Instead of using a saline solution on the Amrex electrodes would it be alright to use conductive gel.

Tdcs
 

Hi,

I could not resist updating a post posted on Sept 28, 2012. In that post
I asked if other users had experience similar to my daughters in regard to
their use of TDCS.

Briefy, she noticed the burning pain would appear to move away from the
area where she was most aware of the pain. In this case along a surgical
incision site. She would have the experience of having that pain move an
inch or so away from the incisison site. As a result the sensetation of pain
would not be felt where the incision point was but would be felt in the other
area. That said, it should be understood occcurance was not a permament
condition, rather the case over time is the burning pain would again be
felt at the incision point but not in the other area.

Long story short I called Doc Fugedy and as it turns out it is not a bad
thing rather a good thing. Without a medical background it is difficult for
me to put in words but I will try. As I understand it she is not experiencing
new pain, rather the case she had the pain both at the incision point and
extending beyond that point. The protocal she was using was S-1 over
the ear. ( Note this is the sensing portion of the brain) Suffice it to say
the bottom line she was indeed affecting her pain level. I guess, and please
understand these are my thoughts at least perception wise she moved the
pain, the pain was gone in that area. ( That is the good thing, in fact a
great thing because it shows something is happening.

So where do we go from here? Not sure, but would like to say
in regard to TDCS. For those who try TDCS, you may or may not be a
responder, you may be a responder to some benefits and not others. Every
one's bodies are so different but it is so important to experiment and to
pay attention to details. :hug:

All fellow tDCS users
 

:)So happy to see we haven't lost touch. It just seemed like no one was using tDCS so we had no info to respond to. I'm happy to see people are still using and hoping for some sort of improvement. I live alone and take care of my grandson only 2 days a week so if there were any noticeable changes I was not aware of there is no one to tell me there is a change. I still to this day do not notice any improvement. Last response with Dr Fugedy was 2 wks ago and he's waiting for something from WHEREVER? lol to this because I've heard 2 diff locations and both involve Europe. So take it with a grain of salt. Which is what I did. If I ever hear from him again I'll be surprised. Take a lesson.
When I use the unit I have 2 rubber head bands one for each pad specially when trying to do this by yourself with only 2 hands it is difficult. One band holds over the ear and one holds over the eye then I use a 3" ace bandage that I cut with velcro at one end. It works perfect to hold it all together once the pads are in place. So right now I'm not doing anything since no other protocol is available at this point. So you just hang in limbo. So to anyone else using tDCS please be happy with any help it may be to you. To those of us it has not helped we'll just keep praying for some other treatment to come along that we can put our hopes into. Hang in there everyone and always know we are all pulling for some each other. Much Luv to All.

I'm sorry to hear that you are not having success Hampster and that you are frustrated with Dr. Fugedy. How many protocols have you tried so far? I think of you and Deb often and I wish that you both had gotten some relief with tdcs. While most of my relief has not been with the pain portion (though the reduction in sensitivity in my hands and arms is something I am SO grateful for), I can confidently say that the other things which tdcs has helped with have contributed greatly to better quality of life and make it so much eaiser for me to get through the day to day stuff. I will keep praying that you and deb both find something that can help you.

Well...tomorrow is the big day...I will be on my way to Disney World in 24 hours. At this time tomorrow I will be on an airplane headed to Orlando. I am still very anxious about dealing with the airport and the plane ride...but arriving at the airport 2 hours before my flight should give me all the time I need to get through it all without too much stress. Excited and anxious...it's quite the combination. I asked for today off work and the request was granted so I have all day to double check to make sure I have all my meds, my "flare kit", tens unit, cane, proper clothing, etc. I put in 72 hours of work from Saturday to Thursday...and I am so tired and hurting...I think I will need the entire day to get moving. Good news though...weather is planned to be highs in the mid 80s, lows in the upper 60s, and no rain for our entire trip. That should be a wonderful change from the temps in the 30s-50s here in chicago.

Wish me luck! I'll report back on how everything goes when I get back.

