Spinal cord stimulator

I do not want to steal the baclofen pump post. Does anybody have experience with a stimal stimulator or morphine pump for back pain and/or leg pain?

A friend of mine has some kind of a stimulator that reduces her pain a whole lot. She is very happy with it and can get around a whole lot better than she used to. She is 85.

I think it was implanted, but for obvious reasons she has never showed me where it is. She occasionally needs to go in to have it adjusted somehow.

Wish I could tell you more, but that is about all I know about it. If your doctor says you need it and are a good candidate to use one, from my friend"s experience and what she has said about having such a machine, I would advise giving it a try. Good luck!

I am your Guy WITH experience with Fusion, Discectomy, Epidurals, etc, etc..etc..

YOU are Very Lucky that someone even Mentioned the Spinal Stim to you...!

The "average" Back Sturgeon will NOT tell you a thing about it..Sad but True..

I did my homework and asked my Primary Dr to "Refer Me" to Dr Gladstone Churchill McDowell..St Judes, Columbus, Ohio..
I had to take a few preliminary tests and Interview with The Dr several times..
He put it in for a "7 to 10 Day Trial"...took him about 10 Minutes..
Over the 1st 3 days, I was just trying to find how much Stim I needed and I was Over-Stimulating way too much..!!
I actually "went down" once and could not get up..until I turned the Stim off..!
I learned that it does not take a whole lot of noticeable Spinal Stim, to BLOCK the Pain..!
I have had a good SOLID, Reliable 85% Reduction in Lower back and Rt Hip/Thigh pain/numbness since it was installed...
I have 10 different Programs I can choose from and adjust them a Great deal, each.. And they can put more in if I think I need them..!
I had quit Western Square Dancing 10 Years prior to this and am now a Steady Strong _ level Square Dancer..!
Before, if I did try, I had to have someone ready to "Step in" as my Rt Foot and Leg would go numb...
What I have found now is that I do need to Turn the unit OFF, if I am going to Square Dance, or I get a weakness in my legs, during the steady movement..BUT..I may NOT need to turn it back ON for 3 or MORE Days..as the Stim seems to have a Strong Residual effect..!!!
Do I "Like it"...?????
My Neuro-Surgeon was ready to schedule ANOTHER Fusion (You don't need those rods now..we can just Slide them UP"...was her reply..!!
I am SO Glad I looked into this...
I only need to lay on a small pad for 1 Hour, Once every week or two, to charge it..Totally NO Connections..!!
ONE MORE Thing...
There are 2 Different ways this can be Implanted..the "Open" and the "Closed"..
You want the "Closed" Implant..Far less traumatic, with far less chance of Infection..
My neighbor had an "Open Implant" and it did NOT go well..
Where are you Located..??
IF you are anywhere near OHIO, I would advise you to see Dr Mcdowell..
He has many options to control "Pain"..that is "What he Does"..and it would include morphine pumps and more..for severely bad Cancer patients, etc..
Hope this is what you were looking for...It WORKS for ME..!!!
Ron..

Doc was going to put one on the wife, till I asked him if he had read her chart, and she has a pacemaker.

Are you talking about the electrical pulse thing? If so, it helps a little to knock the edge off but it don't block the pain. Tried it while being mobile 1 time and that will never happen again. Twenty minutes in and I hit the floor. Leg was completely paralized and I had to turn it off to be able to stand again. Too dangerous for me.