Psych Evaluation prior to SCS?
 

My Pain Mgt. Doc. is recommending a SCS. I'm on several meds. and have had 6 nerve blocks so far, some with good results, others not so much. I've had a lengthy presentation from the St. Jude rep.
Anyway, she ordered several tests, x-rays etc. to prepare for SCS and one of them is a Psych. eval. scheduled for tomorrow. I've done the "paper" one and it included some vague/wierd questions.
Does anyone know what to expect for the in-person evaluation??
I'm not really worried, just curious??

nerver blocks
 

Can you tell me more about nerver blocks

My CRPS is in my left hand and wrist after surgery for broken wrist. surgery was Dec. 28,'12 and I was diagnosed Feb. 1st.
So, my nerve blocks are "stellate ganglion" done through the front/side of my neck through to the spine. I was scared to death at first.
They inject different formulations of anesthesia to the nerve area affecting the limb (pain signals from brain to limb or vice-versa). The proceedure itself is only 1/2 hr. or less & done with light sedation or not.
The effects seem to last approx 9-14 days but some of my blocks are done closer together so have overlapped.
There are some temporary side effects that differ depending on the person and other factors.
I went to youtube and found videos of the proceedure, one using flouroscope (x-ray) and one using ultrasound. After a horrible experience by one Dr. using just x-ray on my 1st one I then found a new Dr. who uses both types of guidance.

There is a lot of good advice here, hope this helps.

Hi, I noticed this was an old post, but I too was referred to have a scs and went through the psych eval for this. I was told that as the procedure was very expensive they have to make sure that you have the right mindset to undergo the procedure and that you're happy to have this type of device implanted. It's nothing to worry about, just be yourself and answer the questions, also ask any questions that are bothering you, as this will also show your willingness to undergo the procedure. In the end I have had the newer drg stimulator fitted and am currently 1 week after implantation and have got excellent results so far, it's up there with sliced bread as the best thing available. The difference between scs and drg is that with drg they can target very specific areas. I'd be glad to hear how you got on with your scs.

Have you considered Ketamine?

If you decide to move forward with the SCS, I wish you the best of luck! Please thoroughly research it.

The pysch eval is not a big deal. It will consist of scantron tests and an in person evaluation.

Have you considered Calmare? My daughter was scheduled for a SCS when we found out about Calmare, and we had really good results - she's in remission now.

And I'd echo what Lit Love says - research it.

I know that someone else had a daughter that used H-Bot (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), and her daughter went into remission. I think there are some other things that you might want to look into before doing the SCS, and both Calmare and H-Bot are non-invasive. Best of luck! :)