Hello everyone!

I thought that I would start my own little thread because I know how beneficial it is to have this type of thread and I know that Rrae, Mark56, Fionab, and,trchr12 have been very helpful to me.

What I noticed was that there wasn't to many "journey" threads on just SCS for Cervical and well I thought that I would go ahead and share mine.

My story I think starts a little different from a lot of people and I could be wrong about this but from what I've seen so far I'm a rare bird... Please know that this post will be long because I want you to know my back story and what has finally brought me here to this site and why I am now doing the SCS trial.

This is my journey...

It was 1998 and the middle of December. My husband and I had only been married for 4 months and I would notice that as we would ride in our little sports car and I would sit in the passenger seat with my left foot under my right knee that I would start to have pain shoot up from my left outer hip to my knee. After about 5 weeks of this happening and having a flare up one night while sitting on the couch I knew something just wasn't right and scheduled to see my doctor. He couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong with me and so had me do X-rays, MRI's, Tons of Physical Therapies(regular, message, aquatics,...etc...).

Well after doing all those Physical therapies my pain spread like wild fire up my back to my neck, shoulders, and middle back where it has stayed for the last 10 years. The weird thing about my situation though is that I no longer have pain in my left hip where the pain originally started. He finally diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and first put me on Vicodin. When the Vicodin no longer worked I then went through the following meds...Hydrocodone, Ultram, Cymbalta, Oxycontin, Fentanyl patches, and a few others that I can't even remember now... then at last methadone(Please know that I was NOT on any of these meds when I was pregnant with my son and that I was put on methadone in 2003) In May of 2001 we found out that I was expecting our first child and my husband decided to go back into the Army so that we would have medical insurance because my condition was expensive and now with a baby on the way we would need it badly.

So the hubs went to the Army and of course they shipped him overseas(it was the beginning of the war) he came back in 2004 and we moved to GA. Well the doctors in GA didn't like that I was on Methadone and decided to take me off that and put me back on Ultram and then add Baclofen, and Neurontin at a extremely high dose. This combination worked for a long time for me and then my hubs got orders for Dallas Texas and off we went. I found a wonderful pain management doctor there and he took me off the Neurontin but kept me on the Ultram and Baclofen but added Ultram ER for me to take at night because my pain keeps me up at night. He found that I actually had Kissing Spine and Chronic Pain Syndrome after doing the following things.... We did 2 Rhizotomes, Nerve blocks, epidural injections, and, lidocaine injections. He of course did more X-rays and MRI's. All of these worked for a little while but never helped in the long run. After seeing this doctor for 3 years he and I both agreed that I did not have Fibromyalgia. I no longer had the signs of having Fibromyalgia and my pain did not travel and stayed constant.

Well the hubs got transferred back to GA and I actually got VERY lucky with a on base doctor that wasn't a idiot. He trusted me right away(it was sad because he told me after meeting him only 3 times that I was his ONLY patient that didn't look like a pain patient and that I didn't come in begging for my pain meds) and he knew I was telling the truth about my situation. By this time the Ultram and Baclofen were no longer working and I wanted to try something else and he then asked what had worked in the past and I told him that the methadone did and he was OK with me getting back on that and so we decided to see if the methadone would work for me the way it did years ago. After months of being on the methadone I finally had to face the fact that it wasn't working and I was already on a high dose and I was just tired of taking all these meds. He then referred me to the pain management doctor I have now. She is a wonderful lady and she really listens to me and never makes me feel rushed. After talking it over with her and doing research of my own we both decided that I would be a good candidate for SCS trial and here we are today...

I will be going into my doctor tomorrow to start my trial and I am nervous and excited. I'm also worried that it just won't work for me. I'm trying to be optimistic and pessimistic at the same time...lol...

I want to take this time to thank everyone for being so nice and helpful. This site has been a Godsend for me and I don't know what I would do without it during this time in my life. As I go through my trial and potential permanent implant I will continue to keep you posted on how my journey is going. I hope that I can help a few people with my telling of my story just like Mark, Rrae and Fionab have been for me. I am open to any questions that any of you may have for me because I know that all of us are "newbies" at one point and it really helps to have people answer our questions when we have them.


LET THE SCS TRIAL BEGIN!!!!


Big 's
Treca

Treca!
I KNEW it! A true TREASURE indeed!