Hi,

The trip to disney world sounds fun. Be safe, you will have to share when you
get back home. :hug:

Hi. From what I understood meeting with Dr. Fugedy, conductive gels appear to be frowned upon as a little too conductive. Specifically the current is calibrated on the assumption that it will pass through either ("iontophoroetic") drug delivery pads, or sponges soaked in either plain water or saline. In other words, it is assumed there is a certain amount of resistance in the circuit and if you take it away by using conductive gels, as I did once in conjunction with the use of mere EEG electrodes, which a local physician [not at USC] had provided to me - well before the first time I saw Dr. Fugedy - I was able to (1) completely drain the charge out of a 12 volt battery in a second or two, (2) experience a momentary cascade/river of sparks in my head as phosphorous was harmlessly released from my retinas. and (3) become immediately aware of the smell of my own burning skin, immediately under the once-white-but-by-then-golden-brown electrodes.

Finally, and for what it's worth, Dr. Fugedy explained that plain water is becoming preferred to saline, where, for some obscure reason, a saline soaked sponge delivers most of its power around the periphery of its square border, while the sponge soaked in plain water evenly delivers its current over the surface area of the sponge as a whole. (Go figure.)

Hope this is useful.

Mike

Enjoy and be safe
 

I'm sure this trip is well planned and well deserved. Have fun and forget all about RSD as if it did not exist. So happy for you. Much luv,:hug:

Thanks so much for the well wishes everyone!

As expected...the airport/flying was the most trying part of the vacation for me because there is only so much you can do when dealing with the airport, TSA, and the plane. Both O'Hare and MCO had their issues for me...some on departure, some on arrival. At both, however, I got yelled at by the TSA employee for not walking fast enough through the security area. At least the guy in Orlando apologized after I told him I was going as fast as i could and that my walker was on the other side...said he didn't realize. The woman at O'Hare however gave me a hard time after having personally giving me a hard time about my walker (made me put it up on the xray belt and then made me go back to ensure it fit through...it did). Whatever...minor annoyance that was over quickly.

The plane ride itself was (as expected) rough on me but not as bad as it could have been. I did the pre-boarding. This went better on the return flight as they actually boarded me first along with one other person in a wheelchair and helped me with my carry on. On the first flight they just let me board with the first class passengers and so I had to go through all of them (who were much faster getting on than me...several passing me in the tunnel to get onto the plane). I also had to take care of my own bag and put it in the overhead bin...all of which was difficult while trying to use a cane and get to my seat which was pretty far back. Of course...after landing I had the reverse situations. My first flight the attendent INSISTED on taking my bag for me out of the plane until I got to my walker...very nice woman. On the return flight the attendents were busy talking to one another so i was trying to get my bag out of the overhead bin before any of them noticed me. Then when they did, the woman who got it out asked if I needed help getting it out of the plane and when I said thank you, that would be great, she told me she couldn't because she had her own bag. Then I guess she noticed the cane and said she would figure it out some how. Oh well...such is life...in the end it all worked out fine and was much better than it could have been.

Disney itself was just fine. I've been many times and so knew which rides I absolutely NEEDED to skip and which ones were worth TRYING. Thankfully I only had one really bad flare the entire trip when we were at Universal for their Halloween Horror Nights event. I had ridden something earlier and it was fine but the second time I got a terrible flare in my left arm. It was the last thing we did before leaving...but it was a LONG walk to the car and since I couldn't use my left arm to push off on the walker, my ankle was in a flare by the time we got to the car and the pain in my arm had travelled from my hand to my shoulder. I was a mess. But since using tDCS (well...a couple of months in anyway) my flares rarely last longer than a day. By the next morning my hand/arm was fine and my ankle was tolerable...just took it easy...spent the day mostly eating.

Disney and Universal were both wonderful to me with the walker. I only ran into one or two minor issues with accessibility and I think that was just due to the people being new (seemed like a lot of people were going through training while we were there). Honestly...the biggest issue I encountered that I hadn't expected was using the walker on some of the uneven pavement/bricks at various parks. It looks awesome and all but the way it made the walker vibrate was painful. Once it happened a couple of times I just sought different routes (along sidewalks, through stores, etc) to avoid these areas.

