ATTORNEYS LAW STUDENTS PUBLIC
TOP POSTS ALL POSTS SUBMIT POST
Share | Print | Report Post Products Liability Chatboard


Hot Now...
• Attorney Chat Center
• Attorney Classifieds
• Attorney Chatboards
• Practice Areas
• Law Students
Most Popular
• Set Your Quick Links
• Chat Center
• All Chatboards
• Classified Ads

Re: medtronic spinal cord stimulator
Posted by debbie on 8/10/07

    On 3/18/07, Elizabeth Earles wrote:
    > My husband had medtronics spinal cord stimulator implanted 2 weeks ago. It
    > is in his hip. He hasn't had a problem with that so far, but he has got
    > shocked a couple of times when he wasn't supposed to. You all are scaring
    > me with your stories. Does anyone know anyone who's worked right?
    >> On 2/15/07, Stacey aka Crip Chick wrote:
    >>> On 1/28/07, janelle wrote:
    >>>> Hello. I am wondering if anyone had the pain pump implanted. I am
    >>>> hoping to hear some personal experineces before I make a decision.
    >>>> Please help.
    >>>>
    >>>> Thanks,
    >>>> Janelle
    >>>
    >>> Hello Janelle.
    >>> I Had the Medtronics Morphine Pump put into me around the 2nd week of
    >>> Decemeber 2006. I was origially going to go with the stimulator, but
    >>> being that I have a double curve in my spine, I was hugely concerned
    >>> this would cause problems. I was assured by the doctors office that it
    >>> would not, but I could even see the doubt in their eyes, or I was
    >>> looking for it :-p
    >>> My history, 35 female, former yoga instructor, 5'7 120 lb. got in a car
    >>> accident head on when I was 19, that is when my spine was injured,
    >>> finally gave out when I was 33 or so after two kids, TONS of weight
    >>> lifting, TONS of yoga and baiscally, ignoring all the pleas from my body
    >>> that it hurt.
    >>> So After I went ahead and had to go through the absolute hell of an
    >>> anterior interbody fusion at L5S1, it turned into a DISASTER!!! There
    >>> was tons of scar tissue build-up, beyond your wildest immagination and
    >>> also, the painfulest (sp?) part was that nerves were TRAPPED during the
    >>> fusion.
    >>> So after some 20 post surgies where I tried EVERY THING I could try with
    >>> the doctor to make me try and feel better, we started talking about the
    >>> SCS. I fought it because, as I said, I have scoliosis. He sent me home
    >>> with a video to watch on both the stimulator and the pump. When I
    >>> finally decided the time had come, I went for the pump and now, Feb 15,
    >>> 2007, I could not be a happier woman, first time in like 4 years! No
    >>> more oral medication!!! I am a little unhappy because the first time out
    >>> of the hospital the doctor filled it with pure Morphine like we
    >>> discussed, then his "dr"'s helper who takes care of all the "pump"
    >>> patiesnts told me on the next fill she would get a mix of cloinidine in
    >>> it with the morphine. I have no idea why, but whe decided this was a
    >>> great idea. Ever since we did that change, I have had light pain in all
    >>> the usual places. NOTHING LIKE BEFORE THOUGH, THANK GOD!!!!! So when I
    >>> go in in 2 weeks for my refill on the pump (which doesn't hurt AT
    >>> ALL!!!!) they are going back to pure morphine and we are not going to
    >>> mix with what isn't broken!
    >>> I hope I've helped you Janelle. I know I've scoured these sights every
    >>> time I get ready for any surgery, and any information I can gleam from
    >>> them and past patients always set's my mind at ease.
    >>> Take care!
    >>> Crip Chick!
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>>
    >>>> On 1/19/07, Lee wrote:
    >>>>> Hello guy's
    >>>>> I had the Medtronics stimulator implanted on 8-18-2000. It seemed to
    >>>>> work ok with some relief for a couple of months when I went to turn
    >>>>> it on one morning and nothing would happen. They ended up charging
    >>>> my
    >>>>> insurance company and me to go in and do what was called a
    >>>> revision??
    >>>>> Well it never helped again. After a few days my abdomen started to
    >>>>> turn bright red a swell with swelling and redness going around where
    >>>>> the leads were installed. I called my surgeon and was told to go to
    >>>>> the Hospital. I was told they were going to remove the stimulator
