Have a couple questions that may seem silly but...
Is there anyone else who has the battery placed under arm pit by bra line??
AND 2 -
What made some of you choose to go with a rechargeable battery ?? Was it the size?
I read how some others have issues with area being warm/hot after recharging and wonder why they went with that kind rather then one that is in and stays in no recharge but has to be replaced after 10-12 years? Was it just the size??????? or were there other major factors that swayed you choice???? or were you like me and there was no choice???
Thanks for putting up with my goofy questions.
Prayers and PEACE to the room and readers.
BMW

Not at ALL goofy, my dear precious friend.......(i am so glad i met you )

You are case in point to what I've been saying to several people regarding how there are always new friends around every corner! When I found out you had a SCS and had the opportunity to read your testimony in your other thread, it blew my mind!
You are a true trailblazer here, because this particular forum is pretty new, and your SCS is unique to what the majority here are familiar with!

I encourage EVERYone to read your testimony!

To answer your question: in my case......i simply was NOT given a 'choice'. I'm a bit disappointed in how my Dr handled this from the get go.
Like you indicated, there was NO options discussed as far as which model I would like to know about, or which company I would like to learn about....NONE of that! Evidentally, my local hospital must have a contract with Medtronics and that's all they deal with. I live in a rural area, so I'm thinking we get what we get. period! I'm seeing that the advantage to living in more of an urban area, there is more to choose from.

And the fact that I was in so much pain and in such a vulnurable state of being desperate for pain relief, I just followed along like a little puppy to the place I was told to be at the appointed time and it was a rushed thing. The Dr simply was too 'busy' with 'supply and demand' that he just handed me a DVD to look over, and say yes or no regarding going thru with the procedure!
And it was all being thrown at me so quickly and I was so 'new' to even having to accept that this was really the route I was going to have to go if I wanted a chance of relief.

As a matter of fact, now that you bring this up, I am going to ask my Dr at my 'tweek session' in a couple weeks WHY they don't give us the option of the non-rechargable. I'll be anxious to see what he says and i'll post back to your thread to let you know.

I'm VERY interested in what others will have to say.....
I hope others will weigh in on this, as you posted a VERY good question!!

So, bottom line (in my case anyway,,,,like you, there WAS no choice!)

Hi BMW- Well, you know I don't even have one yet, but think I am getting close. Anyway, the doc [pain doc] and the doc [surgeon] have both spoken in my case of alternative products, and the surgeon has implanted all versions now on the market with good success in his practice.

Although I have not yet known the sensation of transdermal recharge, I do know when I apply charge to my pre-surgery dermal unit [ANDME Interferential Stimulator- kind of a tens unit on steroids] it becomes definitely warm to the touch. Thus, I guess, charging a unit although internal, there may likely be some heat sensation. You have definitely provided me a question to ask of my doctors since I am arriving at the moment of truth [well, still waiting for a surgical Trial date].

I hope you find good and helpful solutions for your situation!! Prayers with you,

Mark56

I had the same experience-however I dont think where you live matters. Certain Drs have" ins "with different manufactures-Some use Medtronic others Boston scientific etc. I also was given no choice-knew nothing at the time and was desperate.Hope this helps-Carol

Hi! I had mine implanted in April 09. My doctor told me of both batterys none rechargable and rechargable. I was told the nonrechargable may last a couple years depending on how often and the intesity you use it. I was told the rechargable has a life of 7-10 years. I went with the rechargable because I wanted less surgery to replace it. I have had two additional surgerys to move my battery and repair it from a fall. I was told he would change it if I was to sensitive to charge it. But I chose to keep it and use a lidoderm patch under the charging unit. My site is very sore and they said it is a good possibility that I have RSD in the site because of major damage from a fall. It does make the skin a little warm during charging but not like hot. My rep and doctor was very helpful and gave me choices even on the lead I would use. They had a smaller one but I choose the larger longer one that would give me coverage from toes to under shoulder blades so if my back was hurting later they could just turn it on. I loved my initail visits and the first surgery experience. I felt everyone was real helpful. This last fall I had I had trouble reaching my rep to meet with my doctor but we finally worked it out. Good luck with yours.

I too was not given a choice about brands or types. My doc originally told me it would depend on my use of my trial unit. Since then I have had 2 other units installed and 1 new set of leads due to a fall. My doc has actually asked me to research boston units (I have a medtronic unit) and let him know about what I think.
Yes my device site will get warm at times but I have found this is worse if I let the battery get more run down and have to charge it for longer periods of time.
Hope this helps

I am learning some things here on the re chargeable type battery...I have the kind that dose not recharge so Thank you everyone for replying.

I now am confused about when most of you feel is the best time to recharge?

I always thought the best way for battery to work is to drain the power fully and then recharge...I mean for lap tops, cell phone and batteries out side of the body we use for other things.
So for those who have rechargeable types... when do you Feel is the best time to recharge? I use the word feel . pointing to the fact if you charge longer it feels warmer.. as I get the picture for most that it how it has been.
and then wonder if doing it that way is wearing out the battery quicker
Even tho it is rechargeable.They still will have to be replaced at some point?????????????

