Please excuse my lack of knowledge, but how did all of with pumps decide which type of pump to use? stimulator or med pump? Can you get trials with both before you and your md. make a final decision? thanks, Pam

Hello! And Welcome!!!

For me, I am only 20 and so my dr wont give me a pain pump because of my age and if and when I want to start a family he wanted to assure I can be pregnant. SCS and pain pump are totally different, It just depends what works per person. Yes you do get trials of them before. Usually a week long. I knew immediately that it helped. Most people notice immediately with the trial if they get relief, but you get it for a week to see if you like it! If you read back on posts to lostmary she has a pain pump and has had ALOT of relief!!!

hi ~ i had the SCS implanted for 6 months, but it had to be removed because i didn't have enough fat content in my body to hold it in. in other words, the generator tried to work itself out. ick. so then they did the trial for the morphine pump, which made no sense cause it's 3 times the size of the SCS. go figure. anyway, it worked wonderfully, and all my pain was relieved. i was delighted, but then they told me i couldn't have it. lol


so if i were you, i'd go for the pump, as the SCS just irritated things more for me. it made my sciatic nerve hurt even more. just my 2 cents.

best of luck. hugs, lee

I looked into both the pain pump and the SCS when I was trying to decide what to do. When I went to see the dr. who does pain pumps in my area (he's considered the best dr. who does it in my area), he said to go with SCS as there's less chance of infection, and also ins. companies have been fighting him on reimbursement for the pain meds. lately. So, since I value his opinion, I went and did the trials for the SCS (both lumbar and cervical) with my pain mgmt. dr.. The trials went good and I'm getting the permanent implants Aug. 19.

I've heard that some folks' meds. for pain pumps can run $5-10K every refill and that's why ins. companies prefer the one time cost of a SCS implant. Others, however have gone with the pain pump and have said they don't have any problems with their ins. companies paying for their refills.

I'd recommend you talk to both doctors (the one who'd do the pain pump and the one who'd do the SCS) and see what you feel more comfortable with. For me, the ins. issue was a biggie, as my ins. co. already pays out $6K a month for another medicine I have to take.

Good luck in your decision. Let us know what you decide.

Hi! I am 30 and have been in pain for 11 years now. Long story short, I have tried a regular pump implant which didn't help enough to continue but it is still in my body because it is such a big surgery to pull out.
As of now, one Doc wants to do a Spinal cord stim in my neck but I have had mutliple brain/neck surgeries and I and even the Doc doesn't think it has a a great shot of getting into the epidural space and working! He still wants to do it before I try a cervical pump. Insurance of course will not cover any of this! Then, I have two other Docs who say to skip SCS and do cervical pump. One wants to do a trial and one wants to go ahead and implant it. Neither has done more than four because it just isn't done anymore. That's how scary it is!
Has anyone had this? Advice? Know of any Doctors who have done more than four in US? Need help

Sorry I'm so tardy in getting back to your very important question:

I'm now on my 2nd morphine pump and I'll tell you, they literally gave me back my life - ironically I didn't know it till after my battery died on my first one after 5 1/2 years of service. Because of additional pending surgeries, I had to wait 4 months before my second pump was installed, and wow was that the longest 4 months of my life.

As far as it working, there's only one way to find out. Let the doctor order the overnight stay in the hospital so they can run the test and see if it will work. You're going to know right then on the spot if this will work. When I had my test, I was bawling in tears it felt so good to have the pain ease up that much. Four hours later the pain returned and I'll tell you I was crushed.

Morphine pumps are no silver bullet. They don't get rid of all the pain, but they do moderate it so you don't have the horrible increased levels you're experiencing now.

As far as getting them paid for, they don't come cheap. My first one cost $20,000 and my second one was $30,000. Refills are over $1,500 a pop, but as long as the documentation is in place I know that most insurance will pay for it including Medicare. While there are some who claim they're no big deal as far as size and location, I'm not in agreement here. After creating the pocket inside my stomach for it to fit in, I had the second one slide down directly on the belt line so it can be annoying that's for sure - but the benefits outweigh the good, at least for me hence I'm thankful each and every day for this amazing piece of technology that's flowing through my body. All the best and I hope you can finally get some solid relief so you can regain some quality in daily life, Bob.

Thanks for getting back with me and for all your information. Is your pump catheter located in your lumbar or in your cervical area? I actually have a pump in my back (lumbar) but it really didn't help me enough to continue it. However, it is still in my body and running saline because I am not up to having another surgery right now and might use it for my neck.
I am really concerned about having the catheter placed so high in my neck because I can't find a Doctor who has done more than four and they are so dangerous compared to lumbar pump. It isn't done much anymore for a reason. If the Doctors are even a tiny bit off or if the medicine is too much for my brain to handle, it can give me a stroke, seizure, paralysis and even kill me! I am going to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic to get a fourth opinion and hopefully, find a Doctor who has done more than four. Unfortunately, it is a shot in the dark if I will go to the Doctor who's most experienced because none of the Doctors' profiles say that they even perform this procedure and when I call, no one is able to help me. It just isn't done anymore except with cancer patients who are already dying and that is truly scary. For me, I am willing to take the chance but my parents are not and I don't blame them.
If your pump is in the cervical area and you don't mind me asking, who did yours and how many has he/she done? Also, if you know anybody who might be able to help, that would be so helpful as well. Thanks for your help and I hope you are doing well, Melissa

My pump was installed to the left of my bellybutton, but now it's slid down and sits right on the waist. The catheter was placed through the middle of my body and is sewn into place along my spine on the lower back. It does get sore down there, and there's certainly an annoyance to having the pump on my belt line, but when you're talking about this level of pain, all we care about is that it works. For me it's been a godsend. Best of luck.

I'm sorry, but my pump is the kind that's located in front on the right side of my tummy and then it's all sewn into place in my spine. You're in a tough situation and as far as how to find a doctor who's got the necessary experience, it sounds like you might be facing some serious travel ahead. With the rarity of this type of dangerous procedure, I can't help but worrying about you being between the rock and the hard place. I know you'll figure out the best path, and I sure do hope you find it soon. Take care, Bob.

Hey Bob! Thank you for being there and a rising helpful star to others in need! So GREAT!
Mark56