is that infection can progress very quickly and can jeopardise your implant.

Hopefully things start to settle for you soon!

Hello PerthMum!
 

Welcome! :hug:

When I read your post I was hoping BumpyRide would jump on this! :cool:
I'm sorry to hear you are in pain. This seems to be a pretty common issue, especially this soon after implant. Like Bumpy mentions, keep an eye for infection and make sure doc knows how you are feeling. Hopefully it will subside sooner than not.
I recall that area being very tender for some time. It should eventually begin to wear off to the point that you forget you even have that pocket.....until it gets bumped or something :rolleyes:

Other than the discomfort, how well is the unit doing on your originial pain condition? It can be frustrating the first few weeks as you are trying to decifer which is surgical pain and how well your other pain is being managed. Try not to become discouraged. Things will work themselves out, especially after you have a couple of follow up visits and tweaks if necessary.

Do stick around! We're a great bunch and always looking out for one another.
It's great to have you here!

Rae
:grouphug:

Hi there Rae and BumpyRide,
the pain at the implant side is a ripping pain, like the implanted battery is trying to rip it's way out of my body, accompanied with a severe burning like molten lead deep within me. This all happens at recharge and for about 12 hours after...every day!
As for my original pain, being severe pelvic, leg and foot pain after an MVA , almost three years ago, the implanted SCS is wonderful...I cannot believe the reduction in pain. In fact my foot and leg pain is down to a 1 out of 10, the pelvis down to maybe 4 or 5 instead of 7 to 9 out of 10.
Thanks for your suuport!
Sue:)

battery site pain
 

Hi I am new here but 9 months post Nevro senza implant. All was well until a week ago when I started to experience pain at the battery implant site. It's steadily getting worse and I have no idea why or if it's something to worry about.:( I've had to go back to taking endone to get some relief but it's not helping anymore. Should I ride it out or should I see my doc?

re: spinal cord stimulator
 

I have had mine since 2008, has done an excellent job up to now. Yes my battery site is uncomfortable, mine is located in my left buttock. It has migrated upwards to the skin surface over the years. It can get painful at times. Also whilst charging gets very hot at site even producing a red raised area at times.
Now experiencing longer charge times, I charge every Wed evening used to take a couple of hours from half charged, now taking over 8 hours.
Seeing a specialist in June to have it checked out. Was told the battery should last 9 years at best but was informed due to my chronic condition, I may experience less time, the later has proven to be true. I never turn it off, the "layover" effect I have read from some users does not apply to me. When its off, two to three hours later I'm in acute pain again.
My stim has given me around 50% reduction in pain, enough for me to cope with no medication. I waited 5 years to get this implanted due to fear from more surgery. Once installed wish I had done it earlier.
It does not touch lower back pain, only radicular pain. I was informed of this at the time. The mechanical pain from my implants for fusion you just have to accept. The reduction in leg, foot buttock pain is worth the surgery.
I hope this helps someone. I will update after my appointment in June, looks like I may need a new battery.

All of These Posts Help!
 

The sharing common experience brings each who have similar equipment and issues closer as a group and in the contemplation of approach to the Doc about "what the heck is going on?" It feels so good to see this dialogue shaping.

Tenderness at battery/generator site is a phenomenon for most everyone regardless of equipment manufacture. The thing of it is the body is "zipped" open and a pocket created to hold the signal generator. Just think in terms of having a marsupial pouch inserted into your healthy body thank you..... so as to hold young. Think opossum, kangaroo, and others. Since we are not so equipped from the get go, that whole of the unnatural has just GOT TO wreak some havoc upon anyone whose body is so invaded.

My generator site was noticeably sore, then tender, then an annoyance, then less so, now pretty much unnoticeable as the progression of healing occurred. I do not have Nevro, but the Boston Scientific widget. Now, it hardly is of any import to me other than that it holds my "precious" device.

Every time I charge, the site becomes warm noticeably so. But then, I have come to accept this as par for the course, and its significance to me has waned. This manufacturer's device in my 24/7 use pattern I now charge roughly once every ten days or so. In the early days back in 2010 and my use was ramped up quite high my charging events were spaced far more closely together, and I always made sure to keep my charger close at hand. Now, not so much.

INFECTION possibilities...... gotta be ever vigilant for and about those. My personal experience with surgical infection was at the time of my Trial, and it was both unfun and messy.... not to mention frightening. For a far more intense read about the awful slippery slope ride on infection, take a look at Saffy's posts about her bout with infection which ultimately resulted in removal of her unit completely. That was a very very difficult row to hoe for her. Be vigilant. Be aware. Be cautious if redness, puffiness, pus, ick, fever and such become manifest. Talk to your Doc right away if any signs of that infection monster become evident.

