1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Spinal Problems

Spinal Cord Stimulator Problems

Posted , 47 users are following.

TreasureNurse
TreasureNurse

I have had my spinal cord stimulator since May and I am having a lot of nausea. I have to keep soda crackers with me all the time. The SCS was put in after I had ongoing pain after my spinal fusion. I had an injury from an auto accident. I have had issues with the settings put on the control box by the rep as well. I had to push for setting changes to alleviate sharp shock like symptoms as it was stimulating. There is poor follow up by the reps after the SCS are put in. It seems their goal is to sell the stimulators but the patient is forgotten when it comes to legitimate reportable symptoms and follow up care.

4 likes, 221 replies

221 Replies

Prev Next
  • angelamorlan
    angelamorlan TreasureNurse

    Posted

    I just had the permanent stimulator implanted and tomorrow they turn it on.  on this one, they  have you wait 2 weeks after surgery before starting the program.  I am nervous about it not working.  The brand I have is medtronic and its a rechargable battery.  I will control the program and the stimulation. I had great coverage with the trial so I am hoping for relief, or at least a drop in my pain levels.  The reason for this?  I ended up with adhesive arachnoiditis after failed back surgeries and the nerves are now clumped up and constantly firing.  No pain medication will help it, and even after surgery, nothing they gave me helped, not even IV meds. I am keeping my fingers crossed though. 
    • allaroundanne
      allaroundanne angelamorlan

      Posted

      If your trial went well, then so should the permanent.  Arachnoiditis is really hard to treat so your doc must have been thrilled the SCS worked so well.
    • bonnie_66734
      bonnie_66734 angelamorlan

      Posted

      I am finding that now that Abbott has taken over stjude the rep and upper management are commited to our success.Hang in there, know it will take some time but but try not to get discouraged. Keep us postec
    • Nina1302
      Nina1302 angelamorlan

      Posted

      Hi angelamorlan and everyone. Boy I have read some horror storieson the scs. I for onelove mine Medtronic just as yours angelamorlan. I have been living with this excruciating back pain for more than half my life. I've done physical therapy numerous times and got no relief. The doctors would say theres nothing wrong with me except I was over weight and to lose the extra pounds and it would be better. They never did any xrays or MRIs so I continued living with the pain. I lost 125 pounds but I didn't lose the pain. My family doctor finally sent me to have an MRI and it showed osteoarthritis, pinched nerves and buldging disc throughout my spine. She sent me to a pain management dr and after a year of trying pain meds, therapy and injection after injection he finally did the trial scs and we had 65-70% pain relief so we did the permanent implant. It was a lot more difficult surgery since my spine was so bad the leads wouldn't fo in straight so he had to cut my back 10 inches and shave my bones. After all this I must say I am extremely happy and satisfied with it. I like that even with this scs I can still have MRIs done when needed. The problem is if I dont charge it every other day the battery can die and after the 3rd over discharge the battery will have to be removed arnd replaced. I like that its a lifetime battery. My Medtronic rep is such a sweet lady if and when I need to adjust it we just meet at the doctors office or any public place. I hope you have found some relief with your stimulator and I hope you are satisfied with it. I know I am. Best of luck to you.

    • socksmom
      socksmom Nina1302

      Posted

      GLAD FOR YOU AND ALL WHO HAVE HAD PLEASANT STORIES TO TELL.  ALL PEOPLE ARE NOT THE SAME IS VERY TRUE...THAT BEING SAID, WHERE DO PEOPLE LIKE US THAT GAVE UP OPOIDS TO BE HEALTHIER FIND ANSWERS AND HELP WHEN ALL OUR PROBLEMS ARE DISMISSED.. I DONT WANT TO BLAME ANYONE, JUST WANT SOMEONE TO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED AND WHO CAN HELP ME.  I HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED THE WAY WE ARE JUST BLOWED OFF AND LEFT ON OUR OWN.. I DO REALIZE THAT THIS IS A MIRACLE FOR SOME BUT WE SHOULD BE INFORMED ABOUT REAL POSSIBLE PROBLEMS.  I WAS GIVEN A SNOW JOB BY REP.  DIDNT FIGURE OUT HOW THIS WORKED AS I WAS TOLD I WAS SEEING PM NURSE, NOT REP WHO STOOD TO MAKE MONEY FROM IMPLANT?  JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE I DID BEFORE TRIAL.  SO FORTUNATE I DID HAVE PROBLEMS AT TRIAL INSTEAD OF AT FULL IMPLANT, I WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED IT!
    • paulbklyn
      paulbklyn allaroundanne

      Posted

      I had the Nevro SCS implanted in me about 10 months ago.

      Has not helped much, as the trail did.

      The company was nice, reprogrammed it about 5x

      Nothing

      Thinking about having it removed

    • paulbklyn
      paulbklyn allaroundanne

      Posted

      Hi

      I had my implant about 6 months ago, didn't work while the trail did

  • bonnie_66734
    bonnie_66734 TreasureNurse

    Posted

    To everybody who reads this. I have been harsh in my critism of scs devices.I am finding that now that Abbott has taken over st jude that there is hope for all of us who have scs devices. know that it is difficult when we are all struggling with pain to get discouraged. The bottom line is that, right or wrong, n

    • bonnie_66734
      bonnie_66734

      Posted

      I am trying say that there is an opioid crisis and we need to find healthier ways to manage pain. It is discouraging. But we all have to do our part. Best of lluck to all of you!u
    • socksmom
      socksmom bonnie_66734

      Posted

      YOU HAVE ONLY TOLD THE TRUTH AS THE REST OF US HAVE, MIXED WITH A LOT OF FRUSTRATION WITH BEING BRUSHED OFF AS A PROBLEM NOT A REAL PATIENT WHO NEEDS SOMEONE TO HELP THEM AFTER A BAD EXPERIENCE.
  • william_31371
    william_31371 TreasureNurse

    Posted

    I've had my burst stimulator since Feb, 2017. To the point, I can't get the doc or a rep to give a good answer on how high to set the amplitude. I can find no literature. To me it makes sense, the higher the better and I have seen some reviews that state the same, but I don't want to over stimulate either. Just curious what number do you keep yours set on? I'm at 38, but feel I need to go up.

    • jolene_08286
      jolene_08286 william_31371

      Posted

      Mine is 8! 20 was too much for me! Ugh

      I know the info seems scarce. I have a caring rep thankfully. Ask for a different rep.

  • jolene_08286
    jolene_08286 TreasureNurse

    Posted

    I had my neurostimulator implanted almost a month ago.

    I am still having the same pain as before! I turned the unit up and it helped a little but I was light headed and sick to my stomach.

    The rep called and wanted it put back at the setting he set. 

    I am so frustrated.

    Have others had this happen?

  • KIKIBLUE48
    KIKIBLUE48 TreasureNurse

    Posted

    I agree re the rep. He was great prior to and right after the implant. I called him about a month later to say I was getting shocks from the battery. He said if it’s not to bothersome, don’t worry about it. I must say the St. Jude’s Burst did take care of my lower back pain.   

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.