Posted 4/29/2014 2:19 AM (GMT 0)
reptile_gurl
I have a Medtronics for thoracic nerve pain. My best advice is to give your doctor true feedback with the trial. If the trial only slightly improves your pain the permanent unit probably won't do any better.
Work with the trial unit and experiment with the settings to see if how it feels is going to be acceptable. The sensations can range from helpful to painful depending on the settings. Work very closely with your rep as well. Good communication with them is crucial and will help you understand what the unit can and can't do for you.
With that said, I have a love hate relationship with mine. I have 2 levels of pain on 1 side and 1 on the other. For some reason the trial actually worked better than my permanent unit. My rep has tried many times to get the coverage I had with the trial, but I only able to get it to cover one side or the upper on both sides. While it has reduced my pain I am still needing to take pain meds since it won't cover all 3 areas for me. Again mine is in my ribs and they told me it could be tricky to get the coverage I would need.
Where is your pain located? Some areas are much better suited for the SCS than others, such as mine.
Also you will have to decide on a rechargeable unit or a battery that doesn't need recharged, but will need replaced sooner. I went with the rechargeable and wish now I would have went with the non chargeable. I have a hard time getting the charger to stay connected.
Take care,
Bill