I hope and pray all issues for each who experience these post surgical difficulties will abate. The technology works if the body will be accepting. I am thrilled to the max with mine.

Prayers, :hug: :grouphug:

Hi German Shepherd Man
 

Thank you for sharing! It's great to hear from someone who's had their unit for as long as you have.
You mentioned that your battery has migrated toward the surface over the years. I had the same experience, only it was because I had lost weight and the fatty tissue dissolved away.

From the sound of what you describe, it does seem that your battery is growing weaker. I'm so glad that you've had such good relief throughout the years.

It's great to have you with us, please stick around and let us know how this goes.

Caring,
Rae
:grouphug:

Hi Trish!
 

Welcome! :hug:

Certainly let your doctor know what is going on. It irks me that they don't include regular follow ups with these implants. A lot of times it seems that once they do the surgery, that's that and we have to beg to have any issues addressed. That's why I am ever so grateful for this forum.
Seems that when we all put our heads together, we become more knowledged than the Drs :rolleyes:

Glad you're here!

Rae
:grouphug:

Hi Rrae
 

Yes I am very pleased with my stim, after 22 yrs of chronic pain, multiple surgeries, I can report I have been med free for over 6 years. Some days are bad but I take every day as it comes, always making the most of all of them.
Yes major changes have happened, but we all need to learn our limits, I certainly have had to. :)
Its good to read that others are having similar issues and I like the fact that forums like this exist. However bad I have felt or been, I always found someone worse off. Perhaps a few wise words from all of our experiences can lift someone up and make their day/life that little bit better.
Chronic pain is no joke which ever way you look at it, I've been a liar, told I was making it all up, why would anyone lie about it? Every MRI, CT I have ever had confirmed what I felt and told the docs/surgeons. The camera never lies!!!
To everyone going through this journey, its not easy, there are many decisions to make, some good, some you wish you didn't. Always stay positive, find a good doc/surgeon and make sure they listen to you, after all its your body, your condition, your future you may be trusting them with.
I have been fortunate, found the very best neuro-surgeon, he re-built my lower spine after I broke it in 3 places. It wasn't an overnight fix, took many years to get here, but it was the only option.
Trust in God, trust your inner self and work hard to get through it, it is possible.

Best regards,
German Shepherd Man.:grouphug:


Broken spine 3 places,
7 major surgeries,
spinal cord stimulator.

sorry should read: I have been told I'm a liar, sorry

after viewing
 

to all who have spinal cord simulator
and just my observation pain pump
all implants

scs except for the mini EON and Boston
and then Medtronic

as Mark very nicely describes
the pouch that is made to hold
this device in all i have seen
is still way to big to hold
no wonder the body wants to
reject it
if i may
as far as i remember
the infection is the first sign
actually redness and fever
it wants out
technology needs to look at that
in conjunction with the alloy material
that is going in this pouch
i'm going to take it a step further
unconventional but why not have
any device be concealed in a implant like
augmentation of breast for it to float
in this pre-stretched area on the body

seems to me it is a dual problem
SIZE MOST IMPORTANTLY
HECK
WHY NOT A CHIP
FOR THAT MATTER

i think you all get the picture

someone who cares

Well my appointment was great, indeed it is my battery that needs attention. Whilst there the doc checked my leads, all good, after 5 years of use not bad.
Awaiting Medtronic rep to schedule meeting then follow up surgery to replace battery.
My doc was amazed that I have never turned the stim off, even sleeping with it on. I do not get the run over effect with it, so when its off, like the couple of times its discharged, pain is within a couple of hours. So I leave it on constantly, charge once a week.
Very, very pleased I chose to have the trial and eventually the final implant. 6years without medication is an awesome result.:)

Amen to THAT
 

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!:yahoo: :I-Agree: :You-Rock: :partytime2: :grouphug:

Thanks everyone!

Thanks Mark56, my ongoing experience with my spinal cord stimulator is testimony in itself that these indeed help chronic pain.

After being told I'd be in a wheelchair within a year, there is always other avenues to explore.

Never give up, always look up, move forward.

Have a blessed day everyone! :)

update
 

Well I am about to receive my new battery, this one has an accelerometer in it which will limit the shocking experience whilst changing positions.
Surgery is set for July 11th, 2013.
The Medtronic rep was amazing, re-programmed my existing battery to cover more areas which have developed over time.
Hoping the new battery lasts as long as this one did.
Very happy customer/client.

