Trial on the Nov 19th
Posted , 3 users are following.
I already had a fusion of my L5S1. My PM dr said I have Failed Back Syndrome. I was rear ended in a car accident 5 months after my fusion. I have had cronic pain since. I've had injections above and below the fusion and RFA above the fusion and trigger point injections. This is the last chance. I do not take pain meds but do take muscle relaxers when needed. I have depression and anxioty and this does not help. I will make sure the doctor does not put the paddles in. I do not want a laminectomy. Just feed them through. I am worried about recovery as my son is in college now and can't help with driving my younger daughter. When were you all able to drive?
1 like, 1 reply
Seafarer123 penni44136
Posted
You say you aren't taking pain meds, just muscle relaxants? Is that because so far the injections and RFA have worked? Since the RFA tends to last a long time, and since you say you don't need pain meds, why would you want a spinal cord stimulator at this point? Why not try at least some mild pain meds, at least simple NSAIDs or perhaps Tramadol, to see if they can supplement your RFA and injections enough to avoid further surgery (for the SCS)?
Perhaps I'm not understanding your situation, since you did say at the beginning of your email that you have been in chronic pain (it is just unclear from what you say later in your email if the therapies to date have mostly relieved that pain). I didn't get my SCS implanted until it was a last resort - until everything else (physical therapy, traction, ultrasound, pain meds, injections, surgery) had failed. Personally I wouldn't choose to get the SCS unless I at least had pain that was not controlled by pain meds (I can understand wanting to avoid things like Vicodin or Percocet but drugs like Gabapentin and Tramadol, in lower doses, aren't that terrible. I've been on both for over ten years with no serious side effects. And if you are taking NO pain meds, I would at least try a doctor-approved regimen of higher-dose NSAIDs).
But to answer your question directly - after the trial you should be able to drive a car the next day, and if you get it implanted (wires only, no paddles), you should be able to drive in two days, three at the latest. You might be a little sore after the permanent implantation but that will only be due to the implantation of the battery pack, not the wires. The wires go in (and come out) very easily (my wires were removed after the trial without any anesthesia at all, it was painless).
One last thing. I can understand that you don't want the paddles. There are several negatives to the paddles, the worst of which is that you then can't have an MRI so long as they are inside you (or until the FDA approves MRIs for the paddles, which is apparently under consideration). And of course no one wants a laminectomy. But there are benefits to the paddles. They anchor the wires in you better, and the wires won't then migrate. They provide more surface area for electrical stimulation of your spine. I got the paddles and I'm happy I did, but I can understand your reluctance.
Hope everything works out well.