Hi Emelie-

Just wanted to let you know, if you need the info, there is an active and growing group of folks here who have and are pursuing implant for face pain. A thread started on this is here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread124048.html

Cheryl aka Calewark is undergoing surgery for her permanent implant this next Thursday, the 5th.

You are strong, going through all of the pain, the Trial and then the Permanent implant, followed on by your sharing here for the sake of others! May you be borne up with hopes and prayers for healing so that your three month "healing in" process goes by well and quickly. Here's hoping your success is complete!

Oh, and hey, we are throwing a party tonight in the Chat room accessed up at the upper right side of the screen. A posting regarding the times depending on your time zone can be found under the SCS & Pain Pump sub forum. Cheryl and Burntmarshmallow, both face pain patients, will be there!

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Mark56 PJ

Morphine pumps are decided based off of a test where they check you into the hospital overnight. They then inject you with morphine directly into the spinal fluid. You'll know right then and there if it works. If it does like it did me, I was actually crying it felt so good to have the pain ease off to such an immense degree. You're kept in the hospital since morphine does/might/could have some rather nasty side effects such as slowing down your breathing and heart muscle that can be rather detrimental.

My pump has changed my life, but it's not a panacea and so if someone thinks that they'll get rid of all their pain if they just get a pump, they're usually very sad the with end results. It works very well for modulating pain so you don't have the severe highs and lows, but it's not a silver bullet. It's also not cheap, so there has to be a ton of well documented medical paperwork showing the need after all other options have usually been exhausted. They're rather large and annoying, but when you're trying to get the pain to ease up no matter what it takes, then and only then do I think that this should be looked at seriously.

The most horrific story I ever read was about a person who lied during the test about it helping ease the pain when it really hadn't, they got so wrapped up in knowing they had to have one. Then it was installed (because the doctor has been told the test had worked) and then the patient complained it wasn't working. In this persons case, I doubt if it ever will. If you have the test and you notice a considerable backing off of pain, then it just might be the wonderful solution that can give back to you as much life as it has me. Best of luck, Bob.

Hi, Emelie. Thanks for telling me about your experience with your cervical SCS. Who implanted yours? If you liked him, I could use another opinion. My Doctor is Dr. Gabor Racz from the Texas Tech International Pain Center and he wants me to do the SCS but can't give me any gaurantees which I know at this point is to be expected. However, I would like to see a little more hope of success from him. I am so glad to hear that yours is helping and continues too! You are the first person I have talked to who has actually ahd a cervical one and it is good to hear that it can work! Thanks for the info, Melissa

I see so much information on SCS. My doctor is tellin me that the pain pump is my last option for my pain to go away from a bad hip replacement
3 years ago. I am looking for as much insight as possible.

Janen, I am not an expert on hip pain or what can be done after a hip replacement surgery but I do know about spinal cord stimulators and pain pumps. I have had three neurosurgeries which has left me with severe, chronic headaches and neck pain. I actually have a pain pump implant but unfortunately for me, it was unsuccessful. So, now the Doctors are recommending a SCS in my neck but for my situation, it is a long shot for helping my pain due to sevre scar tissue from the surgeries. It makes it difficult ffor them to get the leads in.

I know more about the SCS and how it works in the neck: so some of my information might not be entirely accurate but will try to give you as much info as I can. Depending on your type of pain and its' location, you could possibly be a candidate for a SCS or just a stimulator in general. The SCS include leads which are long wires with electrodes attached that will be placed into your spinal column with the intention that the electrodes will be able to get to the nerves that go to your hip or leg. If they can get the electrodes in the right location, the hope is that you will be able to feel the stimulation instead of the pain. However, I have no idea if it would work for your pain. You would do a trial first just like for a pain pump at a hospital or outpatient center (depends on Doctor) where they only put the wires in and see if it is helpful. If it is, then they will pull them out and wait until you heal before putting in the implant. The implant includes the leads and the machine that runs it which can be placed in many diffirent places such as your lower abdomen depending on where leads are.

As for the pain pump, it can be very effective for most pain and can make the medicines you are taking orally less harmful on your body because it bypasses your blood stream and goes directly into your spinal column which also allows you to use less medication. Of course it comes with some drawbacks, the pump can change your hormones ( I was only 27 and it has made me unable to have kids), can make you gain weight, etc.. The trial is meds being fed using a catheter into your spinal column and will show if it will help you or not. Definetly ask your Doc about a stimulator and research it because in my opinion, I would rather not be on drugs for the rest of my life but still a pump could help you a lot. To find a Doctor who uses these procedures, you can go to Medtronic or St. Jude Medical website who make the machines and they have a list of all Doctors who use their products and can answer general questions that you may have. I hope that I was able to help. If you have any more questions, just let me know. Hang in there and good luck!

Hi,
I have had my pump for some time now. I started out with a SCS but I never made it past the the first week as I had a bad infection. After having to wait a year,I had a pump implanted and so glad I did. I have had some problems but after working thru them, I am mostly pain free.

This is an important thread and I'm glad you brought it back up to the top!
SO glad the pump is working out for you!
There will no doubt be folks coming to you with questions - we just don't seem to get alot of 'pump talk'.......
Sorry to hear you acquired the bad infection with the SCS.....but it's good to hear the pump is working for you!

Rae

Sorry. but this time you're trying to compare the two which are about as alike as an airplane and a boat. While they both are a mode of transportation, they just don't have that much in common as far as how you get from point A to point B or in how they handle pain.

As far as which way you should go, I'd love to tell you that you're the one in charge, but I know that's a lie. It's your doctor's and your insurance company who'll ultimately make that choice. These decisions will be made after you've gone through the tests to see how you respond to each type of pain therapy/treatment, not based off of what you think you'd like most.

You're seeking good and hard answers but you also deserve equally as direct answers.

After having my second internal morphine pump installed last year, with my situation, medical background and prognosis for the future, there's been nothing that's worked as well, but please keep in mind that no matter which way you go, there are always pro's and con's that you're probably not fully aware of. With a morphine pump there's the awkward pump that's now in the way and many times quite bothersome sitting on your stomach. Add with that the actual location where the catheter is sewn into place in your spine. Both are annoying and sometimes even painful, but for the added pain relief it's worth it. Doing simple things like bending over isn't near as easy once you're wearing this internal device 7/24.

Find a doctor you can trust with you life. Then go from there. Unless you're lucky enough to have the resources so you can pay the 30 grand or more for a pump, most of these decisions are ultimately left up to the doctor(s) and whoever is paying for it. Meanwhile learn all you can about it so you can decide for yourself if this is really something you can live with. There's no perfect solution. Morphine pumps will not make "all" the pain go away in most situations, but it will help moderate the pain more evenly throughout the day so you can be more comfortable. Only those who have gone through the test to check first and then have been very honest with the results should consider this as an option.

The worst situation I've read of so far was when a person lied during the test about how well the pain had subsided during the test even though it hadn't. Because of their lie, the doctor did install the pump. Then the patient was upset later when it didn't work. It wasn't the doctors fault or the pumps, it was the patients yet that person couldn't figure out why their "silver" bullet wasn't giving them the pain relief they expected.

You're seeking answers and you're on the right track. Now just keep an open mind to what the professionals say and go from there. It's not an easy road, but it's one worth taking for some health and pain situations. Best of luck, Bob.