[hurting]

I am new to this forum and not very sure where I need to ask certain questions. Sorry but if you could please bare with me.

I had radial nerve surgery done to my right wrist/ forearm for the second time in the past 2 years to reconnect and repair the nerve so it can grow down into my hand. 8 weeks after the last surgery my hand Dr. sent me to the physical therapist for therapy. 3 weeks into therapy the PT contacted my hand Dr. for a RX for a TENS unit to help with my treatment. The TENS Rep and PT went over how this unit works as to how long I should run it on a than how long to rest. How far to space the electro pads apart and placement. I followed everything as I was told the first day I only used it for a total of 1 hour. Day 2 I played with it that morning on 30 mins off 30 mins for a total of 4 hours that day. I moved the pads up my forearm down to my wrist on the top of my hand. I notice that my pain after I stopped using the unit in the afternoon was increasing and lasting longer and through the night the pain never stopped. Day 3 I used the unit all day 30 on 30 off and trying to find the sweet spot to relieve my pain throughout my entire arm, wrist, and hand. The pain became unbearable throughout that night into the next day. My pain had now increased and showed no signs of letting up. I called my Dr. than the PT and was told to call the Rep which I did. She told me to pack it up and send it back to their company. I did and was never billed anything. This was not a test unit it was to be my unit for every.

What my question and concern is my PM Dr. wants to implant a SCS in me to help with my pain that has now spreading along my left side now in my hand and forearm as well as my whole upper right side hand, wrist, arm, upper back. My pain became worse after trying the TENS unit.

To me the SCS is a TENS unit on Steroids and I don't know how but would increase my pain even more if that is possible. I now have a hard enough time dealing with the pain as it is which after taking pain meds. stays around 8.

Has anyone had a SCS installed only to not be able to deal with the pain because it the SCS increase your pain more than before having it.

I know there is a trail but 3-4 days? Has anyone months after it was implanted for the pain that it is suppose to eliminate find that it made there pain worst and how much more.

Sorry it took me so many words to get my point out.

Thanks ahead to everyone that answered this question any help will be greatly appreciated.

Dennis

[Burntmarshmallow]

Hi there Dennis I am glad you are here this is a great place to find support and info.not to mention the wonderful people here at neuro talk .
First let me say that I have a scs/neuro stimulator for my face pain. before having the stimulator trial and then final implant of the stimulator I tried a tens unit. which made my pain worse . I think the difference is that a tens unit is on the out side of the body ... it works by stimulating the muscles and tissue but a stimulator is implanted under the skin close to nerves and works on stimulating the nerves not the tissue and or muscles so much ..mixing the pain signal which a tens unit dose not do.
If you read some of the threads here you will see that yes some have tried the scs and it did not help and for others it did help. for me having the stimulator implanted saved my life even thought the tens unit didnt help at all. having the trial is a plus because you can try it before they implant it fully..you will know if it will help or not.
I am sure others will come along and help better answer your questions, but i wanted to just reply and let you know that for me the tens didnt help at all but the stimulator implant saved my life. it is not like that for everyone and you have to do what feels right for you. I would say do the trial that way you will know ..if it works go for the final if it dose not then there is no harm done and at least you tried and you know one way or the other. if it dose not help they just remove the leads and you move on to the next option the doctors have . Do your research get as much info from others and then do what you feel is right do what you feel is the best option. knowledge is power and your best thing to figure out what to do or what not to do. what works for one may not work for the next. but I say try it..
I hope I helped you a little and like a said other will be along to offer advice and input soon I am sure .

I hope you get the pain managed soon .
PEACE
BMW

[Jomar]

Hello,
I skimmed your other posts to check for dx's.
I see you have RSD/CRPS.

Sometimes the TENS works for RSDers and sometimes it doesn't.

You might also post your question on the RSD forum as some don't read outside of their main forum topic. You might get better input from those with RSD that had successes as well as those that didn't.


How did your original radial surgery come about - injury/accident/ overuse etc?

[hurting]

Thank You both burntmarshmallow and jo*mar for your replys.

jo*mar my radial was severed during surgery in early 2007. It took me 2 years to find a Dr. willing to tell me what was wrong and willing to try to fix my nerve. She did not candy coat my problem and told me that I had less then a 50% chance that I will get my hand/arm back to normal. She said she was game if I was that It could not get any worse. The Dr. that did the damage to my hand kept blowing me off and then told me that I caused this problem to myself by sleeping on my arm wrong. He said that he could not do anything to help me that the pain was all in my head and there was nothing wrong with me. All I know is as time pasted my pain became worst and took over my entire arm. It took me along time to fined a great Dr. willing to even see me let a lone do any work on my messed up hand/arm.