Being in the large crowds was something I was afraid of but mostly it worked out. People generally gave me space because of the walker and I only had a could of instances where people walked into it or bumped it during the whole week. Having the seat (and a padded on at that) with me at all times was a godsend in some of the lines as well...not to mention the little basket to hold my drinks or whatever so I didn't need to carry a bag with me. Because of the walker, I didn't need to try and explain my condition or needs to anyone at the parks or anywhere else...it made my invisible condition visible at least to some extent.

Anyway...overall a very good trip and I look forward to my next one. Feels good to know that I can do it. I cannot forget about my condition, or ignore it and my physical needs, but so long as you go prepared and with a plan (and expectations set at the appropriate level) then it's all good. I went in knowing what my limits were and prepared for the possibility that I wouldn't be able to do everything I wanted. it was hard to see some of my favorite rides and to know I couldn't do them...but I knew it wasn't worth it to make myself miserable and cause myself so much physical pain...just have to live with fond memories of those things and be happy with all the other things I can do.

I don't think I could have done this before tDCS...that one flare would have likely put me out for the whole trip but since tDCS my flare periods have gone down substantially...lasting only a day instead of a week (assuming I treat them appropriately of course).

So...hoping for another trip in April that will go even better with my first experience under my belt. thanks again everyone for your well wishes and advice!

For those who have the Activa Dose 2 what settings are you using for tdcs? I see on the device where it says Dose: mA x min, Time: min: sec, and Current: mA. I am thinking that the Current needs to be set at 2mA and the time to 20 minutes but what does the Dose: mA x min need to be set at? Would it be 40.0 mA since I am doing 2mA for 20 minutes?

Yes...the total dose would be 40.

Thanks for the help Catra121. Do you happen to use the Amrex sponge electrodes? If so, after using them what kind of maintaince care do you perform on them? Is it alright for me to just rinse them out with regular tap water and let them air dry? Or should I take the sponges out from the plastic housing and then wash and dry them?

I just let them air dry. They seem to have held up really well. I bought several extra sponges but I am still using the same ones I did when I started.

not sure 100% about the dose
 

Hi. Your advise, while appropriate, is however specific to the use of "the protocol."

My use is under the supervision of a "medical psychiatrist," essentially an "interventional psychiatrist." (Although now largely a psycho-pharmacologist, he had put in his time as an editor of J ECT a number of years ago.) And before I had met Dr. Fugedy, my psychiatrist had started me out at 3 mA over 20 minutes on the dominant motor cortex: for a total dose of 60 mA x min. On my own, I increased the dose to 4 mA over the same period of time, and in short order had pronounced remission of my most frustrating manifestations of sympathetic dysfunction: myocardial small vessel constriction, which, after causing me non-specific acute chest pain for perhaps 5 - 6 years, had (1) shown up for the last couple of years on MRI cardiac profusion studies and (2) after having been previously responsive to nitroglycerin tablets had recently become "refractory" to nitro, on account of which I had been briefly admitted to a local hospital through the ER in late March for acute chest pain even though it was clear by that point - following a 12-hour troponin study - that I wasn't having an MI, until a cardiologist could read an ultrasound study to determine that my aorta was okay, whereupon I was discharged.

But the problem remained: based on my symptoms there was no way anyone could rule out an MI in the event of future acute chest pain, which seemed to foretell a number of 12+ hour trips to the local ER.

So enter tDCS and the chest pain - along with some pretty significant edema in my ankles - vanished!

But about a month later I saw Dr. Fugedy, who while expanding to domain of stimulation to include my dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex [at F-3] in an attempt to off-set some of the cognitive effects of CRPS, pulled my back to 2 mA all the way around because that was the dose level on which the safety studies had been run. The only problem was that the chest pain and edema returned almost immediately. So with the blessing of my local doctor I increased the dose back to 4 mA over 20 minutes - or a total dose of 80 - while keeping the power level in front at 2 mA, where it seemed to be working just fine.