Thank you so much for sharing your story! You have NO idea how many people this will help! Many will ask questions, but there are also many who just 'read' and don't post......so you'll probably never actually know HOW many people you've really helped!

I can see your heart is really in this. And if you are anything like me, you'll find that there is so much 'therapy' in this! Telling our story and helping others is really the best medicine there is!

I bet our good friend Vanna will share here on your thread. She loves her SCS's (yes TWO!).
I know there are others out there and hopefully they will share with you as well! I'm so excited for you! You've got a wonderful husband and a medical team who really looks out for your well-being. And a beautiful son who needs his mom to be the best she can be!

Thank you for this! You've made my day!
It will be great watching your testimonial unfold and you'll be amazed at the support you'll get. You are absolutely right when you say 'I don't know what I would have done without this forum!"

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow!
Give us an update as soon as you feel up to it!
You'll probably be a bit sore from the procedure.....so just take it easy the first day....relax and use those comfortable ice/gel packs on the incision.

Rae

Hi Treca

I have read your story and its so inspiring. I hope that your trial will go well for you and that it brings you relief.

I am just 6 months over my SCS implant, which btw is an ANS from St Judes in the UK, I live in Ireland. I find it very helpful. In fact I go for my tweaking session on Thursday, so Im hoping that they will turn me on even more

Good luck with the trial and please come back and let us all know how you are doing......Let the journey begin

Jackie

Good luck with your trial. I am new here but have RSD in my left hand/arm from a work injury. I am getting a scs trial (cervical also I guess) in 2 wks. I REALLY hope it helps, my pain is getting worse but I didn't want higher doses or changes in meds until we see if the scs works.

Good Luck
Patty

THANK YOU GUYS!!!!

I'm just getting everything ready to go for this afternoon. Packing movies, toys, pillows, and blankets for our son who will be in the truck with daddy as I get the trial done. Our son ended up getting sick with fever so he will be with us all day. I'm just thankful that he isn't "feeling" sick. He just has a high tempature. This is common with my son but I watch him like a hawk because I don't want him to have Pnemonia like he did last April....scared me to death he ended up in the ICU for a week with a tube in his left lung....that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

So the whole herd will be going today and the funny thing is is that the only thing running through my mind is how in the heck am I going to get back into my truck when the trial is over???? LMBO...Any suggestions? I have a 2005 Toyota 4Runner. When I get in my truck I usually have to use the above grab handles. I'm a shorty and only 5'2"

I know of all the things I could be thinking about that is the one that I'm worried about the most right now...lol...yes I'm a dork...

Treca, I have an ANS St. Jude implanted in both the cervical and lumbar area! I am so pleased with them I cannot fully put into words. They have enabled me to no longer need my anti-depressants and pain meds (ocassionally need a pain med for flares, but not needed on a continual basis).

I will be checking in on your progress and wish you the best of luck!!!

Fingers crossed Vanna

So Vanna...How did your trial go when you had it? Did you have a St. Jude rep the whole time with you? If so how did everything go with you?

I'm so curious about you because you have St. Jude AND you have a Cervical unit as well...I GOTTA KNOW!!!!

Hello Treca, and I hope I got to you before your departure to the center for your trial! I am praying for you that all will be well!

Getting in the truck after, well, the first NO NO is raising your arms above your head, so you will need a step stool, or help to mount the rail up into your vehicle. Just don't reach for those grab bars, or it will be back into surgery for you! Take a step stool.

Hugs, and prayers,
Mark56

GREAT IDEA MARK!!! I do have a small step stool and I will make sure to take that with me. I will be leaving at 1pm(est.).

Yep, that's why it's been on my mind alot because I know that it's a HUGE NO NO to raise my arms and it never crossed my mind about the step stool...lol...

Thank you for your support and prayers! It is greatly appreciated!
's
Treca

Treca, I LOVE my cervical implant. I noticed the relief in my hands right away. With less pain and fatigue in them, I could write longer, color with my children, and prepare meals like I used to. My rep called me every day of my trial (lasted 5 days) and I was sad when they pulled the leads out. I must admit the first day, the stimulation sensation itself seemed a bit annoying. By the second day, it did not bother me. By the third day, I actually liked it! It's sort of like an acquired taste. Communication with your rep is key! If one program does not work, don't rule out that another one won't work either.

I hope your surgery went well today and hope to hear some good news. I will check in to see how you've made out :-D

Vanna