SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR SIDE EFFECTS

there's a Facebook page called:

failed spinal cord stimulators

wouldn't hurt to check it out and share what you've written here. a lot of people there that could possibly help or guide you. good luck

I am experiencing a lot of leg pain, I have some pain where my box is, but because of how expensive it was I didn't want to believe it was my problem. I am pretty sure it is now. my leg has been weakening for months and the pain in my leg is awful, that I thought maybe I had a blood clot it hurt so bad. I can barely walk on it. I have been walking like some on put it (like a drunk). It is interfering with my sleep and my life. After reading all this I am going to reach out to my pain doc to see what he thinks. I told my husband what I have read on this and told him he is going to say " I have never heard of anything like this". so I'm ready to inform him I am NOT the only one. I hate to have it removed because some of you had worse problems afterward, but I feel if I don't have it removed I might be in a wheel chair soon. Thanks for sharing all your experiences they are very helpful.

HI Patricia

I have L2 incomplete paraplegia and have extremely limited movement. i have had a stimulator installed last week and at first found pain in back reduced. However i am finding now that there is an increased sensation of numbness and pins and needles in my legs, from my knees down. this is also making walking more difficult in the sense i need to concentrate more, as the limited sensation that i had, has been reduced. Its a bit confusing as i now need to decide if i should have it removed or not as am on trial at the moment.

Have thing improved for you

I have had the Abbott SCS implanted now for about 6 months. Before implantation I was walking fairly well but after about 50 yards my hips and right leg would begin to ache, bad aches. I could go up stairs without any problem as long as there were just 10-12 stairs at the most, then the hips would ache. Today my legs are so weak that I cannot make the first stair without a handrail or a cane to use my arms to pull me up. When my legs started feeling weak I asked my tech if the SCS would make my legs weak. She skipped all around the question. My pains in my right leg and my hips were my reason for going with the SCS. But after a while my left leg began getting weak as well. Now "you might have to do therapy". I did not need "therapy" before and now I do. Yesterday my legs were so weak I could hardly walk at all. I am on the 5th program in the SCS now and none have given my any relief and all seem to have weakened my legs. My tech finally admitted one day the "some people" have the feeling that their legs are weaker. Get that "some people" and "have the feeling". Then there is the problem that I don't feel any pain relief. I get the "well, the SCS only relieves up to 50% of the pain so you have to bear the rest of the pain". Well, one day with the SCS running at the designated program and power level I had a solid 8 pain, lasted about 4-5 hours. So bad that a man approached me and asked if he could help as he thought I was having a heart attack. He said that I was ashed and bent over. I assured him that it was my back pains. So according to what my tech said I must have be having a 16 level pain and the SCS cut that down to an 8. So far, after 6 months what have I gotten out of the SCS? Weak legs, so weak I can't climb stairs without using my arms to help, weak legs that don't let me walk like a normal person, I shuffle like an only man (which I am) groaning all the while. I don't seem to have any pain relief in my legs, hips, pelvic area that sent me to getting a SCS. If you are reading this and considering a SCS implantation I would tell you to do a lot more research and talk to a lot of patients with implants before you take the next step. I listened to the big sales pitch and like a fool believed what they told me. All I can say is all this is all my fault for not digging deeper and seeking out implant recipients and hearing their stories. Don't be the fool I was/am.

hi

i had my nuro stimulator put in june 2023 I have to say that i am not a fan every time i have to charge the battery in my back i swear it makes me feel like total crap tummy issues feel like throwing up all the time light headed dizziness hot/cold flashes constantly like i have the flu x's 10 no energy run down tired constantly i know i am not sick because i have been to the drs all test come back negative for covid, flu influenza all of it Negative...how can that be? well i started to feel good for a couple weeks then now that i had to charge it recently i feel like Crap!! Help is anyone else going threw this? Thank you, Shannon