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Old 12-29-2013, 09:09 PM #1
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Default SCS pain mgt/ Nevro Senza hf

Hi all, 12 days post procedure which took nearly 3 hours instead of the anticipated one hour and I'm in pain. I just don't know where to put myself. A lengthy background blurb below, sorry, thought it may be cathartic for me...

They only managed to get one lead in, my pain mgt specialist explained he thinks the scar tissue from previous spine operations (5) along with the regular Rhyzotomy and epidurals every 6 to12 months from 2006 and potential bone fragments from my crumbling spine in the thoracic region made it almost impossible to get the leads in. Strangely it wasn't experienced at the trial and he went in at the same place only 4 weeks later. He, my rep Leah and her manager all whom were present at the operation were quite perplexed about it. My rep strongly pushed for him to go ahead with implanting the battery despite only getting the one lead in as her manager and she believe a neurosurgeon here in WA can do a laminotomy and put in a paddle, and that supposedly will give me cover. Nevro apparently don't do the paddle but they are prepared to work with the supplier who does to be able to offer me some pain relief? They are all very disappointed in the outcome so far and my pain Dr so apologetic.

Anyhow, Xmas day passed with me doing little but on Boxing Day I cooked a pork, lamb and chicken roast with non peeled, just scrubbed veg for my 82 year old mother, my sister and her partner and my husband. I shelled the prawns and all work was done standing at the sink and bench top. I also only used bench top ovens and the wall oven (had 3 ovens going) so did no bending and lifted nothing heavier than 1kg, BUT I did bend to reach into the cupboard for a gravy jug and while bending in to look lost my balance somehow and fell backwards landing on my butt!!! I rocked for a second or two and grabbing the bench top pulled myself up.

Friday, Saturday, I rested all day, Sunday I slept all day (tablet induced) and today, my back is still weeping, crying and ridiculing me. I have to say, at all times while I was preparing and cooking I took all precautions, I did not stretch, reach or lift anything heavy and only bent the once (which resulted in me falling to the floor) so in reality, it's just the standing at the bench top shelling the prawns and the fall that may have hurt me so. The meats all took just about an hour and half to cook and in that time I rested. I set the table and decorated by folding up paper water lily napkins which I also did at the bench top. I really did nothing out of the ordinary that I haven't done a million times before!!

I have taken 10mg OxyContin slow release, 5mg Valium (which I hadn't taken for over 4 months) and 5mg endone. I've got 20 mg slow release Oxy as well as 5mg Oxynorm and also 10/5 Targin but I really don't want to take anything more. I take Panamax every 6 hours also. I have persistently taken way less oxy than prescribed over the years as I hate what they do to me and at the most nowadays only take 1x 10mg slow release each day. I also never take oxy after 6pm as for me, oxy makes me feel like I can conquer the world and Before I know it I'm out there in the garden, cleaning, doing domestic chores like sweeping etc, walking the dogs, exercising and then suffer when the drug wears off! Not that I'm doing any of that post the SCS implant, I know I'm not to do anything physical for 12 weeks.

So, has anyone got any bright ideas on what else I can do today for pain relief as my thoracic region is screaming, cervical singing along and lumbar giving it what for as well, mostly though it's the thoracic and it hurts to breathe. Problematic headache also that's been present for 7 days straight now.

Can someone also point me to where I can read up on BLAST?
I found blast!

Last edited by PamelaJune; 12-29-2013 at 09:51 PM. Reason: I found blast
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Old 12-29-2013, 11:07 PM #2
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Heart Oh My, Oh My, Oh My Pamela

BLAST http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread114142-5.html

Next thing is to be "religious" in adherence to it so you do not hurt yourself as you did with all of that meal prep......... Be good to you. It is important to the healing, scarring in of the SCS unit and leads, and resuming strength. Walk and do not BLAST.

Signing off for now.
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Old 12-30-2013, 09:35 AM #3
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Default So very sorry for your pain

Pamela - I am so very sorry that you are hurting. I have had my perm implant for 6 days now, and I understand the desire - even the need - to do "normal" things like cooking for family. It sounds like you took every precaution possible to avoid complications from over-doing it, and I am sorry you fell. That has been my biggest fear these past 6 days, as I am such a klutz that I can trip over a line that is simply drawn on the floor!

As Mark said - BLaST!! That has been such a lifesaver for me - thanks for creating the acronym, Mark! Every time I go to do something, I find myself subconsciously running my movements through a BLaST grid in my mind.

I hope that over the next several days you can simply rest and give your body time to heal, and that in healing, you will find a measure of pain relief that is dangling just beyond your reach right now.

Prayers for you!

=Becky
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Old 12-30-2013, 10:01 AM #4
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Heart One thing......

About post surgical pain management...... doctors and nurses alike have told me I do myself no favors by withholding pain meds post surgery. The pain of being sliced and having a spike run through the tissue to pull wire leads along the channel for emplacement of connections to the generator unit is Nothing like that long term pain management. It is serious stuff.

Sure, I became medically "dependent" on pain management meds over the years of chronic nerve pain, but that extra piece of what Doc prescribed to overcome post surgical pain was necessary. THEN I did the hard work of withdrawing from all pain meds according to plan and monitored by Doc gradually. We did this together. It was well worth it. Before this eruption of nerve pain from my cervical spine down the right arm, I was taking no pain med of any kind. The stim was doing all pain management for my lower body. It can for you too, in time......

So, the one thing I offer, is use the prescribed post surgical pain meds according to script to "get there." When the pain of surgery is history, you may also be where I was, Pamela, able to withdraw from everything and call it a thing of the past.

