Hi all if i had it to do over again i wouldnt get the scs i am very unhappy with mine it does help the pain some but i am still on the same amount of pain meds that i have always been on since i got to be the proud owner of my rsd. I remember reading everybodys posts before i got mine. Before i got the trial i told the doc that i had alot of scar tissue in my back from two previous surgeries but he said that wont be any problem at all cause i know what i am doing boy i thot what a arrogant attitude cause other doctors i had seen were all concerned about all the scar tissue. then i talked to them about haveing a nero surgeon put it in and was told they dont do it any more antheiogists are putting them all in at the hospital i was going to. well when it came time for the trial and he was trying to put it in i was yelling about how painful it was finally after twenty minutes of this pain i told him to stop i didnt want it i couldnt take it anymore. then he said well i might as well stop i cant bet it past the scar tissue boy that didnt make me feel good then he said well i can put it in this other way that will only hurt a little bit and i asked his how is that and he said thru the cottle and i asked what is a cottle and he said like i was a dumb ** well thats your tail bone so he put it it the tail bone and he was right it didnt hurt and the trial one helped the pain when i went to get the trial out he didnt show up for the appointment and there were about six people there this is a training hospital and they were there to see it removed well only person there that had ever seen one removed was a nurse and she pulled it out was her first but she said she had seen it dont many times ya just pull them out.

Well a week later with more reading about the scs problem i decided i didnt want my generator in the back i thot it would be uncomfortable and hard to charge the batteries so i tried to call him but he doesnt return calls so i had to make a appointment and drive clear down there just to talk to him about where to put the generator and i told him i wanted it up front in between the hip and bellybutton and he said ok. then the day came for the permenant one and when i was getting on the table i told him my tail bone was still hurting from the temp one and he said we will worry about that pain later lets put in this perm one first then he said on u wanted the batteries up front right and i told him yes and he well that is too much work i wil move it up some but not that far it would take longer well now it gets pinched between my hip and ribs just sucks where it is but i guess it is better than in the back boy he is lazy.
well my tail bone is stil hurting and he wants nothing to do with the pain even told me to go away and dont come back said he dont know anything about back pain and what he did didnt cause the pain problem weil it is so obvious that it did ya cant believe a word they say....well since then i had a nero surgeon take it out of the tail bone and reinstall in screwing it to the back bone so the nerve is right on the end of the wire but the tail bone pain is getting worse and i dont have a clue as to how to get it fixed. I would try that pain pump i havetalked to people that have had it and liked it especially after they found the right meds for the best pain relief.........well live and learn...Alan

I had the SCS implanted almost a year ago Nov 2011. The clinical trial wasn't a very good way to assess it because you're so restricted. It seemed to help though so I went forward. Three months out I began having pain in my mid back. I originally decided to go with the SCS because of chronic pain in my lower back and legs for over nine years resulting from an auto accident. I have been on Fentanyl patches, oral morphine and lortab (all at one time) on a daily basis the past nine years. I wanted desperately to not have pain and be off medications at least partially! I wanted to feel normal.

Three months I began to have pain and ignored it because I thought my body was adjusting. after a couple months I believe around five months after surgery the pain was becoming more intense and was daily and now now overshadowing the lumbar pain I have had for the past nine years.
Somewhere around month 8 in July of this year I was on the floor cleaning up an apply juice spill and when I went to get up I felt a burning and sharp pain at the surgical site and a hot, sharp intense pain around my rib. Almost like someone had just taken a knife and sliced around my rib very quickly. After that day the pain was so intense my meds increased and my mobility decreased. Then on some days I dont'know what it is I do but perhaps some form of movement? bending over? whatever causes it I don't know but suddenly my hands up to my elbows go numb and tingle just a bit and my feet up to my knees will go numb. The length of these episodes vary the longest being around nine hours. When this happens the pain is decreased. There is a weakness in my feet and hands when they are numb and I've fallen once during one of these times. When it passes the pain increases in intensity and it's back to the same old story.