German Shepherd Man.:)

Hi PerthMum,
I had the same unit implanted 5mths ago and am still having issues.I have intermittent burning pain which seems to be related to 'pocket pain' at the battery insertion site.Have tried various things including compounded analgesic creams of varying strengths (Capsaicin,lignocaine and Clonidine) which eased the burning sensation but only whilst I continued to use it ,stimulator reprogramming,increased dosage of gabapentin (only recently increased so can't report on it's effective as yet) and am soon to undergo bilateral blocks in my lower back.I have also been experiencing extreme sensitivity /pain from the actual scar at the battery insertion site so on the same day that the blocks are performed I will be having platelet rich plasma therapy .Fingers crossed that something will help

I am now 3 weeks out of surgery and I also have more pain at the battery site than I was expecting. I seem to tear the site if I bend too far forward, get in and out of the car wrong. It has been very uncomfortable to say the least.
I am hoping it calms down as I know from experience the inside takes much longer to heal than the outer incision.
It felt like the muscle had been cut, it has not been pleasant.
I hope this helps in your symptoms as they sound very similar.

Happy healing,
German Shepherd Man.

Thanks for this update German Shepherd Man!
Tho I'm sorry to hear of this pain at your battery site. Sometimes this area needs a bit longer to heal, especially if it has been aggravated somehow (bumped, pushed, pulled, etc). There's probably some swelling going on, which would add to the discomfort, and if, like you mentioned, the actual muscle had been cut, then yes - more healing time needed.

In the past, I know we've talked about wearing some type of 'cushion' over the battery pocket site. Hopefully someone will remind me what 'type' of cushion worked best. I know that there is a triple-layered cushion pad made by Johnson & Johnson. At least this would help protect the area when getting in and out of car, or bumping up against something.

"This too shall pass...." eventually :o

Caring,
Rae
:grouphug:

Hello and Welcome!
 

It's great to have you!
I'm sorry you too are having discomfort at the battery site.
Please let us know how the blocks go.
The platelet therapy - is that where they extract some blood, separate the rich plasma and then re-inject it in and around the incision? I recall my Dr doing this during my implant, if it's the same thing you are talking about. I asked him why he does that and he said it aids in the healing process.

Here's hoping that you will come back with good report and feeling much better! :hug:

Rae
:grouphug:

Now 6 weeks out, no pain, can bend, twist with no pain at all. Just took longer than I had anticipated.
Battery is doing well, new unit adjusts when I lay down so no more shocking.
Lets hope this battery lasts 5+ yrs like the last one.

German Shepherd Man.:)

Yay!
 

Thank you so much for this update!

I am SO very happy to hear that everything is as it should be and that your unit is auto-adjust. How wonderfully convenient.

I am very appreciative when an SCS'er comes back with an update. This helps newcomers and others who seek 'real people' feedback - more than you'll ever know!

Rae
:grouphug:

Nevro Senza
 

Hi Perth mum, I'm from Perth as well and I'm having the senza implanted at the mount hospital on Tuesday December 17. I'm new to this site so apologies up front!

I've suffered on and off with chronic pain since breaking my back as a 16 year old and have had 3 spinal fusions, the last being in a June this year, a double spinal fusion to L4,5 & S1.

My first fusion in 1977 gave me 15 years of good quality and relatively pain free life, but in the early 90's after travelling in the UK it deteriorated rapidly and resulted in me being in a plaster cast for 3 months and in 1994 they did another fusion. From the time it was done I kept saying something is wrong and after 2 years they finally agreed to an X-Ray and found the plates and screws were broken, they were removed in 1996.

All was reasonable until I had a car accident in 2004 (not my fault) and sustained further lower spine injury and significant cervical trauma. Since 2006 I have been having rhyzotomies and epidurals every 6 months or so and in August 2012 after an epidural I had a seizure due to an acute headache (leaking fluid from the dura) and while seizing sustained compression fractures to the thoracic region T3,4,5 & 6 and a stress fracture to S1. I had to give up work as I couldn't sit for long, so in June 2013 they did the double fusion. Post op I had complications and the latest fusion has highlighted I have problems with discs L2 and L3 so I was referred to a new pain mgt specialist and he believed its as good as it's going to get and rather than continue with Rhyzotomies (I think the leaking Dura complication worried him) trialled the Senza. It gave me some relief, well I think it did, but I had a difficult trial with the lead being faulty. Anyway, after this long introduction, I'm wondering how you went with the implant and how you are going to this day? I hope it's gone well?

Hi Pamela!
 

Welcome to NT! :hug:

Glad you found us! Geeze I'm sorry you've had to go thru all of this.
It looks like PerthMum hasn't posted in awhile, but I hope she will see this and give you some feedback. One thing you can do is use the 'search' feature toward the top right side of the screen. Type in 'nevro senza' and it'll bring up posts from prior discussion on this.

Stick around and let us know how your implant goes tomorrow (when you feel up to it).

It's great to have you!

