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SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR SIDE EFFECTS

Posted , 114 users are following.

patricia65203
patricia65203

have had s c s. almost 1yr. have had 2 major infections 11 days hospitalisation & had to go into theatre to have wound opened and flushed out with antibiotics. also had to have first implant battery replaced as it was in wrong angle and wouldn't charge!! have had spinal fusion and failed back syndrome. SCS was only thing hadn't tried. got relief on back pain from beginning but find it really hard to walk now.....my legs seize up and i have to stop every few steps....always in pain when i try to walk. Have also felt pain and limitation in my arms especially when i try to lift arms up ie drying my hair etc. Have trawled internet to find anyone with similar experience no success....my surgeon & reps say my NEW symptoms have nothing to do with the stimulator i don't agree.....can anyone relate to what i'm going through....or am i just the only one...please help my partner who is lovely feels im not giving scs a proper go....he doesn't know how much pain my legs are in. Pat

10 likes, 311 replies

311 Replies

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  • cindyjq
    cindyjq patricia65203

    Posted

    Omg it sounds like you and I are havibg same symptoms and I have had them move it about 3 times down. I use my remote my hands hurt and my heels have been in so much pain i can't stand it. I talk to a rep and they start telling me she has never heard that before I regret it everyday.

  • Major48
    Major48 patricia65203

    Posted

    Hello, have a similar story.  The pain relief was remarkable however I stared to develop pain in legs, hips, knees and my. Lower limb locomotion is reduced to shuffling instead of walking. Also I developed significant left shoulder pain
    • socksmom
      socksmom Major48

      Posted

      Same symptoms here immediately after trial but doctors say it is coincidence....I don't think so. But what are you gonna do about all doctors stick together unless it is blatantly obvious!!

    • Major48
      Major48 socksmom

      Posted

      Doctor /PT actually are surprised by my new. Issues that appeared after implant and have no explanation.  Next appointment tomorrow.  Also my battery incision became infected requiring antibiotics and I am a little concerned they will want to remove it. 
    • sheila_86127
      sheila_86127 socksmom

      Posted

      What brand of Stimulator do you have and where are you from? I live in Ohio and had mine put in 12/7/2016. It's St. Jude's brand new one with the 5yr battery and iPod. I'm trying to find people who have the same one and have issues.

    • socksmom
      socksmom

      Posted

      It has have been 17 months

      Of going from gastro doctors to heart doctors and then Neuro, chiro pand physical theapy. I have spent so much money I am poor! Blood work , brain scan last week, stroke??? No one equates this with the scs implant I had even though weakness and other symptoms started same day..Pain management that implanted it has denied all along I had any problems. My GP doc was no help as he was not doing comp and was friends with PM doctor also. Wish I just could relive that horrible day. It felt like that needle was scaling all the way up my back muscles to my shoulder. I hollered and was shot with more novacaine but still painful.

    • sheila_86127
      sheila_86127 socksmom

      Posted

      What kind of scs do you have? Where are you from? Were you awake for the surgery?
    • socksmom
      socksmom sheila_86127

      Posted

      Hi Sheila. I just had the trial but it was like the needle was dragging all the way from mid-spine to cervical where it was implanted. Only tolerated 2 days because of pinching nerve in shoulder blade and red and whelped back. I still 1 year later have problems from that day, I believe but no help from that pain management group....I live in W.V.

    • tim75946
      tim75946 sheila_86127

      Posted

      I have the same stimulator.  This is my 3rd stimulator.  The first was a re-chargeable from St. Francis.  It lasted 3 years.  The battery was getting weak so I had it replaced last November with the latest St. Jude 5 year stimulator that uses pulse.  The replacement worked fine until I had fusion revision in February and the stimulator got "fried" by a laser grounding.  I decided to have the stimulator replaced again in June with the same St. Jude pulse.  That's where the problems began.  I immediately had more pain than before the surgery.  After 3-4 weeks, the St. Jude rep looked at it and said the original tech turned it on too high (she said at least by a factor of two).  Turning the stimulator down and then off didn't help, so for the past several weeks, I've been missing work and taking lots of pain meds.  I'm worried this can't be fixed.  A simple screw-up could cost me pain forever.  

    • christy05695
      christy05695 socksmom

      Posted

      Hi there! Are you still around?

      I'm 31...back injury at 15. St. Jude SCS implanted 02/2013. Boston Scientific Precision Spectra implanted 07/2015.

      Have been noticing problems in the way I think, learn, concentrate, read, think with any stress added, heart/chest pains, feeling like my hands are not listening to my brain sometimes...symptoms similar to early onset Alzheimers that I know is related to using high frequency for over 2 years.

      Brain scan scheduled Thursday, but I know it's not going to show.

  • Sodapop93
    Sodapop93 patricia65203

    Posted

    Yes finally others with the same stimulator problems. I have the newest St. Judes 5 year MRI compatible stimulator I had no problems for about 1 year just recently I had to go into surgery at O.H.S.U and the surgeon told me that my leads have migrated two vertebrae down I had surgery that same day. they put the leads in my C2 area but something is different I sit up this morning and I had an excruciating pain course through my body we are waiting until I fully recover to see if I have damaged it already do you think I made the right choice with this stimulator ?
  • raines13
    raines13 patricia65203

    Posted

    Hi I've had two spinal fusions, now had just had a scs fitted on 28 th June, it is working but I also find it hard to walk, I have really painful right arm, I can hardly move it but find it hard to lift anything , move it it kills me but my nurse also it is nothing to do with having scs put in, I'm going to seek further help as I can do anything , making me depressed as every time I have something done something else happens x

  • linda25733
    linda25733 patricia65203

    Posted

    I also had a hospital stay for a week on IV antibiotics, but they were able to clear the infection and I still have that scs.  Mine was a staff infection.

     

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