    >>>> and
    >>>>> install the pain pump. I TOLD them I paid for the stimulator so I
    >>>>> wanted it for myself to see what happened to it but when I woke from
    >>>>> surgury it was nowhere to be found. As you know when you are having
    >>>> a
    >>>>> Medtronics device installed they have a rep in the room to hide the
    >>>>> evidence.
    >>>>> I am now having problems with Medtronics pain pump.
    >>>>> Lee
    >>>>>
    >>>>> On 12/14/06, Larry Singleton wrote:
    >>>>>> On 12/14/06, Larry Singleton wrote:
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> Re: MEDTRONICS SPINAL STIMULATOR
    >>>>>> Posted by Larry Singleton on 11/30/06
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> on 11/20/06, Larry Singleton wrote:
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> I had the Medtronics pain stimulator installed in Jan of 2005, and
    >>>>>> from the very instant I got in recovery, the unit would not work
    >>>>>> properly. By that, I mean I had to position my body by either
    >>>>>> flexing or extending my lower back to get the unit to work at all.
    >>>>>> Also sometimes, it would hurt all the way up into my stomach and
    >>>>>> chest cavity. When the unit did that, the next 3 or 4 days felt
    >>>>>> like I had a severe stomach strain and my chest area hurt so bad it
    >>>>>> felt like I had broken ribs. I guess it was because the muscles in
    >>>>>> those areas were getting shocked by the unit and caused the pain.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> My Dr. told me that the wires just needed to scar into place.
    >>>>>> After another month, I saw my Dr. again, and he said that due to
    >>>>>> postering and positional problems of the leads, he needed to do a
    >>>>>> laminindectomy and install another set of leads that have paddles
    >>>>>> on the end of the wires to correct the problem. I also was
    >>>>>> beginning to have some pain in my right hip where he installed the
    >>>>>> Stimulator unit.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> He said that it would take approx. 4-6 weeks before he could put
    >>>>>> the new paddles in the thoracic area of my spine, which would be in
    >>>>>> late April. He installed the new leads on April 19,2006. On May
    >>>>>> the 17th, I was admitted into the hosptal with a blood pressure of
    >>>>>> 60 over 40 and was diagnosed with a Aureas MRSA staph infection and
    >>>>>> they had to take the battery out and perform a debridement of the
    >>>>>> skin, suncutaneous tissue, muscle and bone of my right hip. I got
    >>>>>> out 10 days later.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> The infectious disease Dr. put a PIC line in my right arm that went
    >>>>>> all the way in the vena cavae of my heart. I then had to do 2 IV
    >>>>>> injections a day for 3 months that took approx. 30-45 minutes for
    >>>>>> the medicine to completely dispense. In July they removed the PIC
    >>>>>> line and then told me I had to take more antibiotics for 42 more
    >>>>>> days to be sure that they totally got rid of the infection.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> On Aug. 31,2006 my back started getting warm again, and when I went
    >>>>>> in to see the Dr., they drained 3 large syringes of fluid out of my
    >>>>>> lower back and right side. I was put in the hospital again for the
    >>>>>> same infection, and this time the Dr. took the leads out that he
    >>>>>> left in, because the infection was spreading to my upper back.
    >>>>>> They did the same debridement procedure again from my thoracic area
    >>>>>> down to my hip and installed another PIC line in my arm for another
    >>>>>> 6 weeks of IV antibiotics at home. In Sept., they had to drain the
    >>>>>> fluid another time and said this was normal with the infection I
    >>>>>> had.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> Basially, the Dr. told me that because I am big boned in my spinal
    >>>>>> canal area, that the leads just could not scar into place, and he
    >>>>>> said that he could not do anything else for me. At this time, I
    >>>>>> also told him that where he installed the pain stimulator in my
    >>>>>> hip, that I now had a bony growth that was growing down the right
