Nevro HF10 spinal stimulator
Posted , 10 users are following.
I have had fusions and injections with no success. It has been suggested by a Neurosurgeon at Mayo that I consider having the Nevro placed. One of the stipulations, for receiving this device, is you be examed by a Psychiatrist. It was explained to me that the reason for this is to assure the hospital that you are not being forced into this procedure by anyone. (I know! It doesn't make any sense to me either). I am scheduled to have the Nevro placed May 10th. My appointment with the Psychiatrist was today. (She,also, is working at Mayo). She strongly suggested that I should get a TENS unit and instead of taking the pain pill I take now use a Lidocaine Patch. I am currently on Hydrocondone 10 mg twice a day. It is not doing great to relieve my pain since I have been on it for quite a while. Also, she put me on Topiramate, which I think is a drug for epilepsy, which I do not have. My feeling is she over stepped. I have been in pain for several years and was hoping for a little relief from the stimulator. I guess my questions are if anyone has had any relief from a TENS unit and Lidocaine patches after failed back surgery? I did have a Cat Scan Tech describe my back as a hardware store. At least he had a sense of humor. Many thanks to anyone who can enlighten me. Good luck to you all.
0 likes, 24 replies
roberta36335 marie04822
Posted
I am using a tens unit and it has helped some with my pain. I also use Lidoderm patches which I wouldn't be able to survive the pain without. They help immensely. I have had two failed back surgeries because of two bad doctors. One pinched a nerve in my back causing neuropathy and the other put in a cage which has now loosened and moved partially out of my spinal canal lodging in my muscle. I have had chronic back pain for over 20 years. Doctors put me on Tramadol for over 10 years which caused gastroparesis and restless leg syndrome. Now they are recommending spinal stimulator HF 10. Reluctant at first but the pain is getting uncontrolled and I can't live like this any longer.
robin2000 marie04822
Posted
I have had a Nevro device for almost ten years. It never worked for me. The pre-test with the external device worked wonders, but once they implanted it, it didn't improve things. The surgeon warned me it might not because of my (almost complete) spinal fusion, and I accepted the outcome -- it didn't work. (It was for pelvic pain, not back pain.). The good news is that I eventually found a set of practitioners of exercise and medicine that made the pain go away after 20 years -- a surprise to everyone, and a reason to hold out hope when all seems lost. The bad news is that Nevro is very aggressive and incredibly persistent. Maybe that works for some patients, but after months and months of trying I wanted to give up, and they didn't. They eventually went away, but it took a lot of work to make that happen. It hasn't been on for at least three years, maybe more like five. Now I need an MRI for an injury and need their help to make sure the device is safe before medical imaging will agree to do it. However, the device is broken, and they want to fix it, the medical practice that implanted it has gone out of business, they're demanding things of my primary care provider, they're difficult to schedule, I've had ten phone calls today with different theories of what's wrong, and all I want to do is get an all-clear for an MRI. It looks like this is going to take months. Imagine if I were in the hospital? The medical imaging nurses are suspicious of them, so I may never be able to get the MRI. I should say the MRI is nowhere near the region of the implant, so that's not the problem. I could go on. If it works for you, great. But beware that you're dealing with some serious sharks. I will try to check this space again if there are additional questions; I'm happy to answer.
robin2000 marie04822
Posted
As explained to me at the time, Nevro's reason for having the psych exam is to make sure your expectations are reasonable, and that you're not going to lose your mind over it -- either over the idea of having an implant period or over the idea that it won't produce full relief from pain.
Daxel79 marie04822
Posted
Hello Everyone! my pain Dr just recommended the nevro SCS for me, i have crps and allodynia in my left ankle that I’ve been dealing With for over a year now!!! the pain isunbearable And I’m currently doing DT And PT and On pain meds. what are Your PROS n CONS of The Nevro HFXSCS And The Abbott DRG?? ‘Do they just feel like an implanted TENS unit? because I’ve tried AB external TENS Unit and it is way to painful for me to use. Any and all info is welcomed and so greatly appreciated!!! Thank you all so much!!!!