I have had fusions and injections with no success. It has been suggested by a Neurosurgeon at Mayo that I consider having the Nevro placed. One of the stipulations, for receiving this device, is you be examed by a Psychiatrist. It was explained to me that the reason for this is to assure the hospital that you are not being forced into this procedure by anyone. (I know! It doesn't make any sense to me either). I am scheduled to have the Nevro placed May 10th. My appointment with the Psychiatrist was today. (She,also, is working at Mayo). She strongly suggested that I should get a TENS unit and instead of taking the pain pill I take now use a Lidocaine Patch. I am currently on Hydrocondone 10 mg twice a day. It is not doing great to relieve my pain since I have been on it for quite a while. Also, she put me on Topiramate, which I think is a drug for epilepsy, which I do not have. My feeling is she over stepped. I have been in pain for several years and was hoping for a little relief from the stimulator. I guess my questions are if anyone has had any relief from a TENS unit and Lidocaine patches after failed back surgery? I did have a Cat Scan Tech describe my back as a hardware store. At least he had a sense of humor. Many thanks to anyone who can enlighten me. Good luck to you all.
You & I are on the same path. My pain specialist had me try Topiramate, too. Yes, that's a drug for epilepsy but it also is supposed to block nerve pain. It didn't work for me and I stopped taking it after 2 weeks because of other bad side effects but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try it. I talked to my dr and a Nervo HF10 rep today. I intend to try the 7 day trial nerve stimulator as it's relatively non-invasive and you are supposed to learn from that if it will help your pain before they insert the permanent one. They informed me there was a monitory 10 question psychiatric form that I don't mind taking but I'm not happy about paying yet another Dr. I used a TENS for several years prior to my back surgery. I liked it for a while. It works great for many people but again, you just need to see if it works for you. Prescription Lidocaine patches do help. There's another one I like better but insurance now refuses to pay for them so a compounding pharmacist is going to try to compound similar product with the same ingredients for me.
I really think you need to talk to your Dr about increasing your hydro daily dosage. I'm no doctor but I personally think you need more than 1 every 12 hrs.
My pain management doc says 90% of his patients got relief and they are very happy with the Nevro HF10. It's only been out 1 year so make sure when you read comments on this site that they are talking about THIS particular device. There are others out there that people say shocked them or had other problems. I've been assured this device is high frequency and all those problems other nerve stimulators have (often discussed here) have been fixed.
Realky hope I've helped you. If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate you letting me know how the Nervo worked for you after you get it.
Susan
I haven't seen this mentioned in any of their literature, but you should know that the rep told me you cannot get the trial device wet -- meaning no baths or showers -- during the 7 day trial period. :-(
Hello Marie - I had a tens machine when an experimental operation turned bad and I had it taken out and l4\5 decompressed that didn't work either
It sort of worked but being a woman sometimes it was hard to fix it to your clothes or to hide it. I suppose I was self confidence. I shocked myself a fair few times and you couldn't take it to bed with you lol.
I still have it somewhere but the last straw was going to the toilet which was filthy and dropping the lead down the pan. Lyrics isn't the best tablet in the world but better than a tens machine. But...that's my story!!
Thank you so much. You definitely helped. I am going to go forward with the Nevro (what do I have to loose?). I just want my life back. I really felt the Psychiatrist over stepped. The Neurosurgeon covered other options with me before suggesting the Nevro. The Psychiatrist didn't even look at my Cat Scan and I was with her over an hour. Please keep me informed on your progress and, if you like, I will do the same. Good luck. Marie
Thank you for your reply. I know. He told me the same; sponge baths here I come. The bad thing is I live in Arizona and it can really get "toasty" here in the summer. Good thing is the trial is only a few days. Good luck to you. Marie
my pain doc suggested I go back to my back surgeon and ask his opinion about whether he thinks the HF10 will help me before we do the trial. I don't know about other machines but I only used my TENS 1-2 hours a day and I've never been shocked. I stopped using it after my fusion.
Marie,
No relief from a tens machine. I also had a failed fusion L5 S1 I have the nervo in now, had some issues in the back it was pushing out so they put the battery in my stomach, I'm hoping for relief. I'm in the USA I would think she is over stepping her authority, how can she say do this and that that should be up to your dr what you should be on and what u want to have done, I hope everything works out for you.