All that was well and good until about a week ago, when both the chest pain and the edema suddenly returned. I had the thought of possibly switching the motor cortex stimulation to the other hemisphere, but wanted to confirm that with my doctor, who was in total agreement, suggesting that I had developed an "accommodation" to stimulation at M-1. So I switched to M-2, still at 4 mA, and both issues resolved at once.

Bottom line: there was a reason why I personally held out on tDCS until I could use it under the supervision of a physician with some real understanding of neuro-physiology. This way, when the evidence indicates that "the protocol" isn't working for me, I am far more comfortable in bringing modifications to bear. In this case, doubling the suggested dose.

But having stuck my neck out, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

For what it's worth . . .

Mike

That is all very good to know, Mike. I have to admit that it never would have even occurred to me to increase the dosage. I agree that it shouldn't be done without the supervision of a doctor...but I am glad to know that it has been working for you. I still get chest pains but they are MUCH less frequent than they were and only come now along with a really bad pain flare (which are also much less frequent now).

Hi,

Thank you for sharing. I have a lot of questions but a little pressed for
time right now so I will say more later. As usual your posts always
deliver with thought provoking information. Meanwhile good luck in
your continued use with TDCS. :hug:

Thanks
 

Hello all,

I've been watching this space with great interest after reading about the use of tDCS for depression and cognitive dysfunction. After much research I have purchases the ActivaDose and associated bits and pieces and am experimenting with tDCS on F3 and Fpz (cathode).

I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to ballerina, catra121 and everyone else who has posted here, as I would have been unable to treat myself using this device in Australia if I had not have been lucky enough to come across this forum. I hope that you all find a solution that works for you - and if anyone has any questions about tDCS protocol feel free to get in touch. Though having said that I am experimenting with it as a treatment for depression and am not familiar with its use for treating chronic pain.

Thanks again and good luck everyone.

Hi,

Welcome, to the site and the best of luck to you on your journey with TDCS.
Although the conditions being treated may differ in name some of the electrode placements will be the same. For example my daughter used
the F3 placement for the emotional pain from RSD, another member of this
site used it to restore cognitive functioning. I had noted during the period
my daughter was treating she had less difficulty if finding the right words to use during conversations.

Please don't be shy about sharing your experiences. We would all love to
hear from you. There is every reason to expect better things when it comes
to TDCS, newer protocols are being worked on, newer types of units which
solve some of the problems with the traditional units etc. :grouphug:

Thanks Joydee for the encouraging reply! It was really nice to hear from you. I've had a lot of success with the protocol I have been doing for the past month. I put the anode at F3 and the cathode just above my right eyebrow, for 20 minutes, 2mA, 5 days per week.

I've noticed a remission in my depression, equivalent to what I have experienced with antidepressants, but without any of the awful side effects.

I've also noticed that I think much more clearly and I seem to find words much easier. I used to talk very slowly - now I'm able to talk at the rate of a normal person.

Happy to hear others's stories and grateful to those of you who've shared thus far!

I am amazed by this thread! I have not heard of this treatment before, so immediately had to search for research articles. This one from NIH states that the results are "promising". I'll have to have a talk with my PM about it. Thanks for all the info!

NIH article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20336445

Aloha,
Jenny

That is GREAT news! I am so happy to hear that you are having success with tDCS.

substantive material re tDCS and "brain fog" [moved from other thread]
 

It occurs to me that the bulk of the materiel I posted in my reply to Vrae in the memory loss and confusion in crps thread belongs here, so I'm cutting it out of that post and am instead putting in a link top this one.

Picking up with the feasibility and relative lack of financial burden in using anodal tDCS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as a treatment for CRPS induced cognitive impairment:

. . . You could easily get set up with everything you need by way of equipment for just under $400 and with a pain doc/psychiatrist prescribing a brief starting course of Seromycin, along with maybe a weekly booster thereafter (and perhaps one or two other psycho-pharmacologic meds for good measure) there's an excellent chance of controlling at least the cognitive side-effects of your CRPS.

But before I launch too far into the specifics of the medical literature in hopes of encouraging your further exploration of the subject, here's some information of a more general nature that I didn't share above.

