WELCOME Crandies

I was wondering if you would share your story on my thread above ..it is about stimulation and anything your share would be helpful to so many others. here is the link
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread124048.html
Thank You and please know you are in my prayers for everything to be successfully with your final implant and healing process.
PEACE
BMW ...Tina

I can relate SOOOOOO well to just about all of you. I am new to the forum, so this is my first post. I have trigeminal neuralgia which was treated over the past few years with nerve blocks (pain had returned before I got home from pain mgmt clinic),gamma knife surgery, also known as stereotactic something(can't remember),twice.Each time it worked for about 2-3 months, then returned in another branch of the nerve. After that I had radiofrequency lesioning to the nerve, which worked right after the surgery and into the next day. After that it crescendoed quickly and violently to a level I had not known prior to that. Went to see the anesthesiologist(!!!) that put the huge needle in my face and dug it around in my cheek during which I was awake off and on,(it had hurt so badly it was like sheer terror), and he told me I had anesthesia dolorosa.Since then I have only had infusions of lidocaine, now every 2-3 mos., and I have not heard anyone else here say they have had that.He has suggested that nerve stimulator you have talked about, Burntmarshmallow. I have finally decided to try it. Initially, stimulating that area was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but after reading all this, I understand better about how it can work, and I want my life back more than I can say.I am a registered nurse who cannot work because of the pain and med effects. I love what I do and miss it so much.I am taking Lyrica, among many other things, but it is the one that has taken my ability to think well away. My memory is awful, I can't concentrate well, can't process information as quickly or as well in general,I don't have any sense of the passage of time, can't make decisions well, and am in a fog sometimes. I do take a stimulant drug to counteract these things, Vyvanse. My question to you is: does Medicare pay for the surgery and the stimulator, since it is an off-label area in which to use the device?