Thanks for helping me become a bit more smarter and for sharing any info. I may have option to get rechargeable type when I have this one replaced. not sure if I will yet tho .
Low pain and positive thoughts to the room and readers.
PEACE
BMW

I have my battery placed on my right side. If you were to draw an imaginary line from my belly button over to my right side, it would be an inch or so higher than that. I have the rechargeable one. I am paranoid to let it go down too far because it can only be "jump started" once. I am told if it drains completely a second time, it would need to be replaced with a new battery. Medtronics told me to recharge when it got to about 1/4 left of battery so I don't believe you have to wait until it's low on battery life to recharge. I personally recharge between 1/4 - 1/2. I find that it takes about anywhere from 1 - 1 1/2 hours to recharge. I tend to do it either when watching one of my weekly nighttime shows or when I'm on the computer. I do have to be mindfull to watch my movement as the more bars you have the quicker it will charge. (Like a phone and the number of bars for better reception.) I find that after 1 1/2 hours it does start getting uncomfortable with warmth and just an overall feeling of "weirdness". (Great terminology I know!) I don't quite know how to explain it other than I feel this need to stop. As far as the life of the battery that I have, I believe it is about 10 years.

I hope that helps a little bit. Hang in there!

Medtronics emphasizes several times in the manual to NOT let the battery get too low....
Here's a Quote from the Manual: "It is critical that you charge your neurostimulator battery BEFORE the battery is overDIScharged...charge the battery when you see the low battery icon on the screen of the patient programmer or recharger; this prevents the battery from overdischarging. If the neurostimulator battery is allowed to overdischarge, charging is not possible; however, the clinician may be able to restore the battery function

I was instructed to recharge when battery shows half empty.
This makes for shorter recharging sessions. Also, if your SCS is 'ON' while charging, it will take longer to charge. I usually turn mine off and at half tank it takes approx 1 1/2 hours. If I am in pain and leave it on while charging, it takes about 2 hours.

Allowing the NS battery to overdischarge will permanently affect the NS in one of the following ways:
1) Battery function is restored, however charging sessions may be more frequent because battery capacity has been reduced.
2) Battery function is NOT restored and the NS must be surgically replaced because the battery has become permanently damaged.
3) The NS battery has been overdischarged and restored twice before (by a clinician). The 3rd time the battery is overdischarged, the neurostimulator will reach end of service.
Surgery is required to replace the Neurostimulator.

I'm not sure what the other company's instructions are.

Yes, the rechargable NS will need to be re-placed at some point regardless of how well the battery is kept charged.
Several factors are involved regarding the life of the battery....
If you run it 24/7, of course it will have a shorter life.
If you generally have the pulse width/rate set higher, it will use up the battery quicker....

I have dual leads and have the Parameter (Amplitude) usually between 4-7.
I have the pulse width (rate) usually around 50. when it is set to anything below 40, I don't like the 'thumping' feeling it makes. The faster the rate, the smoother the stimulation. And of course, the faster the rate, the quicker the battery drains.

Because of the fact that I have dual leads, have the smallest unit, and run it at a pretty high rate, I have to recharge approx once every 3 days. I know that seems like a lot. But I don't like letting the battery get below 1/2 because the charging sessions will end up taking over 3 hours.
According to the manual, it's ok to partially charge and interrupt the charge session if necessary.
The main emphasis is NOT to let the battery drain all the way down.

By reading all this, it seems as tho it's a major hassle.....but when weighing this against the cost of enduring the pain......it's no big deal. I used to spend this amount of time curled up in a ball in bed in pain wishing I wouldn't wake up!! It has become a part of my routine and to me, it's worth it because of the amount of pain it covers (in my case approx 70%)......breakthru meds are on hand to fill in the gaps and for the most part, I can be completely pain free.
But yeah. it's a commitment, that's for sure.

OH YEAH! Don't forget! the Neurostimulator 'Charger' ALSO has to be 'charged' via battery (AAA's I think) if you don't have it plugged into an electrical outlet. The patient programmer also requires batteries as well.
.......... crazy huh!

After reading this, you may just want to stick with the NON rechargable!
I try to have it turned off during the nights as long as possible, sometimes I wake up in pain and turn it back on.

hugs to all
Rae

Wow, you all are SO openly helpful to me as I contemplate the process and follow on use of the stim unit. I am looking at the rechargeable unit and just have figured I would have to integrate the charging process into life as I have with the interferential stim unit I now GUM [is this where someone thinks, EWwww..... ]to my bod. I have to charge the thing after about 4 hours use, so as I look toward the implant and the notion of doing away with the gummy electrodes, the feet long leads which catch on everything and the generator which is like a 1970s calculator [think large], I am catching on to the notion of concern about battery life and charging.

I do appreciate the SHARING, and I hope the pain management with SCS continues to equate to a big positive for you all!!

Mark56