First of all, you should be aware that the most important site in the country (world?) for tDCS research is that of the Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA. And the names of two of its principals, who are among the most respected neuroscientists in the country/world, keep popping up a lot in the literature: Alvaro Pascual-Leone and Felipe Fregni. And there's an incredible amount of valuable information on that site. And then, for something completely different, you may want to check out a quick over-view on the impact on a reporter’s immediate sense of a shift in her conscious awareness - specifically dramatically improved concentration and the cessation of internal chatter - Better Living Through Electrochemistry, Sally Adee, Feb. 9, 2012, The Last Word On Nothing.

That out of the way, and to get on with it, from just the freely available "open access" but peer reviewed literature, and by way of example, I offer the following:

Enhancement of planning ability by transcranial direct current stimulation, Dockery CA, Hueckel-Weng R, Birbaumer N, Plewnia C, J Neurosci. 2009 Jun 3;29(22):7271-7;

Transcranial direct current stimulation augments perceptual sensitivity and 24-hour retention in a complex threat detection task, Falcone B, Coffman BA, Clark VP, Parasuraman R, PLoS One 2012; 7(4):e34993 Epub 2012 Apr 12;

Task-specific effects of tDCS-induced cortical excitability changes on cognitive and motor sequence set shifting performance, Leite J, Carvalho S, Fregni F, Gonçalves ÓF, PLoS One 2011;6(9):e24140 Epub 2011 Sep 1;

Facilitate insight by non-invasive brain stimulation - A commentary on Enhancement of planning ability by transcranial direct current stimulation, Chi RP, Snyder AW, PLoS One 2011 Feb 2;6(2):e16655;

Manipulating executive function with transcranial direct current stimulation - A commentary on Enhancement of planning ability by transcranial direct current stimulation, Smith DV, Clithero JA, Front Integr Neurosci. 2009 Oct 8;3:26;

Improved proper name recall in aging after electrical stimulation of the anterior temporal lobes, Ross LA, McCoy D, Coslett HB, Olson IR, Wolk DA, Front Aging Neurosci. 2011;3:16. Epub 2011 Oct 12;

Polarity-dependent transcranial direct current stimulation effects on central auditory processing, Ladeira A, Fregni F, Campanhã C, Valasek CA, De Ridder D, Brunoni AR, Boggio PS, PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e25399. Epub 2011 Sep 23.; and

Transcranial direct current stimulation of the prefrontal cortex modulates working memory performance: combined behavioural and electrophysiological evidence, Zaehle T, Sandmann P, Thorne JD, Jäncke L, Herrmann CS, BMC Neurosci. 2011 Jan 6;12:2.

Finally, here's one on the concurrent use of Seromycin (cycloserine):

Consolidation of human motor cortical neuroplasticity by D-cycloserine, Nitsche MA, Jaussi W, Liebetanz D, Lang N, Tergau F, Paulus W, Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004 Aug; 29(8):1573-8.

I hope these materials will be of greater value in a new home: to the extent I'm not repeating myself. (And in that case, my apologies.)

Mike

tDCS device out, CRPS in [redux]
 

For the third time in six months, my Activa Dose II Controller Ionto device failed on me Sunday night, probably because I'm pushing the envelope just a bit, although not as aggressively as before: now using 2 mA for anodal stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex @ "F3" and 3 mA directed towards the dominant motor cortex @ "M1," both for 30 min./day. (With "lower extremity" pain, I was advised from the start not to expect too much in terms of pain control, and that about sums it up.)

As I've previously mentioned, the stimulation @ M1 worked wonders for my symptoms of "sympathetic dysrhythmia," primarily edema and myocardial small vessel constriction that not only had ceased to respond to nitroglycerin but had shown up for the last 2 years running in nuclear MRI blood profusion studies, while the treatment @ F3 was doing wonders for my verbal speed and word recall and though by no means a cure was greatly helping to control the "brain fog" associate with the "loss of executory function," disorganization, etc.

While the machine was sent back the next morning and a new one is being ordered as a back-up in any event, I don't expect to have a machine in hand until - realistically - the middle of next week: where I only got around to pleading with my doctor to buy a spare for ASAP delivery on Thursday night.

