[paindude]

After reading some great stories about all the activities SCS patients have been able to resume, I really want to know "how" that happens.

Is it that you just aren't in pain anymore?

In my trial, I just kinda had that feeling of when I feel when my phone is vibrating in my pocket - only to realize my phone isn't in my pocket. Only this time it felt like three phones.

When the trial leads were being placed, I had hope that my pain would disappear when the right nerve was stimulated. Instead I could feel not only nerves that I already had surgically cut in a futile effort to get pain relief, but when the nerve where I think most of my pain comes from, I could feel it being stimulated gently, but instead of no pain, it was painful.

Is that what's supposed to happen? Does it get better over time?

Does it kinda rewire the brain so that you don't notice the vibrations - or the pain?

I get my first real programming this afternoon and would live to hear your experience before I go to that appointment.

Thanks!

[MessyMark]

Hey paindude
I have had mine in for about 7 weeks now.
I have not had nerves cut but have a lot of damage to my spine from many years of trucking and construction work. Lived with a ruptured disk for almost 20 years so I know what pain is .
Any way when my scs trial was put in as for the pain i have in my spine and leg soon as the stim was turned on i couldn't feel the pain in my leg anymore at all. I could feel some in my spine . But that is cause the problems with my spine are bone and not nerve problems don't get me wrong it has helped me immensely with both of the pains. I wouldn't say that it reprograms the brain but more of it confuses the mind and mixes the pain signal up so you shouldn't feel so much pain its not going to take 100 % of your pain away . Hopefully this is a little helpful for you .

[paindude]

Hey Mark,

That is phenomenal that the SCS impacted you so positively. I was thinking I had too high of expectations. Now I have obviously set them too low.

To clarify, in the area where your pain was taken away, do you have a constant buzzing, or are you able to set the stimulation low enough to where you cannot feel the stimulation?

In the area where it did not help, was a lead placed in that area? Do you now just leave the stimulation to that lead turned off?

pd

[MessyMark]

Originally Posted by paindude

Hey Mark,

That is phenomenal that the SCS impacted you so positively. I was thinking I had too high of expectations. Now I have obviously set them too low.

To clarify, in the area where your pain was taken away, do you have a constant buzzing, or are you able to set the stimulation low enough to where you cannot feel the stimulation?

In the area where it did not help, was a lead placed in that area? Do you now just leave the stimulation to that lead turned off?

pd

The lead that I have is a surgical paddle that has sixteen contacts on it I only have one because my spine has narrowed so much and the stenosis effected the area that the surgeon was going to place the second one. My pain is from L4 and 5 and S1 lower lumbar and down both my leg's the pain is more prominent in my left leg. As for the buzzing feeling I leave mine on 24-7 I'm still in the process of dialing in the adaptive stim.

Yes I have a tingling feeling all the time please note that it is not a cure all and I still have pain some days worse than others and it's not an easy road to get to this point I can remember the first couple of days after surgery I was thinking to my self what have I gotten myself into ? But after the 2nd week things started to settle down and I realized just how much it was helping me and I started to figure out what my numbers where that would help with the pain for instance I run my stim around 3.00 in an upright position like sitting in a chair and my second set of numbers which controls how fast the buzzing feels is set always at 115 mine maxes out on the second number at 130 with my settings this high I have to recharge about once a week. But again I don't shut mine off cause if I do i then begin to limp really bad again when walking because my left leg hurts so much but with my stim on I can walk as normal as anyone else on the street.

As for setting it to a low point that didn't bother me that really wasn't a factor for me I've become so accustomed to the buzzing feeling that I really don't even think about it anymore.
What has taken some getting used to is in the middle of the night when I roll over to my left side from my right it will stop buzzing as it is changing to the setting I like when laying on my left side it only stops for like 3 seconds but it still wakes me up cause at first it was something new.

As I stated I am only 7 weeks into my implant and just had the adaptive stim part turned on. Medtronics likes to wait about 6 weeks after implant before they turn that on for you to allow healing time and scaring time. My scs is implanted in my left abdomen.
Hopefully this helps.
If you have anymore questions please feel free to ask me or anyone else.
REMEMBER the only dumb question is a question not asked.
Messy Mark©

[MessyMark]

Figured I would clear something up about the way my trial was. Mine was not like most of the others here.
I went in they did a laminectomy on me around t9-t10 placed the 16 contact paddle in as my trial I went home for three days.
The third day doc office called me asked how things were going told them I wanted the implant. The fourth day I went to the hospital all they really had to do was add an extension to the paddle and disconnect the trial stim that you get sent home with and implant mine into my left side of my stomach and route the wires under my skin to the scs device. closed me up with about 13 staples on my back and 14 staples on my stomach and 4 staples on my left side so i had a total 31 staples.
Most of the trials you will hear about on here last for several days and then takes a couple of weeks to do the implant after the trial. So basically the paddle I had put in for my trial is the same one that I still have and I think it works out very good that way because the doctor doesn't have to guess if they have it back in the same spot that you had during the trial!
Messy Mark©

[paindude]

Exactly. That was my first question. Why run leads twice. Especially since I have a lot of scar tissue. Sure enough at today's appt one of the leads needs to be moved and one that I asked them to try and place for my sciatica isn't simulating the correct area.

Whatever it takes I'm up for it.

I have major groin pain and the primary nerve I care about stimulating is the pudendal nerve.

I've spent five years feeling like I just got kicked in the left groin area.

[paindude]

Back to the surgery center. One lead moved a tiny bit and needs adjusted. The fourth "bonus" lead I asked for isn't in a location the helps and I'm asking them to move it to S2.

[tkayewade]

Mine moved a lot during my cervical trial. Luckily, I already had one so I could base how I felt on that.

[danny82]

Originally Posted by paindude

Hey Mark,

That is phenomenal that the SCS impacted you so positively. I was thinking I had too high of expectations. Now I have obviously set them too low.

To clarify, in the area where your pain was taken away, do you have a constant buzzing, or are you able to set the stimulation low enough to where you cannot feel the stimulation?

In the area where it did not help, was a lead placed in that area? Do you now just leave the stimulation to that lead turned off?

pd

I have a slight hot/cold sensation(like deepheat) where i had burning scorching pain.My doc hes never seen or heard anything like this but i can feel it.Ive an SCS where there is supposed to be no buzzing etc but i like the feeling,its not sore at all

[Mark56]

I feel tremendously BLESSED to have my stim.... use it 24/7 since July 2010. Before my cervical spine acted up, I had withdrawn from ALL pain meds, and I mean ALL and resumed my career, representing clients, helping others, living life, riding my mountain bike [on streets], and enjoying living.

I have not been able to dance, run, ski, hike, hunt, or things like that, but, in the grand scheme of things, it has been a good GOOD thing for me and my family.

OK, I promised myself and family I would not do this too much and hurt my arm extraordinarily.... I already broke that promise, so gotta go,

Be well,
I am waitin for a cervical fusion AGAIN on Jan 2 to address my failed fusion and arm nerves....
My fingers are crossed, and I am soliciting prayers,
Yup,