Nervo Spinal Cord Stimulation

[jackmac1]

I am new to the site. I am considering the use of the Nervo device to relieve my pain. I am signed up for the trial next month and I wonder if anyone who has had experience with the device would share the benefits and any bad news.

[ssdw1958]

I would find out if any part of it is made out of medal because if It is you will not be able to have MRI's. Google Boston and Scientific and you will find out more info.

Good luck.

[mamahill]

I attended a neuromodulation course at St Thomas's Hospital, London at the end of June/beginning of July which was very informative and which I had to attend prior to having a spinal cord stimulator fitted. I had a Nevro fitted for a trial at the beginning of August. Unfortunately, it had little effect on my pain levels and 2 weeks later I had it removed. However, while attending clinic to have dressings changed I met several people who had successful trials and had the device fitted permanently. It had given them more life and they were able to enjoy some of the things they enjoyed before. I was assessed suitable for implant as I had failed back surgery, others had problems with their legs and shingles. We were told on the course that for 70% of people the implant was successful. We were taught lots of things to help us deal with our pain and lead a fuller life. I wish you every success with your trial.

[Maureen02189]

Hi. I just had the Nevro stimulator put in 3 weeks ago. I am doing better now in terms of surgery pain. Each day is a little better. At the pre-op appointment, my doctor gave me a battery to take home with me to decide where I wanted him to put the battery. He said to tape it on me in different spots to see where it will be comfortable. I had him put it on my left side, under my pants waistline. I had worn it taped to my skin there and that seemed like the best spot. That incision is much more sore and irritating the the one above because it's close to the skin and also because I don't have a lot of fat at that spot. If, for some reason, months from now, it's still not comfortable, they can move it to my abdomen. Really hoping it will be fine where it is.

I had the trial done in June. I noticed a difference in my leg/butt pain after a couple of days. I didn't notice anything in my back. On day five, they did an X-ray to see if the leads had moved. Did they ever! They had moved the length of a whole vertebrae. This isn't common. If they move, it's not usually by that much. They reprogrammed where the stim was going to and I convinced the doctor to leave the stim in for a few more days to see if I had relief in my back. After 2 days, I did notice a small difference in pain in the back and was still getting some relief in the leg/butt. It was hard to figure out if the pain was coming from the stim incision because it is uncomfortable or my regular day to day pain. That was the biggest downside of the trial. I felt like there was not enough time to figure out the results. Other people have said they went from a pain rate of 8 or 9, to a 2 or 3. Clearly, that's a great result. It wasn't that cut and dry for me but after thinking about it and talking with the doctor, I decided I had enough relief to try the permanent stim. Because the leads moved so much in the trial, I decided to go with the Nevro paddle instead of the leads. It's a little more work surgically to sew it down under the tissue but it is supposed to be more stable and not move like the leads can sometimes do. The trial and leads are done by the anesthesiologist at the Pain Clinic. I had to go to a neurosurgeon to have the paddle done. I did stay at the hospital overnight one night but I really think it was just because my surgery kept getting delayed all day and didn't happen until dinner time.

The surgery went well. I was very uncomfortable after with a lot of muscle spasms. I went home the next day with pain meds and muscle relaxers. I took those for about a week and now I'm just taking Advil. I should say that I don't take pain killers for my pain on a regular basis. I'm not big on those. The most difficult thing is to sit up in a chair and also to drive. Both incisions are sore when I'm leaning up against something. Again, every day gets a little better.

I went for my follow up yesterday. My incisions look good so at this point, I don't see the doctor again. I now just deal with the Nevro reps. They are great. One of them came to my appointment yesterday. I am still restricted from bending, stretching, twisting, reaching etc...for another 4ish weeks. They said in the beginning that it would be about 6-8 weeks. They want to make sure the paddle settles in and stays out.

So here I am after 3 weeks. Like I said, I'm feeling better from the surgery but I haven't seen any relief yet in my regular pain. They go slower with the stim than during the trial because they are looking for long term results. With the trial, they only have one week to try all the programs. I'm very optimistic that this will be successful. I'm not looking for immediate relief. I'm willing to give it time an am trying my best to be patient.

Sorry this is so long but I thought you might be interested in the step by step process! Good luck!

Maureen

[Jluke]

I can tell you the nervo unit is the best out on the market right now. It wasn't available in my country, the, USA, when i had my trial. I don't mean to scare you but in my trial, the lead that goes up to the T8 somehow blood went into my spine and turn me into a paraplegic. I did become able to walk again with the cane after a few months, but I do live a life of chronic pain and it is terrible. I have a post in here about how bad it is titled something like so much to live for but so little wanting to. I know I am a very rare case but did destroy my life so do be careful. There's also a thing in my post about what happened with my lawsuit somebody asked me about suing them I did a reply on what happened. So good luck. read my post and give it some thought, but it has helped millions of people get a life back.