Just to chart what's happened in the interim, by the second or third day off the unit, I was completely unable to keep my focus, flitting from task to task with little or nothing getting done. By Thursday - 4 days into it - I could feel a real problem with delayed word recall. And finally, late Friday night, I became aware of significant edema in both ankles, on account of which I've had to hit the Lasix/Rx potassium supplement combo for the first time in maybe as long as six months!

Bottom line: Ballerina had a profound insight when she realized that tDCS could be valuable when utilized as a maintenance therapy for CRPS. It's just that it doesn't work so well when it's not working. (Go figure.) So, from this point out I'm going to be keeping a spare around. (And at $280, it seems worth the money.)

In any event, I just wanted to chart the time(s) of symptom re-occurrence for whatever value it might have for anyone else.

Be well all,
Mike

Thanks for all the info, Mike.

No problem. And FYI, the fun was only beginning where the pain became incredibly intense Saturday evening - certainly the worst since my last "device failure - on account of which I suspect there's some rebound mechanism in play.

But then it occurred to me, when I started tDCS in earnest, last July or so, I began to have nasty headaches that went on for weeks, until I did some checking an found out the Dextromethorphan HBr (DM) I had used with good results for some time along with a potentiator - brand name Nuedexta - was seriously interfering with the brain plasticity required for successful tDCS, something that can be helped along with small doses of the prescription antibiotic Seromycin (cycloserine).

In any event, where the pain was just OUT OF CONTROL early Saturday evening, with all the Schedule II resources available to me, I realized that I just had to grab the Nuedexta/DM combo and I should be fine. And half an hour later, I was! (And so could briefly go out to dinner with my family.) Now, 9 hours later, having stayed up way, way too late to get out a difficult email to one of my kids' doctors, I'm somewhat cross-eyed from the DM. But it's a small price to pay, really. And once the replacement tDCS devive come in next week, I'll just take a couple of Seromycin over a 24-hour period before I fire up the machine. at which point I should be right as rain. (Here's hoping in any event.) :winky:

Mike

Glad you've got that pain under control!! Maybe a little champagne tonight may really do a number on the pain!! ;) Have a Happy New year. :)

So much info
 

You are a wealth of info just like Ballerina. I haven't been on this thread for some time now since having failed getting any improvement from the tDCS regement. So I have a machine collecting dust if you'd like it. If you don't mind my asking, where is your main pain and who follows you? Where are you getting the Seromycin from? What is your nuedextra? I never heard of that as a treatment. Did you hook up with Doc Fugedy to begin with? That's where I started, I'm not sure if you were on this thread at the time I was going thru the test runs of his treatment schedule. I wonder if your doc gave him the idea for the seromycin. Anyway, my friend and I were a complete failure of the treatment neither of us had any improvement from the treatment and we are now just lost causes to Doc Fugedy. He's never called to see how we are and he's never followed up. Some way to operate. I for one am very disillusioned in the tDCS catagory. So glad to see there are some people making headway in the tDCS catagory. So glad you can get some relief one way or another. I know for awhile another person on here was writing about her success (Catra), but I don't see that she's written much lately. I hope she's doing well. Good luck to you Mike and please keep us all up to date. Happy New Year.

I have been doing very well for the most part Hampster...thanks! I've just been very busy with this being the holiday season at work (retail). We've been working 6 day work weeks and I've just been terribly exhausted and only posting here and there where I felt like I really had something to add to the discussion. Just had a really bad flare on Christmas when I got careless and opened a gift without my gloves, grabbed it full on in my right hand, and it was ICE COLD metal from being in the car. My whole hand swelled up, arm went into a flare, fingers clawed...it was the worst I have been in a LONG time. Flare lasted about 2 days but then I was basically back to normal. I've been trying to be careful and at the same time pushing myself way too hard at work. So I get minor flares here and there but they don't last very long usually as long as I treat them with Lidoderm patch, hot bath, and ultrasound (not all at the same time obviously...lol).

