Questions about SCS for Peripheral Neuropathy
 

Like many members of this forum, I have peripheral neuropathy. It is idiopathic and has been going on for 3.5 years. Meds help somewhat. I am considering an SCS but I have some questions.

1. Has anyone tried a peripheral nerve stimulator? Or is everyone using an SCS?

2. At different times I feel:
a. burning pain
b. cold and painful like my feet are in an ice bucket
c. feeling of having rocks in my shoes
d. tingling all over feet making me avoid shoes
e. probably some others I can't think of right now

Anyway, my question is which of the above sensation are at least partially alleviated via a stimulator?

How could I forget the feeling I am having right now: the feeling of having really tight compression socks on even though I am barefoot.

Is that feeling also helped (suppressed) with a stimulator?

C'mon, I have seen this question partially answered in other places. I know there are lots of you with an SCS for peripheral neuropathy. Surely some of you can help me know which sensations an SCS is helpful for and which it is not.

Hi Steven, my SCS is for chronic lower back pain due to injury. It is relentless pain and varies as it chooses for no rhyme or reason, yesterday it hurt to sit and stand, today, not so much. The SCS has helped my pain management and I have been able to return to work along with reducing medication.

I can't comment on a peripheral nerve stimulator, but hopefully, like the SCS it offers a trial before you commit.

I wish you luck. Have you tried asking the question on the PN forum?

My SCS
 

Is for high speed traffic accident spinal injury pain in low spine and legs. After many surgeries, I experienced unrelenting spasms and burning pain lumbar down to the knees. Below that I feel nothing, but I can walk with some stability problems, so Inuse a cane.

With that background, the stim produces a tingling sensation, which produces parasthesia. Depending on the intensity of the pain I am experiencing, I can ramp it all of the way up to causing, via parasthesia, paralysis.....absolute loss of sensation. This effect means I must be confined to bed or wheelchair. Such use is rare for me, and I tend toward the lesser tingling intensity.

The cool thing about this is I was able to wean from opiates with the rare exceptional use to control a pain spike breakthrough I cannot overcome via stim.

Nope, I am not a standard PN patient. Just thought I would try to describe my situation as a help.

M56

Hi Steven D,

Sorry for the late response but I have no experience with an SCS so I had not read your post until tonight.

My post will bump your post up to today's date and maybe you will get more responses from others that have the information you seek.

Good luck to you.

Have alphabet soup: CRPS, SFPN and SCS
 

My short answer is that SCS isn't helping PN at all.

I got the SCS last year for CRPS in my right arm. I was mostly pain free for 7 months. Then I started getting pain also in my right arm, but different a pain, which I now know to be SFPN. The PN pain isn't as bad as the CRPS pain, but it's more pervasive (both hands and feet, whereas I only have CRPS in one arm).

I tried adjusting the programs, got new ones, tweaked this and that but the SCS isn't covering the PN pain. I have no explanation for why it doesn't work. I even thought that maybe the impulses were causing the PN pain, so I shut it off. That was a really bad move that I won't do again anytime soon.

I hope others weigh in and have different experiences. Best of luck to you.

Update - I dont have SFPN
 

I just got my biopsy results and learned I don't have SFPN. It's all CRPS that has spread to the opposite side. That may change how well SCS works with SFPN...though sadly my pain still isn't being adequately controlled. :(