[Big Sky]

Been searching on Spinal Cord Stimulators with mixed results; some articles rave about them, while others, indicate they're not effective on CRPS and may aggravate the CRPS pain. I'm seeking anyone that can tell me their story and personal experience with a stimulator: how soon after the diagnosis was it placed; how long you have had it in place and what type of pain relief it provides, thanks.

Al

[Rrae]

VERY good questions! And you are so wise to be asking around before making any decisions.....
Getting an SCS is a big deal!
It's a very individualized form of therapy/treatment......so don't take any ONE person's word as gold.....

Here is the direct link to our SCS forum....click on

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...ysprune=&f=118

Lots of folks willing to share their experiences.
I'd recommend starting your own new thread and others will join in

I've had mine for almost a month.....it's working for my lower extremity peripheral neuropathy burning pain (nerve damage)...but you'll soon find out that, like you mentioned, other's w/RSD have encountered their's to cause the RSD to spread.....

I'll be in touch.....I'm anxious to see the feedback you get.
Everybody truly cares here!

Best wishes,
Rae

[Big Sky]

[/B][/B]

Originally Posted by Rrae

VERY good questions! And you are so wise to be asking around before making any decisions.....
Getting an SCS is a big deal!
It's a very individualized form of therapy/treatment......so don't take any ONE person's word as gold.....

Here is the direct link to our SCS forum....click on

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...ysprune=&f=118

Lots of folks willing to share their experiences.
I'd recommend starting your own new thread and others will join in

I've had mine for almost a month.....it's working for my lower extremity peripheral neuropathy burning pain (nerve damage)...but you'll soon find out that, like you mentioned, other's w/RSD have encountered their's to cause the RSD to spread.....

I'll be in touch.....I'm anxious to see the feedback you get.
Everybody truly cares here!

Best wishes,
Rae

Rae,
Thanks for the info and directing me to the SCS forum where I have posted a new thread. I'm new to all of this and don't totally understand how it all works. I'm not a youngster and am posting on behalf of my son (33 yrs). To complicate matters his CRPS is the direct result of a work related injury, therefore another layer of #$%^&*%#@ to deal with. Again, thanks for the info and hope things work out well for you.

Al

[krank]

I decided to do an scs trial after a year of having this beast. I believe my situation is kind of unique. I have rsd in my right ankle, foot, and spread into my calf. I have trouble with vibrations. Anything vibrating will cause my foot to go crazy. So when I received the implant my foot pain increased and the foot turned purple. By the end of the week I couldn't wait to get it out of me. I am looking in to a pain pump now and my pm doctor wants to do another 5 epidurals. I am not sure what I want to do. It's a huge step in any direction because of the unpredicability of this demon. Any invasive procedure has its risks. I really can't tell you whether to try it or not. I know it didn't work for me and I am on a pile of meds to get through the day. I hate being so toxic. I truly hope that you will find what works for you. I know I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. God Bless krank

[jetjock1]

Al,
I have had CRPS for over 8 years. Four years ago they finally tried a DCS (Dorsal Column Stimulator) on me. I have CRPS in my left arm from a horrendous mountain bike accident (near amputation). So the computer part was put in my hip and the leads were placed in my neck area. It was better than sliced bread, but the problem was that the leads would keep on migrating over to the right, thus sending all the stimulation down my right arm... wrong place. I had 5 revisions to try and fix it. On the last revision, I woke up in recovery and 15 minutes later suffered a stroke. They rushed me into emergency surgery and removed everything. It put me down hard for over a year. I would think about a pain pump before I went to the SCS. I'm just saying. Weigh all of your options carefully. It's invasive and has risks, but then again, everything that has promise to take away the pain seems to be invasive and risky.

[Rrae]

Your testimonies are valuable! More people need to be aware of what you are sharing!

If you haven't already, I'd humbly ask you to jump over to the SCS/Pain Pump forum and let your story be heard! Just click on the link I provided in Big Sky's post

I'm so sorry you've had bad experiences. So much hope are put into these and Dr's are pushing them like never before!

I'll start a thread on what you've shared and maybe more will add to it.

Thank you both!