Hi

i was injured while serving in the british army, sustaining damage to my lower back and due to complications my left leg has been left with reduced feeling and gives way without warning. I require 2 elbow style crutches to help me walk.
I have now been medically discharged and get zero support from the military anymore.

I am looking at having a trial of the SCS as i have chronic lower back pain but i am now questioning if it will be suitable for me.
I do get peripheral pain in my legs but the main pain is in my back.

I would love to get by without medication as i feel like a junky with the amount of medication i am on, but i cannot function without pain relief as it is so debilitating.

I hope someone could offer me some pearls of wisdom or even just thier experiences with an implant.

Please feel free to comment or ask me anything you want, maybe my experiences over the last 7 years will be able to help you in some way.

Chris

First things first Chris, as a military family with a child in the Army we empathize with you regarding your situation, but more importantly, we are appreciative you gave of your life in service.

Secondly, I am a patient who has permanent nerve damage from the lumbar/sacral low portion of the spine down through the legs, both. I was given opportunity to do the Trial of SCS of Boston Scientific manufacture in the U.S. and it has programs which help both the low back and the legs or any combination whereof I desire. The programming was my own, as I was insistent, so I got the package I truly needed.

I wish I could type more just now, but doing this, due to cervical spine injury and recent surgery is killin my arms.

I will be back,
don't call me Arnold,
Mark56

For me, they said the scs would do nothing for my lowerback pain, only the sciatic pain in my leg.

Welcome aboard, mate~

I babbled a bit over on your introductory post in the New Member forum.
I'm SO glad you've found this forum. It's truly amazing to me how people from all over the world have been able to connect here regarding the pain we suffer and the common ground which leads us to discussions on SCS....something that few people in general even know about.

It's great that you are able to give the SCS a trial run.
This will give you an idea if it is something you want to pursue. These units are notorious for relieving lower extremity pain due to nerve damage, such as Mark and myself. I too am fortunate to get stimulation to my lower back also. But, like Saffy says, sometimes it isn't possible to achieve the stim in the back area. Each trial is unique to the person

The most important thing IMO, is how much confidence you have in your doctor, and has he done many of these implants.

Do stick around and let us know how this unfolds for you. We truly care and we'll be here every step of the way!

Caring,
Rae


.....btw, I am in shock that the military gives you no support after what you've been thru and the service to your country

Hi Chris,

Glad you found us--I think you will find some excellent information and great support here! Also, thank you so much for your willingness to serve your country. It's brave folks like you who help to keep our world safe and work so hard to bring freedom to others.

I don't have a lot of info to contribute, because I'm at about the same place you are as far as the SCS situation goes. I have my "test drive" scheduled for July 24th, which is where they temporarily place the leads and an outside control device for about a week, just to see if the treatment is going to be beneficial for me. After that, they take out the leads, wait a month for me to heal, then install the permanent implant/leads into my spine (I'll be receiving the Boston Scientific Precision SCS). Hopefully this will work for both you and me, and we can soon be out running marathons! Okay, maybe not marathons, but at least having more productive and pain-less lives. I'll certainly be hoping and praying that all goes well for you and that this process will go well.

God bless you,
Jan (from the mountains of far northern California)

Hi Chris
Hope you are finding some answers to your question. This site has been a wealth of information for me. Aug. 5 th will be the one year anniversary of my implant. My implant was for chronic abdominal pancreatic pain. It has been a life saver for me. After 7 years of debilitating pain I am able to join life as a wife and mother again. Thanks be to God.

A few months ago I hurt my back and my Boston Sci rep was able to set up a program for my lower back. It helped a lot. I'm sure it's no where near what you deal with but it did help me.

Just returned from a trip to England for the first time to see Wimbledon. Despite all the rain you are having we had a great time and loved all we saw. What a beautiful country.

And, most of all I want to thank you for your service to your country to help make the world we live in a better place.

Sandy Kay