pain pump

 

    Good morning Freezing!

          Welcome to the forum!

        Sorry to hear of your back troubles. We do have a few members with the pump, and hopefully they will see this post, and drop by for a visit with you.

     I myself,... would love to have one, but I'm afraid that you must have failed at most all of the pain med's before they will implant one. It seems to be the last resort in pain management.

   Good luck to you, and keep checking here for an answer.

 Take care,

 SE

Hello, I am nini53, I do not have a pain pump, I do have a failed neurostimulator.  In the beginning I asked for the pain pump, I was told that the neurostim was better cause with a pump, my body would get used to the medicines and I would have to keep upping my meds.

Sadly for me, I didnt think that with or without a pain pump, my meds were going to change and increase anyway.  I wasnt thinking, its already happened, my meds have been upped over the last 15 years, its going to happen,

Anyway good luck to you whatever you decide, take care.

Hello,  Let me tell you I have had a pain pump for many years with morphine...the things is if it malfunctions you can od.  They changed mine to duliodid, to do that they cleared out my pump for a week and then put the duilodid in it by the next day the ambulance was here takeing me in for a over dose, and at the hospital they really od me..endend up in the cardiac care unit for 2 weeks.  The over dose gave me atriofib for a year, and lost a month of memory.  So I had them take me off...you just never know just like with the Fentanal Patches they are also risky as they can give you a over dose if the patch is malfunctioning...  So you have to think what am I giving up to take these meds?  In the long run it can ruin your intestines, and many other health probs.  So becareful, and I wish you well.

Leslie

Hi,

I don't have a pain pump either, but I did just have a discussion about one with my neurosurgeon. His opinion is that pain pumps are not the answer in most cases. This was because he felt like many more infections are caused by the refill procedures done. Of course, this is a personal decision and one that I have not yet ruled out myself, but something to consider.

I wish you the best and hope you find the answer to your pain.

freezinginAK said...
  Anyone got an pain pump?

Also looking for info on a pain pump. I've been told that I would be tested with a spinal stimulator first then do some type of trial for the Intrathecal pain pump my current CP doc does not handle pumps at all.The Physician Asst that see's me in the CP's office has both the stimulator and pump but has just told me about the trials I need to go thru. I'm looking at 3 to 5 joint replacements over the next several yrs.I'm having my R hip replaced on 9/8 then my R shoulder after the recovery then the L hip

and it's a wait and see for the knee's, So far the bone's have minimal damage to both.

Has the pump made a difference in your quality of life or has it been a nuisance. Thanks Beck

I too have a pump and the nurses have all been trained in handling pump patients. My nurses with two different PM drs offices have the same protocol in refilling pumps, under sterile conditions and they are very serious about their refills. I have had my pump since 2005 without any incident.

As RM states this is strictly her drs opinion. Some drs like the pumps and some don't same with the stims.

Becky, to answer your question, my pump is for pain control and I have so much better quality of life than what I had before the pump. Do I find my pump to be a nuisance, absolutely not. I have no highs or lows, I don't watch the clock anymore till its time to take another pill.

I am able to do things with my 6 yr old grandson that I could not do before. it has been a life saver for me.

This is also a pump out that runs off of gasses within the pump and that eliminates the battery operated pumps and further surgeries to replace the pump because the battery has ran out.

If you have any more questions please feel free to post them here.

Hey RM, I have a Medtronics pump and they also make SCS units as well. I am going to give you their address, they have the best web site I have been to for info on pumps and they also have great info on the SCS Units. The address is Medtronics.com..

Like I said my refills are done by the nurse and it is all done in a sterile setting, from her wearing a mask & gloves down to the me being swabbed off with Betadine and a sterile drape in place. The refills are painless and very easy. The pump has a what I called a little portal that is accessed by the syringe and the old meds are drawn out and then new meds are put in, all in one stick. I will admit I am terrified of needles, always have been. But this does not bother me one bit. I also have a port a cath in my chest, it is used for any infusion therapy I need. I have terrible veins and this is so much easier. To access my port is the same as my pump, again totally painless.

A psych eval is required on pumps and the trial is the same as far as reduction of pain by at least 50%. I will tell you, when I did my trial I thought I had died & gone to heaven because suddenly I was not in pain, I was floored.

I feel if a person has reached the end of the road with orals medications and their quality of life no longer exists, if a dr recommends a pump, the patient really owes it to them self to at least do a trial. I don't even realize I have a pump anymore, its like anything else you become use to it and you don't realize its there.

These pumps were initially designed by cancer patients and I am sure it was a real crossing over the threshold for many of those patients that were able to get a pump. I can't ever imagine going back to the life I had without a pump and be in that kind of pain again, I guess what I am saying is I wouldn't. That was not living or even existing.

For more detailed info on the pump please feel free to email me, my address is listed here at the forum. I really don't mind answering your questions, but I prefer not to be repeating what I have said before here at the forum about pumps. I will try my best o give you the best info I can from my own experience with the pump.

Take care.