I'm still doing one tdcs treatment a day...though I admit to missing one here and there depending on my work schedule. Now that Christmas is over I should be able to get back on a more regular routine.

just sent the following email to my wife and docs, no reason not to go public
 

Was driving to an appt. w/ Dr. Richeimer and realized I was impaired before I got to the bottom of [my street], turned around and came home. Whereupon I called USC to reschedule my appointment and am calling [my shrink]'s office now in order to discuss my medications and find out what God's friggin name is going on with the delivery of the tDCS device. Assume it's just a transient (I) being off the tDSC (2) lack of sleep and (3) the interaction of dextromethorphone HBr (DM) with all my other meds.

FYI

Mike

important correction to my last
 

None of what I wrote should be read to gainsay tDCS. But we have to recognize it - like so many treatments for so many ailments is is commitment for the long run or until some thing better comes along - and therefore treat it with the respect it deserves, e.g., having back-up units immediately available!

And as to the failure, of the Activa II, I had blown another one using more current than I had of late, but where I personally blew it was not taking Dr. Fugedy's personal advice to stop using it, wait for the remission of symptoms, and then resume use until achieving remission again and so forth, until I figured out a pattern of days of days-on-and-off going with it henceforth.

That said, the suggested pattern might only prolong the inevitable failure of the unit, if used at even slightly higher than the recommended levels, even though the device is calibrated to produce higher output.

As such, on the next go-round, once I achieve remission (please) I'm planning to titrate down by first reducing the current and/or delivery time, to see if this old guy can resume "stasis," and taking things from there.

Mike

I really would like to try this. I just cannot wrap my head around all the pages and pages of info here though.

I go back to my neuro next week, and would love to take the RSDA newsletter to him, and see what he thinks about this. I cannot afford the meds I used to take, and am finding myself in a dark hole...

Can my neuro contact any doctor to get more info? What would I need to give him to get this started?

mike - I hope you figure out what is going on! Big hugs, friend!

daylil,
 

Your neuro may be able to get info from Dr Fugedy of Atlanta pain doctors.com Brain Stim Clinic in Atlanta Ga. He's the go to doc if you want to buy unit and treat at home. He charges a fee because he's the oncall doc to follow your progress and make changes when something doesn't work. He may be willing to talk to your doc to avoid you having to go to him. My friend and I went to Atlanta and went thru the process of treatment with tDCS and it did nothing for us. That's not to say it won't work for you. There are people on here that it does help so do all you can to get whatever works for you. I have a unit for sale if anyone wants it. You'll need new pads but that's the easy part. Good luck in your search and by all means have your doc call Dr Fugedy. You could also write to him at (Dr.Fugedy@Gmail.com) see if he'll write back.

To those who have been active in this thread, I'm just arriving. Lots of info to digest.

I think I remember reading somewhere that you could make your own tCDS unit. Is this true? I feel like someone posted instructions on how to do this on a thread I read in the past. I think it was this one, but of course I have the RSD brain fog so I can't remember. Maybe it was a whole different therapy and you can't build your own?!

Anyway, if anyone can point me in the direction of where in the thead there are instructions (or links to them), that'd be immensely helpful. I started reading through all the posts, but with 48 pages of them... well, thought I might ask for a bit of direction from y'all ;)

I'm curious to try tCDS because I've had amazing luck with Frequency Specific Microcurrent. After my first session I was able to be on my feet for 6 hours at a party without pain -- unheard of, because I can't even stand long enough to brush my teeth without pain usually. It gives me amazing relief, but sessions are $165 and not covered by my insurance (there are providers who charge less, but not in my area).

I'm also curious: can someone explain to me how tCDS has helped them? Is it mainly for helping cognitive improvement, or does it also reduce your pain level/ability to function in day-to-day life?

(sorry to be that annoying person who is overwhelmed by 48 pages and so I'm asking questions that have probably already been answered)

I'm very sorry, and personally disappointed, that it has not helped you. I'd like to suggest that you not give up entirely, but keep your unit and try later... that seems to have be beneficial for some folks. If you really want to sell your unit, I might be interested in buying it. Can you tell me about it?

