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    Re: Spinal cord stimulator defective

    Posted by susan on 4/11/10

    On 3/23/10, Charlene Warren wrote:
    > Help! I am a 45 y/o registered nurse who was diagnosed
    > with complex sympathetic dystrophy resulting from a
    > crushed nerve. I had a rechargable Medtronic spinal cord
    > stim. implanted in 2005 with 4 leads. Paddles were added.
    > Never really been effective. On many many oral meds.
    > Medtronic pain pump implanted 2008 and have tried
    > morphine, dilaudid, and now Fentanyl with bupivicaine and
    > clonidine. Needed pump revision because it was not
    > securely implanted and started to flip/flop. All the while
    > the battery on he rechargable began not accepting a full
    > charge so at the same time my MDs decided to change out
    > both products. A 40cc pump is now sutured to abdominal
    > muscle and very painful. A nonrechargable stim was
    > recommended by my Medtronic rep for "better coverage and
    > pain control." When the pump was revised a month ago the
    > stim was changed at the same time... same surgery. When I
    > awoke in recovery there was no stimulation and when I saw
    > my surgeon later that afternoon I asked if they had
    > programmed it and turned it on. He stated," I believe she
    > did it, but if you should speak with the rep to be
    > certain. I spoke with the rep the day after surgery, tried
    > using the handheld controler and repeatedly saw a picture
    > of a physician with a stethascope holding a telephone...
    > EOS! The rep agreed to see me two weeks later informed me
    > that the battery was indeed dead and I would need to have
    > an additional surgery to have it removed and another
    > implanted. It has been a month now and have recieved a
    > letter of "intent" from Medtronic as to what
    > responsibility they would assume to correct the defective
    > product. They basically assume nothing and I am extremely
    > displeased. I continue to recieve pain meds through the
    > pump and orrally to no availe. My pain on a scale of 0-10
    > is around a 9 or 10 continually. What legal options do I
    > have?? Please respond. I need an attorney and some good
    > legal advise


    I also have the stim implanted 3/08. my battery will not
    charge, I get the same error message. I can not get the rep
    to meet me to get a read from the machine to find out the
    problem. After many calls by myself and my Dr. I received a
    survey asking if the rep was able to fix the problem...lol..I
    could not even get him to return a call never mind fix it. I
    told them to expect a call from my lawyer and he finally
    called. he "trickle" charged the machine for 1 hour. I was
    then able to charge it 3/4 but took 7 hours, 5 straight and 2
    the next day before I gave up. I made another appointment so
    he could get a reading before we lost the charge again and of
    course he did not show. I am also looking for a lawyer I am
    on a mission now. The rep actually LAUGHED at me when I told
    him I took another day off work, he said "you took a day off
    for this ha-ha" I don't think it is so funny. I have never
    sued anyone, even after my first surgery which left me with
    RSD or my resulting back surgery from the way I walk now ( I
    lost 2 disks), but now I have had it. they need to realize
    how much pain you are in to have this machine implanted in
    the first place, then to treat me like this when their
    product failed is just not acceptable. I also have been
    suffering with migraines for 4 months now, would like to know
    if anyone else who's machine failed had this problem,
    wondering if its connected. Pls. help

    Posts on this thread, including this one
  • Spinal cord stimulator defective, 3/23/10, by Charlene Warren.
  • Re: Spinal cord stimulator defective, 4/11/10, by susan.


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