    >>>>>> side of my spine. They just said iy was from previous surgeries
    >>>>>> that I had where they took donor bone out to do a couple of
    >>>>>> fusions. I told him that the growth was not there until after the
    >>>>>> spine stimulator had been implanted. He blew me off. It is now
    >>>>>> appox. 3-4 inches long, approx. 3/4 to 1 inch wide and about 3/4 of
    >>>>>> an inch high.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> I have done some research on my own, and I would like to know if
    >>>>>> anybody else has gone through this same thing, and has anybody else
    >>>>>> had the stimulator installed in their hip instead of their side.
    >>>>>> The Medtronics literature says to never install the unit in the hip
    >>>>>> area.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> It is now Nov. 30th, and my new Dr's. are going to do what should
    >>>>>> have been done in the first place and fix 2 broken fusions that the
    >>>>>> other Dr. did not know about.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> Also, this happened at Texas Back Institute in Plano, Texas which I
    >>>>>> found out is owned 51 &37; by Medtronics.
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> Ain't that something!
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> Larry Singleton
    >>>>>> larsingle@aol.com
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>>
    >>>>>> On 11/28/06, Millard wrote:
    >>>>>>> 11/28/06 I am so relieved to hear someone else has had similar
    >>>>>>> problems with the stimulator I had an incident where the co.
    >>>>>>> rep. mishandled the programer and had a very sever shock and it
    >>>>>>> has left me with pain in new area and I think nerve damage the
    >>>>>>> Dr. also said it should resolve itself, well 5 yrs. later it
    >>>>>>> still the same. I would like to hear from anyone with similar
    >>>>>>> problem Millard
    >>>>>>>
    >>>>>>> On 5/08/06, janis wrote:
    >>>>>>>> On 5/07/06, Michele wrote:
    >>>>>>>>> On 4/19/06, Janis wrote:
    >>>>>>>>>> Has any one had this implant turn on with out the remote
    >>>>>>>>>> and causing stimulation through out the whole body? If so
    >>>>>>>>>> could you please let me know by e-mailing me.
    >>>>>>>>> nfler4@msn.com
    >>>>>>>>> Janis,
    >>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>> Yes I only had the scs for about 7 months but two different
    >>>>>>>>> times in the middle of the night it shocked my whole body
    >>>>>>>>> and I thought I was going to die I was able to move just
    >>>>>>>>> enough to grab the remote and shut it off. I thought for
    >>>>>>>>> sure I at least had nerve damage because it was like being
    >>>>>>>>> stuck by lighting. O f course I called the doc the next day
    >>>>>>>>> and he said it was no big deal (like I was being a big baby)
    >>>>>>>>> and there is no way it can damage you. After all I went
    >>>>>>>>> through with the scs I very much doubt that is the truth.
    >>>>>>>>> You can see my post from 5/6/06. I believe he lied and
    >>>>>>>>> changed his story about the scs all the time and now I need
    >>>>>>>>> an MRI becasue my spinal surgeon (not the same person)
    >>>>>>>>> believes that I have spinal cord damage from the wires. I
    >>>>>>>>> am now wondering if and how I should go about getting a
    >>>>>>>>> lawyer, Thank god I found this site and I would tell anyone
    >>>>>>>>> to think it over very carefully before getting one. I am
    >>>>>>>>> sure it helps some people (not enough to have it on the
    >>>>>>>>> market) but at what cost, drugs are far more safer in my
    >>>>>>>>> opinion.
    >>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>> Michele
    >>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>> Michele.
    >>>>>>>> Could you please let me know your permanent nerve damage.
    >>>>>>> Also
    >>>>>>>> did you have the implant out and do you have the original
    >>>>>>>> implant that they took out? I'll let you know about the legal
    >>>>>>>> end.
    >>>>>>>> Thank you for responding,
    >>>>>>>> Janis

     
     

 
Google
 
Web Counsel.Net
  Site Map: Home Search Legal Jobs Classifieds Law Students Contacts Practice Areas Advertise
  © 1996 - 2008. All Rights Reserved. Please review our Terms of Use, Mission Statement, and Privacy Policy.