Re: medtronic spinal cord stimulator

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On 4/07/11, mercedes wrote:
> Before I had the spinal cord stimulator implanted I was in
> so much pain the doctor prescribed me so much pain
> medication that I was nearly brain dead. I tried to committ
> suicide 5 times as well as kill my husband and my children.
> I was extremely sedated from being prescribed so much
> medication that I was out of control and did not even
> realize the pain I was inflicting on myself as well as my
> family. That is when the doctor decided to implant the
> spinal cord stimulator to provide pain relief. He implanted
> the battery pack to the spinal cord stimulator in my left
> butt cheek. Not tryiing to be explicit but he dug a hole in
> my left butt cheek to implant the spinal cord stimulator.
> The first month I did get "some" pain relief but after that
> the wire broke and I did not get ANY pain relief. The
> stimulator broke 3 times. I complained so often to the
> doctor and the nurses and doctor treated me like i was
> crazy and even told me that I just wanted pain medication.
> Dr. James Patrick Murphy, a pain management doctor in
> Louisville Kentucky, was the one that did all these
> surgeries and prescribed all this medication. I saw Dr
> Gregory Nazar and he immediately said that the stimulator
> needed to be removed and i needed a MRI. Dr. Murphy refused
> to remove the stimulator even though I needed an MRI. I
> needed a MRI so 'Dr Gregory Nazar in Louisville, Ky
> instructed Dr Murphy to take the spinal cord stimulator out
> because Dr Murphy refused numerous times to remove it every
> time I requested and just wanted to revise it. Dr.Murphy
> did 4 revisions trying to make it work not to mention the
> 15 times I had to visit the doctors office to have it
> reprogrammed with no success. So I decided to just turn it
> off because I was not getting any relief so why have it on.
> Right? When Dr. Murphy was doing the surgery to remove the
> stimulator the wire from my butt he numbed because he didnt
> want to cut my spine my left butt cheek and I was wide
> awake because when the wire broke it was to late to give me
> any anesthesia. I was awake during the whole procedure and
> I was scared and was in so much pain. I was in a nightmare
> and wasnt even asleep. After the spinal cord stimulator I
> had the MRI and found out I had a herniated disc in L4 and
> L5 where the wires were and I never had this herniated disc
> before the spinal cord stimulator was implanted. I had 6
> surgeries for the herniated disc and they eventually put in
> 2 titanium rods and 35 screws in my back in 2009. They are
> telling me now that I am going to require another surgery
> and I am scared to death. I feel like a piece of meat
> because they keep cutting on me. No one should have to go
> through the pain and suffering I have gone through so I am
> telling my story to anyone thinking of having this
> procedure done from Medtronics. This company is ruining the
> lives of so many people. Anyone who has had this done
> should share their story as well. Medtronics should be
> responsible for ruining the lives of so many people.

I have a stimulator implanted due to nerve damage at the L4-
L5 disc area. The nerve damage came from a doctor who
misdiagnosed and mistreated me for Degenerative Disc Disease
when I actually had a lateral herniated disc at L4-L5
rubbing and damaging the nerve for more than a year.

My Spinal Cord Stimulator is a Boston SCientific unit. It
is a great piece of equipment! I do not get as much pain
relief as I had hoped for, but the device itself is very
good and very easy to adjust and manipulate to provide
several 4 different theropy programs and then further
adjustment of frequency, pulse width and amplitude within
each program.

My doctor, Maxx Cohen of Spine and Scoliosis Center in
Greensboro, NC has done a wonderful job. And the reps from
Boston Scientific have always been right there to help me
anytime I needed them. They continue to hook up to the lap
top a year out from the surgery to make improvements in the
coverage.

I would insist on Boston Scientific equipment only. They
are unique in their design and operation, regardless of what
a doctor may tell you, they are not all made the same.