Exactly
 

I will tell you I contact pstim company and asked if they have successfully treated a patient with adhd. Wow the reply was we need your address. I then sent reply what does that have to do with question? I then received a response that they would forward to their representative. That was a week ago. So I agree with the post today stating they were going to ask about spine one instead. I have heard good things about that and I personally am not liking the lack of information on pstim attached to ear. So I too am going to talk to Dr about the other one. If he insists I will refuse as my gut tells me no and I trust gut. My sleeping is bad now I can only imagine with buzzing etc in ear I will not even get my couple hours. I will know more next week as I go back in to have staples removed. Please keep posting I think everyone here does care about the outcome of experience. :)

Hello!
 

yes please do update us...your guts don't lie.

I enjoy the wealth of knowledge here....and great camaraderie.

HB

This seems to be a great place to get honest info. I really like the fact ppl reply honestly about their feelings.:o

i am so sorry
you had to endure such
monster pain
i cringe every time i think
what you had to look forward to
every so many cycles
if they only knew
just a touch of that monster
pain
so sorry

horrible
 

I can't believe what pain you were in. They want me to go on for chronic pain and to get off pain meds. I think in my heart that I too would have this kind of issues. Knowing my sleep issues along with having to wear earplugs at night. The last thing I need is buzzing zapping etc. I am very thankful you posted this. Ty I hope that they can find the right treatment for you. God bless hope you feel better real soon.:hug:

Best news ever. Got staples out and went to discuss p stim. The Dr informed me that the insurance won't cover therefore it is on back burner. Yeah I told him of my concerns and he was surprised that I had researched but again not an option. Happy camper here.

IMHO, you are wise to listen to your gut instinct.

I have Always listened to my gut and it has not failed me yet. Thank you for the support it means a lot to me. :)

PSTIM Worked For Me
 

Wow I wish I had read these posts sooner. I have been suffering from chronic back pain in lumbar and sacral area for almost 15 years. I have had a ton of cortisone shots and of course the full gamut of prescription pain meds. I then went the route of radio frequency ablation in my facet joints. And let's not forget months of physical therapy and even lumbar traction. During this window I also added intensive sessions of chiropractic manipulations. I got significant relief so that most nights I could sleep pain free but I still couldn't stand or walk for long. In order to do anything besides sitting or laying down I needed moist hot packs and a TENS unit or lidocaine patches.

So when my PM doctor told me about PSTIM I jumped at the opportunity once my insurance was checked and approved the treatment. As I write this I am on day 2 of my 8th cycle so I guess you could call me a fan. For all the cycles, having the unit installed is a piece of cake. A tiny pinch that only hurt when my Doctor pressed tape over the electrode to secure it. I felt the flicking immediately and found it mildly annoying. After an hour it faded to me barely noticing. Only twice in the 8 cycles did it wake me up. I have found my ear to be sensitive and don't sleep on the side with implant unless I sleep on my arm so no pressure on the ear.

Cycle 1, I experienced tremendous pain relief to the point I stopped taking my narcotic pain meds.... color me super happy:). I also noticed I just felt good and happy. Cycle 2 I used the same ear and once again had pain relief but not as good as Cycle 1, I also felt the stimulation was less. My pain relief was good enough that I reduced my pain meds in half which is where I still am at Cycle 8. Cycle 3 was again the same ear with even less noticing of any stimulation.

Although my doc insists it doesn't matter which ear I use, I decided to switch ears for Cycle 4. Once again the stimulation was more intense just like Cycle 1. I then figured I should alternate ears for future cycles. Cycle 5 and Cycle 6 were similar. Less intense feeling on my ear from start to removal. I felt like maybe I was at a standstill and seemed to have maximum relief after 4 cycles. Since I still had difficulty with standing and walking my doctor felt I should complete all 8 cycles. Cycle 7 and now Cycle 8 are a huge disappointment. Even continuing alternating ears I feel absolutely nothing. Ear tenderness is still there if you put pressure on that side but I haven't felt the stimulation at all. I asked my doctor if perhaps the device was defective. Apparently other patients have reported the same thing. He assured me that the company claims the units are fine and working even if you don't feel a thing. I noticed that during these last two cycles I am sometimes needing to use my pain meds full strength along with needing NSAIDs and muscle relaxants to function. I still believe the device in Cycle 7 and 8 is defective but can't prove it. Sure wish the units could be tested as my insurance is paying a small fortune for this treatment.

Will I do it again? Yes, 100% yes!!! Despite my disappointment with Cycle 7 and 8, I am still in less pain than I was in at the start of my treatment, I am still taking smaller dose of narcotic pain relief most days and I have delayed having additional cortisone shots. The nature of my pain is better as well. Most days it is just one area of my spine that really gives me grief and it is radicular pain from low back to hip and then front of thigh. My plan is to try trigger point massage to see if that resolves the pain.

So all in all, I would say mine is a success story with the exception of two cycles where I am still convinced the two devices were defective, perhaps a bad batch were shipped? If trigger point massage resolves this one area of pain left, I would repeat another round of PSTIM in six months and probably do 4 cycles on alternating ears. .

Sorry this reply is so long, but since I went through 8 cycles I hope my results will encourage others to seek out this treatment. By the way, my electrodes have all been placed same spots. Inside top fold of ear (always the most tender spot), along the outside cartilage and inside bottom fold and these two are not sensitive areas.