I had gastric bypass surgery in 2002. I did well for about 5 years then I started having strange sensations in my stomach area. It is very severe and interferes with everything I do. My legs get weak too. It is hard to explain it. It is like adrenalin being sent out and although you wouldn't say it is pain it is like pain. The docs think I have nerve damage from the surgery. I have had lots of testing for 3 years and that is all they can explain. Meds don't help and there is so many drugs I just don't tolerate that my doctor is recommending the spinal cord stimulator. Has anyone had it implanted for abdominal nerve pain?? Do you think it can work and give me back my life??

Sue

Glad you found us in our little cyber-corner of the world
But, Gee Whiz I am sorry to hear of this mysterious pain battle you are faced with !
This is a very unique question !
It seems a bit odd that the docs want to pin the pain on 'nerve damage'.....as you said you were doing fine the first 5 years after your surgery. ?
When it comes to pain within the abdomen, that is certainly something of concern, as our major organs are there.
Is the pain like a 'burning' type of pain......or is it 'stabbing' ?
Is the pain constant, or does it come and go?

Have any of the doctors mentioned anything along the lines of possible internal RSD? (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)
Sorry to bombard with questions,.... ! I'm just trying to get a better angle on this. To be honest, I have never heard of SCS for abdomen pain.....but maybe someone will speak up if they have.
Where does Doc want to put the leads? You said this affects your legs (weakness)......do your legs feel 'heavy' and are they in pain also?

This has me very curious....

Please stick around, Sue.....we may not have any answers, but we sure want to give you all the support and share what we DO know!
This could be a huge learning experience, and we are continually building our strength off of one another here.
I'm gonna do a bit of digging and see if I can get a handle on what the SCS has to offer in this scenerio you describe.....

Hang in there, you've got friends!!

Rae

Since being new to the whole SCS thing, I have heard here and there about other folks who use it for problems other than neck or back pain. Did hear of a lady who has a SCS for bladder pain...was told it helps her a lot. Her daughter said she felt like she had a bad bladder infection all the time before the SCS was put in. My neighbor told me she knows a lady who has a SCS for hip pain and loves it. She was showing it off at a baby shower. Hope you find some answers and relief for your pain!!

It is just a weird feeling inside my stomach area. I just saw the pain doctor and she called it visceral pain. It is deep inside, feels like there is a live wire inside, sometimes feels like twitching, sometimes like anxiety. Nothing has helped I have tried all the obvious stuff. MRI's CT scans even an exploratory surgery the surgeon who did the gastric one tried. He says he feels there is nerve involvement, I've tried all the meds neurontin, lyrica ect. I've had nerve blocks that did work but don't last. They do it to the celiac nerve.It numbs the abd. organs. I can't tolerate the side effects of the meds. I have been going through this almost 3 years. I hope that maybe this can be the answer and at the same time it scares the crap outta me. Anyway I am set up to get psych eval. Thanks for being there. You guys are great.

OK, that paints a clearer picture.......
Try not to let 'anxiety' over this get the better of you (believe me i know)
It sounds as tho your doctor(s) have a good handle on your situation.
I guess the key is: do YOU feel confident in your doctor.

i did a google search on 'SCS for abdominal pain' and was amazed at how many sites popped up. There is extensive studies on this and several of the sites indicate 'SCS lowers pain scores and improves function in abdominal visceral pain of unknown origin".....
That sounds comforting!
And the real great thing about it is you get to do the 'trial' first. Right?
I'm assuming this?

And regarding the psyche eval, it's a piece of cake. It's simple protocol mainly for the benefit of the insurance company since this is a high dollar procedure. We've all had one......so don't think yourself as 'crazy'.....
...well, if YOU are then i guess we ALL are
There's discussion on this topic in some of the older threads down the list....

Anyway, please keep us updated! We want to see this work for you!
We have much faith and you'll get plenty of support. Sometimes, the process of getting the implant can be rather taxing, but when you look back on it, you'll see that everything unfolds as the weeks go by.
The main thing, try to stay focused on your progress and the fact that you want your life back. That's what it's all about.
You've been under Dr's care for this mystery for a few years now, so your case management is probably well-documented and your healthcare team know what they are doing.
Communication is key.

Hugs & Prayers coming your way!
Rae

Thanks for posting about the yahoo sites for scs for abd. pain. the doctors office said they just implanted one for a lady who had intractable pain after having gallbladder surgery. She loves it. I have all but talked myself out of this procedure due to reading the negative stories. I am glad all the questions get answered here. My life has been so tied up with this for so long I don't feel like I have a life. I go to work and just do one thing at a time and can't make plans for anything because this thing inside of me has taken over. This does seem to be my last option and the doctor said she will hook me up with the other abd. pain lady, maybe I will get my courage back after that. I guess I am afraid of making the decision and being wrong, after all I am in this predicament because I chose to have gastric surgery. Thanks for the encouragement

....very familiar with how this can 'take over' our life....
or at best, everything has to be planned AROUND our pain.......

I'm simply not familiar enuf Re: the SCS for abdominal, so I am unable to give much feedback other than to say, if there is ANY chance of this giving you back your life and if you feel your Dr is VERY good at this, then do the trial!
Unless there are high risk factors that seem to outweigh the benefits.....
I certainly don't want to attempt to paint a picture of 'false hope', especially not being real familiar with all that this involves for you....

Take note of the 'negative' stories, but don't let them be the deciding factor in your case. Alot of times, the negative ones are the ones we hear about moreso than the successes, simply because the 'successes' don't feel the need to be on pain forums much...... meaning, they 'go on' with life .....
I'm very VERY grateful for the 'success stories' that remain here at NT as support for the new members who are coming to these boards desperately wanting feedback straight from the patients who have been thru these procedures.
My heart wants to encourage you to GO FOR IT (if you can do a trial period)..
so at least you'll know you've tried.
But, maybe in your case there is much more at stake.....
PLEASE let us know! We want to be the support you need!

I am very interested to learn more about this......you're helping us to 'grow' and become more aware of what the SCS has to offer!
People truly are wanting to get more information from the patient's point of view.....
I pray this is something that will offer you the much-needed relief you deserve.!!

Howdy Sue, and welcome to this little corner of the universe. I just read the posts on your thread, and I am so glad folks have actively chimed in for you! We all know pain so intimately, and the sharing going on here re abdominal and gallbladder pain is just great. I didn't know such a benefit could come from SCS, but it just stands to reason that an implant could reach since even face pain, trigeminal neuralgia, is treatable through such an implant!

So, I hope all will go well as you discuss this with your doc, and I will pray for a good outcome of the discussion!

Glad you are here!
Mark56 PJ

Hi Im new to this site and have found it great for me, im due to have my trial implant done on the 29th June 2011 for lower back pain, abdomal pain, bladder and pelvic pain so i will let you know how things go! x

Hi im new to this site and have found it great and very imformative, i too suffer from chronic abdominal pain, lower back pain, badder, kidney and pelvic pain for which i am having my trial implant done on the 29th June 2011. although SCS is usually used for Complex regional pain syndrome and RSD studies have shown it can help for the above. I will let you know how things go! x