I do not know what has happened but at this point I'm ready for removal. I've simply added a new level of pain to my life as if the original lower back pain wasn't enough!! There are days the pain is so much so that I sit and cry till I fall asleep. It has brought me to such a place of depression and hopelessness unable to enjoy my life. It's taken what little sense of worth I had as a mother and wife having so much pain, being a burden on my family and not being able to pull my own weight around the house.

I called my surgeon but they referred me to boston scientific and I"m waiting for a call from them which I have not yet received.
I'm praying and hoping for the best.

After two back surgeries, one with spinal fusion L4 & L5, then stenosis is L3, I continued having back pain to the extent that I could only walk about one block. If I did any activity, such as cleaning my house, I would by bent over double with back pain. Had an MRI, after which neurosurgeon told me additional surgery would be of no use and he suggested I do the trial SCS implant. Trial gave me around 95% pain relief, so went ahead with the permanent implant. Have met with the Boston Scientific tech a couple of times to tweak the settings; but we still don't have them quite right. Will need to work more on the settings to get it to my liking; BUT the pain relief is amazing. Last weekend, I went to an RV Rally at Daytona Speedway and walked around the exhibits - with NO PAIN. I did turn over wrong one night and had a sharp stinging pain around the IPG (battery pack implanted in my hip), but feel that was probably skin or hip tissue stuck to the surgery sight and breaking lose. Stimulation is still working fine. I will see the tech within the next week to have it checked and also do some more tweaking of my four settings. No regrets of having the implant as I can now climb a flight of stairs one foot at a time - where before it was a struggle to make it going both feet per step.

it doesnt go into the bloodstream. try this website for info on the drug pump.

http://www.medtronic.com/our-therapies/drug-pumps/

Was to help knee's down to toes bilateral. It also went to my rear end and private area's. The 10th rate neuro in the country said to just get used to it. My pcp had some words back for him. It has caused it to spread to the areas it wasn't to go to. There are several links to the fact that SCS in severe cases of RSD only works for 3 hours to a few months and then is no longer helpful in all. Will post the links, if it is OK'd at a later date. Sincerely, hear4

hi, my name is Sarah I am 34 years old, i am new to this site. i had a spinal cord stimulator implant put in september 22nd, 2011. It has been now 8 weeks. My history is that i had in 2005, a L5 laminctomy and was left with nerve damage in my right foot, l5 s1. i have been living in constant pain!
The SCS coverage is amazing for my leg and back pain, i have managed to wean off all my meds.
The only problem im having is that I'm suffering severe motion sickness from the stim. we have tried reprogramming 3 times. The doctor and St Jude rep keep saying its because the stomach nerves are getting pulled into the leads.
we reprogramed today two new frequencies and i am hoping that this will stop the nausea. Now that i can finally walk more then 2 city blocks i cant imagine how i have lived 6 years without the implant.
If anyone has experienced nausea as a SCS side effect please write back.
thank you.

I'm hoping more people will see your post because you bring up a very interesting topic. Maybe try starting a new thread down below in the active posting and I bet you'd get good feedback.
Right now, we are up in the 'Sticky' section and I don't think too many people venture up here.
I responded to your post down below and I bet if you start a whole new thread regarding your situation, then more folks will see and respond.

It's so great to have you and I hope you can begin to get some answers soon!

Caring,
Rae

What are the odds of this application becoming a new weight loss surgery?

Instead of lap band surgery--people will go have the "Sarah" implant...

In all seriousness, it sounds great you're getting pain relief, and I hope they can fix your nausea problem!

Thank you, but i really wish this nausea would go away.

Hi Sarah,
I'm so sorry you are still suffering with this nausea.
A few weeks ago you were getting reprogrammed and I was hoping that would help.
What does your Dr say about this?

Congrats on being able to wean off the meds! There's only 1 other person here that I know of who has had success with getting off all meds.
That's amazing!

Rae