Prayin for ya,
Yup
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Old 01-02-2014, 12:38 AM #5
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Heart Pam!

I remembered that you like to be called Pam

Well I hope the surgical pain has decreased by now.
Do you still have the headache? I remember hearing that if it's a spinal headache, use caffeinated beverages. They say that for spinal leaks, but maybe this would benefit you as well since they've obviously caused mayhem in your back

I only have one lead and am doing just fine with it. I originally had 2 leads, but I did NOT follow the BLAST commandment and ended up surmising in my mind that it would be ok to throw a bale of hay to my horses in the middle of winter within 3 wks of having my unit installed.
Needless to say one of the leads came completely detached and was just curled up in my lumbar region. It wasn't discovered until about 6 months later after I had repeatedly indicated to my Dr that I was having a lot of pain down there and demanded an xray to prove it. To this day I have been cursed with horrible back spasms and I'm sure it's because of THAT STUPID BALE OF HAYYYY!
Of course it wasn't MY fault! I'm still in denial. It's the BALE'S fault!!!!!

So anyway, when I went in to get the revision, I told Dr that I was getting good coverage in both legs the whole time, so he said that he'd just pull the bad lead out and leave it at that. I'm totally fine with it.
My hope for you is that after you've recovered from the surgery pain, you'll get enuf coverage from just one lead. It
'can' happen.

Anxious to hear an update dear Pam

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Old 01-03-2014, 08:46 PM #6
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Default Nevro update

Hi, still hanging in, the feeling in my left arm/palm is really getting to me. It's a numb tingling burning sensation and I find myself flapping and waving my arm about. I've had this arm pain on and off for years now since the car accident in 2004 and used to hold my arm above my hear to relieve it but can't do that now post implant. My husband says he used to wake up and see me lying there with my arm stuck up in the air, really freaky, I don't even know I'm doing it. I also wonder if that with the left hip referred back pain being reduced a bit, maybe I'm noticing the arm pain more?? A few years back it was in my right arm/palm and I used to want to lie my palm flat on a cool surface to relieve it.

I'm having good days and not so good days, by the afternoon I'm in pain, particularly around the thoracic region. My stim entry point is T8. 2 vertebrae from T6 which is "endplated".

Still determined to take no more than 10mg OxyContin a day. Way too many bowel obstructions over the course of years since my botched hysterectomy which resulted in peritonitis and 14" bowel removal and resection and I now have to manage my intestine carefully watching what I eat and take. I can have no more than 12g of fibre a day! All fatty foods have no fibre, all healthy foods are brimming with fibre so as you can imagine trying to control medicine intake, fibre intake, weight gain and pain control can be a challenge at times. Having to give up work and become housebound in October 2012 was frustrating but I did manage to lose 13kg by standing in front of the tele and walking back n forth or stepping up and down on a step. Have put on 2kg over Xmas and looking forward to getting the energy and enthusiasm to walk again. I am reluctant to walk outside on my own and now can't take the dogs because of the stim implant.

So you may have noticed I said the left hip referred lumbar back pain is reduced. That's great news for me, it means the stim must be working and maybe with programming I can get the thoracic and arm pain sorted without having to have the laminotomy and paddle. Yay for me
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Old 01-03-2014, 08:51 PM #7
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Default What stim company have you got

Quote:
Originally Posted by chrelsey View Post
Pamela - I am so very sorry that you are hurting. I have had my perm implant for 6 days now, and I understand the desire - even the need - to do "normal" things like cooking for family. It sounds like you took every precaution possible to avoid complications from over-doing it, and I am sorry you fell. That has been my biggest fear these past 6 days, as I am such a klutz that I can trip over a line that is simply drawn on the floor!

As Mark said - BLaST!! That has been such a lifesaver for me - thanks for creating the acronym, Mark! Every time I go to do something, I find myself subconsciously running my movements through a BLaST grid in my mind.

I hope that over the next several days you can simply rest and give your body time to heal, and that in healing, you will find a measure of pain relief that is dangling just beyond your reach right now.

Prayers for you!

=Becky
Hey Becky, I hope you are still doing well post implant and that you saw the change over from last year to new year in a relaxing fashion. We went late to our friends house ie left home and got there at 10pm and left there at 12.30pm. Very relaxing and being among lifelong friends who are like family very warming.

Let us know how you are if you get a chance
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Old 01-05-2014, 02:09 PM #8
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Smile

So happy to hear your lumbar pain has been reduced, Pam!
Hopefully your tweak session(s) will get even more coverage for you.
I'm glad to hear you are taking all precautions, although I bet your dogs feel a bit cheated

Now for the arm pain - I've put that into prayer mode.
When is your first tweak session?
Anxious to hear how it will go

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Old 01-06-2014, 11:23 PM #9
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Unhappy Dreaded referred hip pain is back

So, a bad night last night, the left hip pain is back, thoracic pain high! hand and arm pain excruciating with no way of reducing it and the headache still there. Been using cold packs on my head, back and hip. Succumbed and took Targin 10/5 in the afternoon and suffered a very upset tummy, not sure if related or just stress.

My PM is back this week, as is the Nevro rep so will try and contact them and get this programming sorted, I thought she would have contacted me by now. My PM wants to see me when I see her, the PM is great, any visit with the rep is with him present, unlike other stories I hear where the PM no longer, or rarely involves them-self.

Am resting today, no energy to move, it's also very hot being summer here.
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Old 01-07-2014, 12:57 AM #10
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Heart Hang in there Pam

Prayin for ya.
M56
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