Rae

Brand new here but i to have a senza and its working flawlessly so far...hope it continues,its pretty new(in my country) so i dont see much problems being reported....hope everyone is well

Nevro senza stim implant
 

Hi folks, it's the day after and all did not go to plan. The procedure took well over 2 hours with them struggling to get the leads in. Finally they got one lead in and have put the battery in my right buttock. The rep and my Dr have both said my post procedure pain will be high as they were pulling and pushing on the tissue to get the lead into the epidural cavity. They are not wrong, it's painful!

Anyhow, it looks like now they will refer me to a neurosurgeon here in WA who, apparently is the only person in WA who will perform a laminectomy and then insert a surgical paddle. Of course if the one lead works it won't be necessary but I got the impression they didn't hold much hope. The rep, her manager and my Dr were all in theatre and none of them have had a case like mine before. Just my luck. So, I'm here in hospital now until Friday. Everyone has been great and my Dr and rep fantastic, great empathy and compassion.

I hope this post doesn't deter some people, if you are in constant pain and want your life back, you owe it to yourself to try whatever you can and have faith in your treating practitioners that they will do their very best. I will post again next week with an update on my progress.

That is encouraging information, I too am new here, due to have a Nevro Senza implanted in the new year as the trial was quite successful.

I am from the UK and was offered a Senza trial earlier this year due to long term pain issues. Have had many spine operations; all boring stuff like bone grafting, decompression etc. over the last 30 years.

I am not saying that the operations were not successful, they certainly were, each one either getting me off the floor, off crutches or out of a wheelchair, but I am hoping that this SCS will alleviate some of the nerve pain.... fingers crossed.


All the best, Wingy

Hi Wingy!
 

Welcome to the bunch! :hug:

We are hearing more and more of these Stenza's from across the pond! Don't hear of many of them here in the states yet.
We'll be anxious to hear how your procedure goes, so please stick around!
It's great to have you!

Rae

Nevro senza
 

Senza is still in trial periods in the US, it's been trialled elsewhere in the world and the UK and Australia have embraced it. From what I can gather the high frequency that it operates at means you don't get the parasthesia that you get with other models that operate at a lower frequency, so no buzzing of the nerves at all. I trialled the senza in November and although I had problems with a faulty lead, I felt it gave me relief. They went ahead with the implant and that didn't go to plan, but, even though I only have the one lead in, I am already noticing that the pain I normally suffer from in my left hip which is referred pain from L2 & L3 is reduced. As Dr Smith says, the pain, oh the pain. I wonder what life would be like to wake up without it!! Lost in space! Dr Smith, I really used to enjoy that show, thanks for the good time memory recall lol.

I only have one lead also, Pam! I did have 2, but I didn't mind the post op and BLAST rules like I should've and one lead came detached and migrated down about 6 inches! This wasn't discovered for over 6 months until finally I demanded an xray because I had been in so much pain - but do you think they believed me? ;) Heck no.
Anyway, once they clearly could see it on the xray, we decided to pull it out and not even replace it because the other lead was doing just fine on it's own.

Oh the pain THE PAIN! :eek:

Rae

Just the normal pain from the incision..Im now 10 weeks post surgery from Nevro..very satisfied..no pain in back, just slight numbness in leg but with the remote trying to find right setting..started running 7 weeks post surgery

Fabulous to be 10 weeks in and running, embrace your new beginnings, but hold back being full on, it takes a long time for those leads to embed themselves in the tissue and you don't want them migrating (which they can do). Mark56 has great info to help, a snapshot is below.
Put into practice the following to get the best results just for the next few months.

I won't bend beyond reasonable limits,
I will lift only within my limitations,
I will ask for help,
I will avoid stretching for another 6 weeks
I won't twist my body, even to put the car seatbelt on
I will enjoy my pain reduction.

There are many of us on here who have seen wonderful improvements only to overdo activities and later suffer consequences. Rae out there somewhere thought it was a good idea to throw hay bales, I got stuck into kickboxing. Good luck, let us know how you continue.

Medtronic Pain stimulator
 

Hi I am new here and thought I might add my experience as I have had to replace my first (March 09 ) the battery wore out . Last march 17 had a new one put in, in a bad place as my shouder trouble makes it hard to reach to use magnat to control it. This one can be tested with MRI and last month had to have my back MRI to see what is happening now.

I have had 5 back operations and the two stimulators. I was hoping to get information on the MRI medical-esy I don't understand. I have been waiting on a nerolgist to explain and tell me if I need S. or can do without. Anyone here can help me?
mary40

nevro 4 years + in
 

every year nevro tecs try to get implant to work a little better as with drugs you get acclimatised, this time two weeks ago they tried new setting where it sends a pulse for a while then stops to save the battery ( not a good idea for me as the pain is back with a vengeance ) any one out there who has tried this setting for longer than me as I have had to go back to earlier settings.