Could someone give me the status on the Medtronic SynchroMedII pump? Was the last year's recall/suit for just one model or the entire SynchroMed line? I ask this as my pain doc disucssed the pump yesterday which I have been dodging for years. He gave me a package of info to look over before our next appt. and it turned out to be for the SynchroMedII. By the time I realized that, he was gone for the day and won't be back until Tuesday. I called Medtronic and all they would say was that the matter was settled. That really wasn't a very satisfactory answer. Thanks in advance.

good day

just wanted to say
great job doing your
homework and actually
read and call him about
it immediately demonstrates
someone taking charge
i know i would want to know about IT
this is someone who is putting
the pain pump idea on hold as my
doctor suggested i now look into
i do not want to go through
any more surgeries
although i have
one coming up shortly
a different reason
cut the cancer out
good going
take care
be well

someone who care

After spending most of yesterday researching the SynchroMedII, the more convinced I became that I am not a good candidate for that or any other med pump. From what I could gather, it was a class 1 recall (most serious) but confined to the devices that had not been installed yet. Color me cynical but if I had one of those in my abdomen, assuming it hadn't drifted, I would want it removed. Also, I had not paid attention to how invassive the installation is...........6 inch incission in the abdomen and three inch in the back. The procedure takes 1-3 hours and my pain doc said I would most likely fall into the three hour category. It's done outpatient and someone is supposed to stay with you that night to monitor vitals and watch for dosage error. I spoke to my daughter and her reaction was that she was a teacher, not a nurse and did not feel qualified to sit up all night watching for a possible overdose. I know there are many who have had wonderful luck and relief from them but I fall into the category that if something can go wrong, it will. I declared a moritorium on all unneccessay surgery seven years ago. Thanks again. I really appreciate your input. Have a great weekend.

And HOW many nights did you, as a mother, stay up with her when she was sick or needed care?

I'm sorry, I have no place/right, but that burns me. I grew up with a widowed mother in chronic pain from migraines & a botched thyroid surgery, and I would have done ANYTHING in my power to help alleviate her pain.

Doc

I appreciate your response, Doc. My daughter's concern was coming from her perceived ability/disability to recognize a possible overdose in a proper fashion. I had a colonoscopy at 7:00 AM on Tues. of this week. My daughter drove up from central TN after work the late afternoon before, spent the night, deep cleaned my apartment for me and then took me in for the test. Much to my dismay, the colonoscopy was followed by a barium enema. When that was over and I got my sea legs back, she took me out to lunch and then home to watch a few movies........durring which time she fixed me a big pot of soup to graze on. She would have spent that night but I sent her home as I really wanted to be alone so I could rest better. The anesthesia had worn off and I was not at an added risk of falling.

My daughter got a bit freaked out when she got on the internet and read the FDA's account of the history of the pump problem, which by the way also involved an insuline pump. In June of 2009, corp. offices in MN. received notice that the plant in Puerto Rico put insufficient propellant in both of the devices. Substandard batteries were used. There was evidense of falsified inspection paperwork and other problems. When she read the other possible but unlikely problems associated with the pump, she wanted nothing to do with it. She really was coming from a point of concern. Thanks again, my friend and have a great weekend.

hi there,

I had a Medtronic SCS and it had robe removed for various reasons, I personally wouldn't get another one from Medtronic. Can you go with someone Ele, even change Dr?

Sinéad

I wouldn't change doctors for the world. This one is a keeper The local clinic that does the pumps, uses Medtronic exclusively. My doc wasn't pushing it at all. I was having a particularly bad day when I went in and I think he felt honor bound to discuss it again. We have this talk every few years. It was just one of those days when I would have considered anything except more surgery.

I'm surprised that they wouldn't admit you to the hospital overnight after the surgery to put it in, usually that seems standard, so that they can monitor you for some time and make sure it's the right dose. That way if it needs to be adjusted it's easily done in the hospital with a call to the doctor and your vitals can be monitored there as well. I had a pump that was external for 6 weeks, it was a temporary treatment attempt for my RSD, and even then there was no way my doctor would ever let me go home outpatient because it was too risky.

Does your doctor exclusively work out of this outpatient clinic or does he do surgeries at a hospital too?

My pain doc is not a surgeon. He can monitor and refil the pumps but does not put them in. A large pain group that is basicly a shot jock/procedure mill does the installations. If you check the literature from Medtronic, it is standard to do this on an outpatient basis now. I am not surprised since Medicare tried to get by with having my uncles radical prostate surgery done on an outpatient basis. No lie.