Hello All,

My wife has RSD and is thinking about installing a spinal cord stimulator. She and I would both appreciate any information and opinion regarding this topic. Thanks.

johnthepainter

Hi John,
Have had a trial for a Stimultor but did not have it inserted. I know there are quite a few people here who will help you out.
Good wishes to your wife and yourself--you sound like the type of Husband everyone would love
Cheers Tayla

Hi John,

I have a scs and a pns (stimulator in my leg) I had them done aobut 3 years and 2 years ago. Love the stims!! Do you or your wife have any specific questions???

Amber

John,
there is info about scs in the thread 'interesting news' that i put through yesterday. it is up to date news and may help you.
also i have a friend i have known for years in CA who has an scs and would not live without it. she recently had to have it replaced and while it was out she was miserable and now she is healing nicely and feels so much better.
good luck, joan

Thank you all for your responses so far. And, I did catch the information on scs in your interesting news post Joan.

We have no specific questions in that both of us have read the usual reviews and medical information available. What we are more interested in, however, is an individualized assessment from those with first hand experience.

johnthepainter

My doctor told me something that made me rethink the whole idea, and Im glad he told me because now the RSD has spread.

He said that it can only work in the one place it is intended to work in, and if the RSD spreads it wont cover the other areas. I dont mean this to discourage you, only to point out its limitations so that you can make an informed decision.

Im glad you are searching for all the info, very wise!

I wish you and your wife luck, and success in dealing with this.

i have 2 scs 1 cervical and one lumbar there are a few very signifigant differences. 1) the crevical one is inside my spinal cord and caused mt rsd do spread. i couldnt swallow (eat) for 8 months and had to have a feeding tube and the rsd jumped into my lower body. 2) the lumbar stim is a stage 4 abs (much better quality) i had no spread problems. the stim units were attached to my nerve roots which means the unit is much more percise and much more efficient. ii only have abs systems but if you have any questions please feel free to fire away. i have experienced most of the pros and cons the scs has to offer.

I would do the stims over and over again!! I loved them for the first 6 mos and then they stopeed working and my doc blamed it on bc i was soo far advanced that the RSD was just going crazy!!

The only down fall i hated from it, was that for the trial( you have to do a trial bfore you have it permanenty put in) you couldnt shower, bend, twist, lift, ect. !! it was nuts.. but got over it..lmao You do have to get used to the way it feels.. and yes it feels better then the pain, but its just weird at first.

The surgey wasnt bad at all!! i think my gallbladder surgery was way worse then the stim surgery!!

WakeGirl.. you are the first i think that also has 2 stims implanted! I have a SCS and a PNS (peripheral nerve stim, in my leg)!! Glad to know im not the only one out there!!


Amber

Dr. Staats noted that most of the literature on SCS is already outdated. "Today, it is very common for physicians to put in 16 contacts, which give 64 million different combinations of electrical stimulation that we can use," he said. It is now known that frequency of electric stimulation, amplitude, number of contact and spacing of contacts can determine treatment outcome, he said. "As we improve our technology and our ability to use electricity, it is likely that we will be able to stimulate and capture some nociceptive pains, but for right now, this is largely used for neuropathic pain. I consider CRPS one type of neuropathic pain and I think most people would agree with me on that."

PART OF THAT THREAD I POSTED ON NEWS ... THIS SAYS THAT 16 CONTACTS CAN BE PUT IN. SO AN UP TO DATE DOC WOULD KNOW THIS AND BE ABLE TO MANGE RSD IN MANY AREAS.

I ALSO HOPE THE INFO I GAVE YOU ON MY FRIEND IN CA HELPS. HER RSD DID NOT SPREAD FROM THE LEADS EITHER.
JOAN