need advice

soccermom · #1 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 02:35 AM

Hi! I am new to this and I am looking for help, I was involved in a MVA in May 2004 and 3 months later had a double fusion at C5-6,C6-7 with a cage, afterwards I had maybe 6 months of relief, I went back to my NS and he stated that I would just have to live with it, well at the time I was 31, now I am 35 and still living with it, i have went to another NS, and he stated that I have perm damage and later I will need another surgery due to the now issues above and below the fusion, he has sent me to a PM and I love him, but the epi's are not working and the trigger points work for 4 days only on headache. We are talking about the nuerostim implant and till I get that, facet shots instead of epi. The isssue with pain meds is that I have a low tolerance and have a hard time taking anything, so I live on tylenol and aleve, with no help, not sure where to go from here and if i should try the stimulator, I have researched the info online but have not talked to anyone who has it, I need relief, please if anyone has this and has advice please let me know

Maria · #2 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:10 PM

Are there other options you might want to check out before a neurostimulator? Other opinions perhaps even if abroad? Are you possibly a candidate for an ADR above/below your fusion levels?

mmglobal · #3 (**permalink**) 04-24-2008, 12:02 AM

why are they saying to go straight for the stimulator? what happened to fusion? For me, I'd still prefer ADR if I'm a candidate, but I would think that a stimulator would be close to the last choice... not the first???

Mark

Hucky :) · #4 (**permalink**) 04-24-2008, 01:33 AM

Have you tried Neurontin or Lyrica for pain relief? For some people, these offer amazing relief for nerve pain.

dshobbies · #5 (**permalink**) 04-24-2008, 03:43 AM

Hi Soccermom,
Welcome to the forum but sorry you need to be here. I have been on both Neurontin and Lyrica for nerve pain and they both did a great job though you have to put up with the side effects. Some are lucky enough to have few and mild side effects which can be difficult to live with but the pain is worse. I found them equally effective for moderate to severe nerve pain. Neurontin has more severe side effects but is preferred by ins co. Lyrica is new and much more expensive and can have the same though less severe side effects. Talk to your pm... and you might ask him who is the best ns around you, then get another opinion.

soccermom · #6 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 04:42 PM

Thanks all! I have tried all kinds of meds, surgeons do not want to do anythng right now except the stimulator. Sorry It took a while to get back on was down due to the cervical facet inj. Not good.
I think that once one surgeon does something to you no other will. My original surgeon said to get over it. So I guess the option for me is the stim, why should that be the last option???? I have heard good things and bad, just not sure what to do, the pain is unnerving and have hard time just going day to day.
Thanks and have a nice day

Penny

mmglobal · #7 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 08:33 PM

Penny,

I won't even try to put percentages here... the numbers you get depend on who you talk to, but what I see in the patient community for SCS results is not very good. (Obviously, I see a population that is skewed to the negative... nobody comes to me to tell me that they are doing great.)

There is a substantial chance that the SCS won't have the desired effect. Even if it does... there is a substantial chance that the benefit will be temporary and it will lose it's effectiveness over many months or a couple of years.

Once you have it in, taking it out is no small task. The SCS is a symptom masker... you are not addressing the source of the problem, you are masking the symptoms (often by giving yourself other symptoms.) Not addressing the problems leaves the opportunity for advancing nerve damage or continued degeneration and worsening of a structural problems. This worsening may come with losing options that you have now, but will not be possible if things get worse.

I've had many clients who have had SCS removed... most of them only partial removal... leaving the leads in their back and into the spinal canal. Fortunately for most of them, they are removing them because they have ultimately had a surgery that made the SCS unnecessary.

Many patients have a good result with SCS.... I would never presume to know what you should do. I will suggest that you should discover what all of your options are before you take such a huge step that cannot be undone. There are risks associated with SCS, just as there are risks associated with any other option. However, incurring the risks associated with SCS in an effort to mask the symptoms, if there are options that may improve or resolve the configuration that is the source of the symptoms... to me... seems like putting the cart before the horse.

Mark