Rena, what straydog said is correct; CRPSpatient just had (I believe) her 5th revision to her unit over a week ago. Off the top of my head I do not recall how many years she's had hers now. One of the things they did was replace her leads with the paddle leads this time.
May I ask what you had your stimulator implanted for? I know for CRPSpatient and myself, the odds on revisions are high given that is the evil nature of the disease we suffer with that is treated primarily with the SCS unit. Also they state right off the bat that the battery life is good for only about 5 years or so.
Usually with a successful trial the try to get the leads in the same place the trial ones were in. In my case, in two days they'll be placing the paddle leads in as close to where my temp ones were; infact my Pain Doctor, who did my temp will be assisting my Brain/Spine specialist surgeon... and he has the x-rays that were done post procedure to show him exactly where those leads were placed.
Alot of it also has to do with the surgeon doing your procedure. I've done alot of research in the last few months during my quest to find a surgeon who would be willing to do mine; my leads have to be up near C2, and especially with the paddle leads that's a narrow, risky area to work in. Alot of the problems that occur can simply be caused by surgeon neglegence. But as they tell you before hand, this surgery isn't without it's risks, but then what surgery doesn't have risks?
Like any piece of machinery though there can be malfunctions and failures. Leads, if not sutured properly, can migrate with time. Also any trauma to your back can cause drastic problems to your leads, and sometimes require immediate surgery. My doctor told me one gal he knwe with an SCS was in an auto accident and had to go in for immediate back surgery as a result because of issues with her spine and her leads.
So please, remember, surgeons and doctors are not always all about money. There are good ones out there as often as there are bad ones. I'm sorry they neglected to tell you about this. I had the bennefit of being able to ask people here before hand, as well as having a neighbor who has one also. I watched the DVD I was given multiple times, I asked a billion questions, I asked for odds on the risks versus the rewards, I even went and found out what the worst possible outcome could be for me if this goes wrong in two days; and I still opted for the procedure as the reward is worth it. As patients we need to remember to be proactive, not reactive. Write down the questions you want to ask, so you don't forget them when you go in for visits; I know I had to, what with having a mind like swiss cheese some days.
I'm sorry you had to have a third revision. Hopefully this time everything will stay put in just the right place and you won't need to go through it again, at least not until you need a new battery unit... and hopefully that won't be for many years.