Hello all! I was wondering if anyone has had, or heard of, side effects from SCS implants...like gastrointestinal problems, etc?

I have many, many allergies and a gluten intolerance so I avoid all the those types of foods. I am having "issues" and cannot quite figure it out. With the additional shooting pains in my abdomen and head, we think the RSD is spreading. But I have had trouble keeping food in me for the past 2-3 months or so and I have had constant nausea. Not sure if it is the spread or SCS causing the problems.

I spoke to my PM and he suggested turning the thoracic SCS off to see what happens. I do not think it is the actual stimulation causing a problem because my SCS's stimulate my hips down to my feet and my shoulders down into my hands. I do not have stimulation in my back or abdomen. I wonder if my body is just not happy with the foreign objects in there.

I am at a loss here and need some relief soon!!

Thanks
Nanc

I am so very sorry to learn of your gastro problems with the natural suspect being foreign objects. You are in my prayers on this one.

I have from implant been sqeamish about "turning off" the stim, as it spooks me to think, if I turn it OFF [had to for EKG and for Cervical fusion surgery] GEE, what if my lack of technological luck manifest in the ON switch not functioning again.... SO, when Doc has suggested I give it a go to see whether residual effect helps if my unit is OFF, as some of his patients are thus blessed, I just turn it DOWN to the minimum. Being thus turned all of the way down no stim is pulsing and I have the effect of OFF while still being [to satisfy and allay my fears] ON.

Maybe, if you try turning your units either or both to the minimum, maybe you can discern whether stim is your culprit. Anyway, you would learn whether the signals are at issue. There is no effective way to test for "if you had no hardware" phenomena.

My experience with my stim, with my titanium spine both lumbar and cervical, and with the hustle and bustle of life has not indicated general gastro problems interfering with eating and drinking. Truth be told though, I have been having a goodly amount of indigestion style distress which I control with Pepcid.

Prayin

Thanks for your reply and your prayers Mark! As you know, the pain is so bad without the stims going. I have them off right now and am suffering for it. I do not have mine on 24/7 like you do. I turn them off at night because I have to shift around so much since the RSD is in sooo many places...the stim intensifies when I shift around.

I cannot turn them up much anyway because the pain/pressure/spasms that I get in my lower back...even with that low setting, they help the pain. I think I will try your suggestion tomorrow. Today I am trying no stim to see...so far, so good (with the gastro part of it, pain is not so good).

Thanks again!
Nanc

It's interesting that you mention that, because I have been having gastrointestinal issues lately too and I have no idea why. I never really considered it being from the SCS, but I guess it's possible. At this point, I rarely have the one on for my legs while I'm waiting for the revision, but I do have the one for my wrist is fine, and actually with that one I have been having a couple issues like pain and numbness at times around the area I think because it's coming closer to the surface of my skin.

I hope that you can get it figured out soon, though. Nausea all the time like that is awful!

Hi yellow! It is kinda crazy, I have been ruling out everything and the SCS's are the last thing I could think of. The nausea (and the other issues) is the pits. I try taking promethazine for the nausea and it doesn't help.

Yesterday, I left both stims off and the issues were good...pain was awful though. Today I have them on very low and issues not so good. I really think there is some relation between the two. I do not take pain medications much because of my allergies and we haven't really found one to work well for me...so it's not that.

Ugh, I am so frustrated!!

I am SO sorry to be reading this! It's frustrating as heck, especially not knowing if it has anything to do with the original pain possibly spreading or presenting itself in other ways, such as the nausea and gastro...

...and you haven't introduced any sort of new medication which might cause these effects. I recently have changed some dosage and brand names on some of my other medications that don't have anything to do with my pain. These are my maintainence meds for my thyroid and DHEA (hormonal).
Am also trying out a new 'all-natural vitamin/cleansing' system which my daughter is all abuzz about. So far no nausea or anything.
Geeze, I just WISH for the both of you Nanc & Yellow that it would be something this simple....

I pray that your RSD is NOT spreading!!!!
It's so hard to pin this down, as these units we have could possibly be doing WHO KNOWS WHAT as time goes by. Electrodes could shift ever so slightly, perhaps encroaching upon a neighboring nerve.....causing new symptoms (?)
Believe me, I'm just thinking out loud here, as I have NO clue.
Desperately wishing/praying/hoping that you can get some answers.
You've been through enough as it is!

Rae

Thanks Rae

I haven't changed meds or dosages of current meds, so I know it's not that. If the leads shifted, I guess that could be a possibility since I fell in December.

I am so tired of the way things are going here lately...so frustrating!

I have two SCS's and also have had GI issues for some time. For me, I don't think they are related. I have changed my diet as I think as I'm aging that I don't digest food as well or as fast, and it has made a huge difference. Have had to stop eating high fiber foods and eat smaller meals and chew, chew, chew to make sure is easily digestible. I had been dealing with a lot of nausea, lack of appetite, easily constipated and feeling really bloated most of the time. Couldn't figure out why as I'm not a big eater.

GI dr. said it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which it may be, given the stress we are all under when dealing with pain issues. All I know is that changing my diet, drinking much more water and staying away from certain foods has helped a lot. Plus I've lost almost 20 pounds! So, for me, it's a matter of what I'm putting in my mouth and the stress that's affecting my GI track. Just my two cents (make that three, what with inflation and all)

NANC............I had severe nausea with the trial, but turned it low and took reglan. I have found reports that it stimulates an area in the sympathetic nervous system that connects to the GI tract. It is rare, but it happens. And it happened to me. But try with the stim low enough to hardly feel it and take some thing for the nausea. Some people use Zofran too. That didn't help me, but it may help you.

After my permanent implant I went home that night and vomited for 12 hours. That migrated my wires and it was down hill from there. It was because of the high stimulation that they do in the OR and Recovery to check to make sure it is covering the areas. If the stim hadn't been that high I may not have vomited.

Of course I was very specific with the anesthesiologist. But they didn't take me seriously..............now I will never know if the SCS would have worked for me. Because my stimulator was stabbing my chest wall and I may have permanent damage.

But YES, you can have nausea, you could be the 1% that gets it.
So sorry, because nausea is nasty.

For RAE and MARK56, I can't says Thanks For This on your posts, my page isn't working correctly...

DAWN G

To "thank" when you scroll down the list of posts to read, you may note a button in the lower right hand corner of the post appearing in the thread window. The button says THAnKS, just click it as it is a hot button, then voila, your name will appear in the post on the lower task line of the post showing thanks.

That is it!