My new Dr. is a true angle. She tried her very best but time was not on her side. I can't say enough good about her. I fully understand that trying to fix someone else's f.u. is 10 time harder to fix. At least she tried thats more then I can say about 5 other Dr.s that were to afraid and recommend to me. All they wanted was the easy work with no worries. No balls.

[Jomar]

Oh , what I meant was why was the very 1st surgery done at all?
The one that severed the radial nerve - why or what was it for?

[hurting]

Jo*mar

The reason for the very first surgery was to replace the joint in the base of my right thumb because of the arthritis. My joint was gone all I had was bone on bone in both hands. I chose to do the right hand 1st. because I could no longer shake hands with clients or hold on to anything. The original Dr. also said that I had tendinitis in both forearms so while doing the surgery for the joint replacement he should take care of this at the same time. I had put all my trust in this person to do the right thing. He used the same incision for the joint surgery that was around 4 inches lower and over a couple inches to the top of my wrist.

[Rrae]

My heart goes out to you as you are seeking info and insight into getting pain relief. A situation like yours is like walking on eggshells since you've been diagnosed with RSD and that you are dealing with a severed nerve.

Burntmarshmallow described well the difference between TENS unit and SCS....and there is a BIG difference. The TENS unit evidentally aggrivated the nerves at the surface of your skin, whereas, an SCS is implanted in the dorsal column to BLOCK the pain signals at the nerve root. Your brain doesn't receive the pain signals because the electrical leads transmit a tingling/stimulation instead.
My concern/confusion is regarding the fact that you've got a severed nerve and I'm not clear as to how the SCS would benefit. Also, red flags go up regarding the fact that your pain is spreading. There have been several here who have indicated that the SCS did NOT help in their condition and actually contributed to RSD spreading further.
Jo*mar is helpful by pointing you to the RSD forum, because you'd probably get better feedback that targets your condition.
You are literally riding the fence here and I truly wish there could be a clear answer for you.
Doctors are pushing the SCS like never before and it's a very high-priced commitment, of which these Dr's get a pretty penny from the manufacturers.
But in a case like yours, there are so many variables that I personally would be very leary of rushing into getting this done.
Having the trial procedure would prove crucial in your decision, and you could probably arrange to have the trial for more than 3 days......maybe even a week.
I'm so sorry you've been put in this predicament because of a botched surgery, and now the possibility of RSD spreading to boot.
At the very least, I would go to a high-credential specialist, and even at that I would want to get 2 or 3 other opinions.

Please keep us updated !
I pray for the best possible treatment care plan and that your doctor(s) are looking out for YOUR best interests in the longterm.

Truly Caring
Rae

[vannafeelbettr]

I am also an RSD sufferer with both a cervical and lumbar SCS. As Rae stated, Burntmarshmallow's explaination is accurate. A couple things I'd like to add is that the SCS covers a much larger area than the TENS is able to do. Also, as the TENS covers more of the skins surface, rather the SCS more internal, you know how a flare up with this monster can make the surface of your skin feel like it's on fire??? Well, as much as I LOVE both my SCSs, it does NOT provide total relief when your skin feels like it's aflame. My ANS Rep told me because the SCS works from the inside out. Perhaps when I get that ol' flaming feeling I should pull out the dusty TENS unit

I hope that helps!! Vanna

[hurting]

Hi Vanna

I understand one SCS is internal where the TENS is on the surface. What my concern is the short time I used the TENS it increase my pain and kept the pain at the higher level permanently to this day. The reason for using the TENS was to decrease my pain permanently. This is what I was told by the PT.

Since the TENS cause my pain to increase wouldn't the SCS do the same making my pain increase even worse then it is now which is at a 9 with pain meds. This is why I really am not keen on doing the trail for the SCS. My pain level with taking several pain meds only help a few hours a day. My days are getting longer because I cannot sleep much. I go to bed exhausted only to get up a few hours later for the rest of the day.

[hurting]

Hi Vanna

I understand one SCS is internal where the TENS is on the surface. What my concern is the short time I used the TENS it increase my pain and kept the pain at the higher level permanently to this day. The reason for using the TENS was to decrease my pain permanently. This is what I was told by the PT.

Since the TENS cause my pain to increase wouldn't the SCS do the same making my pain increase even worse then it is now which is at a 9 with pain meds. This is why I really am not keen on doing the trail for the SCS. My pain level with taking several pain meds only help a few hours a day. My days are getting longer because I cannot sleep much. I go to bed exhausted only to get up a few hours later for the rest of the day.

Thanks to everyone on there replys