Re: Medtronics Spinal Cord Stimulator

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Rainey speaks her mind: I've been in severe pain for the past
5 years from polyneuropathy in my feet and legs, and am on
full disability. My new pain doc swore the Medtronics spinal
stimulator would make an incredible difference in my life ...
after reading these posts, I'm not doubting the "incredible"
part, only that he should have added "dreadful". For the past
two months he's been putting me off for the surgery, asking me
to try a topical prescription creme and -- get this -- Capacin
creme for the pain before he'll approve the surgery. Yeah, I
need 120 mgs of methadone a day to make the pain manageable
and I'm told to use Capacin!!?? Nobody at the pain clinic will
give me a reason for the delay. Suspicion floods in and I am
being to realize something smells and it's not my socks.
Sooooo, my husband finds this website and starts reading,
calls me to look at it, and OH. MY. GAWD!!! My body is in bad
enough shape without being flung across the room, perforated,
fried, or electrocuted by the good folks at Medtronics. And of
course Medtronics is the only product this doc and his clinic
carry. Deep sigh: The search must begin once again for a
reliable SCS made by a firm more (or at least as) intent on
helping patients in pain as Medtronics is to boosting
shareholders' profits and CEO bonuses by contracting with the
suppliers offering the absolutely lowest bids.
NOW I know why the doc and the clinic kept putting me off --
they may not be able to get a franchise or distribution rights
for any SCS units other than Medtronic and would rather string
the paying patients along for months rather than lose them to
the comnpetition. It's attitudes like that making me oh so
proud of the American system of health care. And so devoted to
and grateful for the Internet and people like us who have
written in to counsel.net with their experiences.
Because bad design and lax manufacturing guidelines result in
unnecessary suffering and expense for patients who have
suffered and spent enough, I believe Medtronics would benefit
from at least one more class action suit -- this time
addressing their SCS units' misfunctions due directly to greed
and neglect.
WE MUST NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!
-- Rainey
ozmyrrah@wildblue.net