I have the SCS and have been very disappointed in it. I understand some people do have success with it, however. If you can control your pain with oral medications, it is my opinion that is a much...
Sorry I'm a little late to this party, but since I've got an SCS implant, I thought I'd add my 2 cents. Mine sucks. I did tons of research before I went through with it and really thought I was...
Thanks, Susie. The symptoms have gotten worse after several of my surgeries, but they were all failures and I was left with no pain relief, plus added pain from surgery. That'll depress anyone. But...
Welcome, NeedaBreak! Well, Hun, somehow my problems don't seem so big anymore! First, you made a couple of comments that indicate to me that somehow you blame yourself for some of this, like the...
Thanks, Gramps. You hit the nail on the head. I AM very worried about returning to work. Things were not going well when I went on medical leave for this surgery, so that doesn't help the situation....
Thanks, Lisa. It's tough when you keep having surgeries and you don't see results. After this last surgery, I could feel a decrease in my usual pain almost immediately, and initially was "up"...
Thanks, everyone. I'm pretty sure this is related to surgery. With 4 surgeries in 16 months, I really haven't had time to recover from any of them. Even though the 3rd surgery was minimally invasive,...
Hi everyone. Four weeks ago, I had an anterior & posterior lumbar fusion at the L4-L5 level. This was my fourth surgery in 16 months. The surgery went fairly well, although they had to take me...
NIZZAN, Congratulations, and on behalf of CP sufferers everywhere that have been treated like drug addicts by health care providers, Thank You!!!!! You took the "high road" through all this, and came...
PALady, That's just horrible. It's likely the D.A. likes prosecuting these cases due to the publicity it generates for him. Just like many public officials, they'll do whatever it takes to get...
Shannon, Unfortunately, you never know how doctors are going to interpret what you say. One of the most frustrating things for me is that it seems the more informed you are and the more active you...
Ditto what Gramps said. Most physicians aren't really afraid of being prosecuted over prescribing narcotics; an investigation alone does plenty of damage, and is a tremendous inconvenience at best....
On a lighter note: anybody else here remember the "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine's doctor labeled her a problem patient and it followed her to every doctor in town? Anon...
Bless your heart, this story just keeps getting worse! After this explanation of the depth of problems this b!+ch caused you, I DEFINITELY would sue both the doctor and hospital. Find the most...
Glad to see good stuff going on here while I was having another surgery getting my back screwed back together..... SangreAzul, listen to CaryF and get to a neurosurgeon, and find the best one you can...
Not trying to hijack your thread here, but I just wanted to say a little more on this subject. Fortunately for me, I haven't suffered for nearly as long as you have (I'm on 4 years). I've been able...
I'm so sorry you were treated that way. I've been through similar circumstances as well. It's just awful that doctors have the power to "label" a patient a drug-seeker and have that follow you...
Hey, back to the original post! SangreAzul, if you have a herniated disc, why the heck hasn't your PM doc referred you to a spine specialist, preferably a neurosurgeon?? Electrical stimulation of...
Amen, painKiller. My PCP actually told me that at a recent conference, they were actually told that the DEA is "refocusing" on investigating doctors/clinics that prescribe narcotics. And, since this...
Changed, Listen, I'm a work-aholic, and I can tell you that particular trait definitely has not helped me, and in fact really hindered my recovery from my last surgery. I had 3 surgeries in 9 months,...
Thanks for all the support. I now have one of the top spine surgeons in the country, so I'm optimistic about the fusion. I also have a conjoined nerve root at that level, which most likely is making...
Lassieluv, I didn't intend my post to be negative, but I sure wish someone had told me what I included in that post before I had my implant done. The truth is, my surgeon and the reps for the...
Ha ha! Yeah, I'm on a beta-blocker as well. The last time they took my BP at the pain doc's office, it was 168/114. I was in a lot of pain that day. On another more recent doc visit (when I wasn't...
Mercyme, Truly sorry you have to deal with this. I'm on 4 years, and it has been truly horrible. I've had 2 minimally invasive discectomies, and 1 surgery for Spinal Cord Stimulator implant, all...
I absolutely agree, theoretically. It took me 2 years of pain before I took any narcotic meds, and, frankly, they were a godsend. Once I got past the the stigma, I found I got decent relief from...
Lassieluv, I have an SCS implanted, and, for me, it's worthless. Now, it does function well, and I do feel a tingling in most of my painful areas. It's just that now I have tingling PLUS pain. The...
Sherry, Desperation led me to pain killers! I have a high pain tolerance, but it's kinda like torture; no one can hold out forever. There has to be some period of relief to retain any quality of...
Unfortunately, I have to agree with ryand's post. Our present medical, political, and law enforcement system pretty much dictate that the vast majority of chronic pain sufferers will be...
Who ordered this MRI?? If you have the report, so does the ordering doctor, who should at least have the courtesy to share his views with you. Sorry, doctors are not high on my list this week........
Epidural injections are successful for some people, and I sincerely hope you are among that group. Good luck and God Bless. Anon...
I don't want this to sound like a horror story, but if I knew then what I know now, I might have saved myself several years of excruciating pain, strained relationships with my family, depression,...
I applaud you for your efforts to get better, especially losing weight, which should reduce the strain and compression on your spine. I've found over my last 4 years of sciatic pain that doctors,...
Another failure here. Mine didn't help at all, now I wish it wasn't buried in my lower back. I have some trouble with my battery pack bulging and causing some pain, which is all I need on top of my...
Thanks, Hazel. It's especially frustrating to think you're getting past your chronic pain, and then have other health problems pop up. Then I fight that off over a couple of months, and have to deal...
Hi everybody. I haven't posted in some time. Had 3 lumbar surgeries (second one to implant Spinal Cord Stimulator, which was a failure), and lastly, in August just a minimally invasive decompression...
Hi, everyone. Haven't been here in quite awhile, but thought I'd chime in on this one. Daisy, you definitely need another doc, and yes, most of the "pain management" docs are just moonlighting...
Hi there. I'm a newbie here. I suffer from chronic pain, and have some associated depression from it. I keep seeing this same story over and over: doctors refusing to prescribe appropriate drugs to...