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Posted 10/15/2012 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
rolleyes I am new to this forum...hope someone out there can advise.....I have been on a mission with Mercy medical of CA trying to get the nerveimpulse stimulator. First my pain mgmt doc's tell me it is not covered by my insurance and brush me off. I begin investigating and fine it is indeed covered but the ins. won't pay Mercy what they want to be paid thus they tell me it is not covered. I had to go as far as writing the Gov. who passed my info over to my ins. and they confirmed with me that it is covered in letter form. Mercy is still fighting the fact that the ins. co will not pay them enough money for the implant.
I am persistant to say the least and have been fighting this mess since June 2012 and it's now Oct. still nothing will be done by Mercy....only delays and excuses and most of all ATTITUDE!!
i want a resolution to my chronic pain L-3/L-4...L-4/S-1 and sciatic pain. I have had numerous caudle injections of steroids and that is the only way I can walk upright instead of bent over and walking "duck footed" (feet turned outward) from pain. I do not want to live my life on drugs as I am only 58, suffering from this for 10 yrs now. Pain mgmt. refuses to take me off Oxycotton as all I want is Norco so I can function as Oxy is hard on the body in too many ways to begin to explain. Dr. refuses to change to lighter narcotics, forces only Oxy.
I hope someone out there can tell me how the neurostimulator trial helped them as I will continue to fight Mercy to get this procedure done and on board so I can get off drugs.
Many thanks in anticipation of your reply....Debra
Posted 10/15/2012 6:19 PM (GMT 0)

       Good afternoon Debra!...and Welcome to the chronic pain forum!

    ...hum!...sounds like you need to switch Dr's or at least find a surgeon who will do the surgery for you with payment that your insurance allows.

   We have a few here that have the SCS implant and some of them do fairly well with it,...however we have several members who wish they had not gone that route either.

  While the trial can be successful, it does not mean that the permanent one will provide the same relief. It is my understanding that the leads are a bit different for the permanent one as opposed to the ones used in the trial.

      I understand you not wanting to take pain meds, and I'm the same way. How many different pain meds have you tried? Have you tried Nucynta?...and the nerve meds like Cymbalta...Gabapentin...Lyrica?

      Please feel free to use the search feature located here on our page, and I'm sure you will find quite a bit on the implants. I would also like to remind you that this is a chronic pain forum, and most of our members are here becuse treatmemt, ...being meds and or other, have not worked so well on them.

    Support is very important...so please consider making this your chronis pain support home. We will be happy to support and visit with you.

   Chronic pain for us here will be a life long struggle, and we find that a person may have to adjust meds and other treatments more than we want to. Its a never ending battle, and we must realize that we sill suffer some sort of pain. Hopefully to a level that we can live with.

   Good luck in your research,

    SE wink     


Posted 10/15/2012 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Debra and I too would like to welcome you to the forum. I agree with SE, if you are wanting this particular SCS unit, the you are going to have to find another dr that is willing to do the trial at any of the hospitals that is covered under your plan. I have to assume Mercy is the only hospital your dr practices at. That is unusual a dr not willing to lower someone's pain medication,normally they are thrilled when a patient asks to have it lowered. I really think you need to consider finding a dr that is willing to work with you.

I am not trying to rain on your parade, but I would not put all of my eggs in one basket thinking the SCS is going to be your saving grace in terms of lowering your pain. The units do not make your pain go away, they hope the unit will create a new sensation that will override the pain signals. Most people still need medication with the units. I urge you to use our search feature here at the forum and read about the units. There is a wealth of good valuable info there from people that have the units or have tried the units.

Anyway, welcome aboard and keep us posted on how you are doing. Take care...Susie
Posted 10/15/2012 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Good afternoon Debra, I also live in Ca, are you talking about mercy medical in the sac area? Or the mercy Hospitals in Bakersfield area? I guess it doesn't really matter which, but I'm curious why you're stuck with them? I would seek a second opinion from another pain management specialist, especially if you're not happy with your doctor's choice of medications. And perhaps a second opinion would open up some other doors for you.

Oh, I also wanted to add, there's alot of physicians in the Sac area who perform procedures over the hill in Carson City and Reno, apparently the hospitals over there are less expensive. Might be something you could look into.
Posted 10/16/2012 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Debra, and welcome here.

I have had my SCS for a little over six years now, and I have something of a love/hate relationship with mine. I wouldn't be without it because of certain elements of pain relief that it provides me - but I do also have an intrathecal pump ('pain pump') and take non-narcotic meds daily. That said, my SCS is not implanted for spinal pain...I have mine to help with a nerve pain disease called CRPS.

The others have given good advice about drs. If you've any questions about the SCS please ask and I will try to help.

Laura
Posted 10/16/2012 5:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Debra, I would also like to Welcome you to Healing Well Chronic Pain Forum, you have gotten some excellent advice, I have been offered the stimulator, but it was decided that I had to many places in my spine that having it would not be practical. Not just that I have my own reservations about it, as some have had problems with it, and really all it is, is an implanted TENS unit, and I have use them and have not had any luck with them. Anyway I can understand your reservations about the use of pain meds. I just look at them as something that I take to correct a condition! Just as a person takes medications for diabetes, or high blood pressure, or a host of other medical conditions, why is taking pain medications any different? I know there is a certain stigma to taking them, but I think it is an unfair one! Yes they do have some bad side affects for some people, just as other medications have for some people. Personally I don't like having to be dependent on any medications, but, with that said, I have to take medications for my high blood pressure, and medications to keep my Ulcertive Colitis under control, and my Baclofen ( which has really been a Godsend) to control my knotting muscle spasms that I get every where. So really are my pain meds any different than these other meds???? I think not! You know for me Oxycontin has been a real blessing, over other pain meds I have had to take, it relieves my pain, without making me feel dopey, or having any other  nasty side affects!Everyone is so different and what works for one person might not work for another, it is really important that each person can work with their doctor and find the right treatment that works for them. I do hope that this will happen for you!

Again I Welcome you to our Forum, and even though we can not fix you, we can lend you our ears and listen to you, and give you what advice we might have, and of course, we will all give your our caring and compassionate support. You are not alone with your pain when you are here on this forum! We are kind of like family in that we all share in living with chronic pain, so we can definitely empathize with each other, and we do! I wish you well, and hope that you continue to post and become and active member of our family.

White Beard
Posted 10/16/2012 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Debra, Welcome to the CP Forum. I agree with others on going to see another Pain Management Doc. I find it hard to believe your doctor will not lower you meds. Like others have said, they usually jump at the chance to back down to lower strength pain meds. As far as the Stimulator, I have a SCS and have found that it benefits me way more than a TENS Unit ever did. The stimulation is deeper and directly affects the nerves and can be fine tuned to hit specific sites where the TENS Unit seemed to give only local relief in the form of shocking the muscles. Others may feel differently about it though. I have had a love/hate relationship with my SCS but as time goes by have gotten to like it real well. Sorry I can't help ya on the insurance questions. It took several months to get all the approvals for me to have my implant and even then the letter of pre approval from the ins company had a note on it saying there was no guarantee the insurance would pay. Never did understand that statement. Thankfully they did pay though. The SCS are pretty pricey. Good luck.
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