Sorry, my messsage was for Hampster63. Please keep trying! (And keep me in mind if you really decide to sell your device.)

Hi,

If memory serves me I recall there was a post from an undividual who had attempted to build his own TDCS unit. I do not know the background of
this individual, his training, how the unit worked for him but one thing can be
said. One would have to have an extensive techinical background. Please
understand the units on the market have been created by individuals with
this kind of background working with the medical profession. The units on
the market have built in safety checks. Keep in mind with TDCS you are
dealing with electricity and the brain and without that knowledge it can
be dangerous to attempt to create your own TDCS unit. Just some
thoughts. I will also respond to your additional post in another posting. Blessings

Hi,

The short answer is no, while TDCS does help to restore executive functioning,
that particlar electrode placement is not excusive to that function, applications to
the prefontal cortex F3 ( left) F4 Right is also used to treat emotional pain as
well as physical pain. There are several protocols used in TDCS. It is rare for any
one individual to respond to all protocals. In fact you may not be a responder at
all. You may only respond to one or two protocols as well.

TDCS is not a one size fits all, each TDCS's users body is different and because
they are different there are varying experiences depending upon what protocol
a response is had. Likewise the time line or length of time involved before one
does experience a benefit varies with each individual. It is time consuming but
only in reading through the entire thread can you gain insights. Just read a little
at a time. Hope this helps. Blessings

For me...tDCS has helped with some things and not with others. Things that have improved for me with use of tDCS:

1. Pain flares less often.
2. Pain flares last a shorter amount of time (one day vs. days or weeks).
3. Sleep went from only getting 3 hours a night with meds to now 6-8 without meds (HUGE).

I did not rely ONLY on tDCS as a treatment but since beginning it's use my balance has also improved a little (which I think is mostly due to the physical therapy and increased activity since returning to work but tDCS may have played a part as well).

Things that have not improved with use of tDCS:

1. Pain levels (flares are less often but the daily pain is the same and rises at the same triggers).
2. Hypersensitivity to touch and cold.
3. Ability to concentrate (never tried a protocol for this specifically though...may try in future).

Overall I would say that tDCS has been HUGE for me in taking back a more normal life. The increased amount of sleep and fewer flare and flares that last only a day are big deals to me for increasing my ability to function. That, however, has been my primary focus with ALL of my treatment plans for tDCS in the past 2 years...to target symptoms and the things that were preventing me from FUNCTIONING as a normal person. I still need a walker and have limitations...but I am back to work and living a "normal" life again. Prior to starting tDCS I was just beginning to get back on my feet after being in a wheelchair for almost a year.

Take care and good luck.

She was stumped?
 

She should be paying you! The difference between TENs and direct current stim. is direct current. TENs is intermittent current. You could burn your skin with it and it is the continuous current for twenty minutes that stimulates the frontal lobe. My little machine ramps up then times your session. It turns off automatically after twenty minutes and aborts immediately if you are getting too much current (because of too much pressure on the electrode). I am still getting use to the device. TMS is $7,000; insurance does not pay for it, and you may have to repeat it. Only offered in a clinic. Plus, it is unpleasant (sounds like an MRI) and each session lasts an hour.

Unit from foc.us - any opinions?
 

I discovered this thread while looking for help with my chronic depression - I do not have RSD or CRPS.

However I am very interested in TDCS as a treatment for my depression.

I subscribed to the mailing list of a company called GoFlow who were working on a direct-to-consumer TDCS device, but in the last week or so received an email from them saying they were winding up - and referring interested parties to another company,*edit*

It's marketed as a video game performance enhancing device, but I am hoping that by using the optional extension kit, I can use it to direct current to the relevant parts of my brain.

It has received some criticism, but I'm still optimistic. Has anyone here come across it? I'd be interested to hear others' opinions, but in any case, if TDCS does help RSD then maybe this might be of interest to others to investigate ...

looks like it won't even START shipping until next month, so don't know when I'll get my unit. I intend to do some regular cognitive tests to make sure that at the least I am not harming any cognitive abilities I can readily test, although as I mentioned, I'm primarily interested in this device for its possible mood enhancing properties.