Cynthia
How long have you had the Nervo? Does it give you more relief after they moved the battery? Please keep me posted. Best of luck to you.
Marie,
I'll definitely keep u posted, right now still in pain plus I let the battery deplete, oops didn't know I kept checking it and it said full, but tomorrow I'll have the it charged and I will let everyone know if it's better in front than back, the back was horrible with the battery feeling like it was trying to burst out of your body every day it hurt no meds could get that pain away, I feel a little relief now with the battery moved, before the pain went all across my back where the battery was to the other side, like something was sitting on it, now that the battery is out I feel relief except where the battery was plus I have staples in there, the front where the battery is my stomach hurt so bad and it feels bloated all the time, and I have a great big scar to come, another battle wound I am hoping for relief, I was starting to back out of it day of surgery dr said come on you'll be fine. So I put my trust in him and I hope his words don't come back to hurt me haha fingers crossed and I hope all goes well. Updates weekly
Good luck and good pain free days for everyone.
Cindy
Hi Marie! I think that Psychiatrist was very unprofessional in her suggestion. Without looking at your file for a long time, she had no right to make such a stupid suggestion that will impact your life so significantly. I have to mention that I minored in Psychology in college, and a few of the students in that program are some of the craziest people I ever met! I'm anxious to hear about your experience at Mayo Clinic, as they are so highly regarded in the medical field. I live in the US too and it seems that we don't get all of the support services available to those in the UK. My dr also suggested that I try the Nevro, because I want to jump through a window to get away from the feeling of a tens machine. I've got a hardware store in my back too with a failed fusion which followed 8 unsuccessful laser surgeries, so scar tissue is an issue for me as well.Things tend to go wrong for me whenever I have a medical procedure, and I've had quite a few with scar tissue and myofascial pain connecting them all, so I'm not going to try it at this point until I read of some more positive results on this forum. I would also think that being prescribed more Percocet per day would help, even though the new FDA guidelines here in the US are making it difficult for Drs. I just saw my pain Dr on Friday and he said that wit my type of condition, I still need 4/day, and I have 10mg tablets too. I honestly wonder if people taking prescribe Cannibus in States where it's been legalized is better than all these opioids? A woman from Canada was on this forum last month saying how much it's helped her pain, and hoping it gets legalized for everyone. Good luck with your surgery, and please check in with us post op to let us know how you're doing. ~kathy
Kathy, you are one brave person.
Desperate is more like it, like many on here. I just want my life back a bit.
As far as Cannibus goes it didn't work for me. I live in Az and, with a Drs prescription, it is legal. The only thing it did for me was make me so dizzy I couldn't walk across the room. Someone told me that your body adjusts to it but wasn't worth how it made me feel---didn't touch the pain either. The Dr who gave me the prescription was really something else too.
Its legal here too in spain, but just enough for yourself, don't know how many plants there is. But... there is always someone in our English paper doing naughty things like growing them in between the paddy fields, or greenhouses, there are ideal places to grow it here. I once smoked it for my 50th birthday someone bought the cigarettes as a present, didn't do anything for me except I had my head down the toilet a few times
My computer locked up so didn't finish the reply. As far as the Psychiatrist goes she was different too. It went far beyond what I was expecting. She was born in Russia and after she had changed some my "scrips" she suggests I buy some cabbage and wrap the leaves around my back at night. She tells me that's what they do in her country and it sometimes works. 😳 If I wasn't so desperate for help and have no intention of making waves I would say something to the Neurosurgeon. I did cancel the appointment she had me make for a follow up. The cabbage leaf idea did give my husband and me a good & needed laugh. I guess it takes all kinds in this world. Good luck and I will keep you posted. It's difficult to get reviews on the Nevro since it's so new in the US. Marie
Oh man! Did Mayo really have to import a Psychiatrist for their program from Russia to find one that flew that high over the Cuckoo's nest?!! I'm all for trying innovative, homeopathic suggestions, but cabbage leaves? Did she suggest that you steam them into a poultice (sp?) first?
She would have if she had thought of it, I think. She was good for a laugh tho. Have a good day, Kathy. I'll keep in touch. You do the same. Marie
I do want to clarify about the Drs at Mayo tho. This Psychiatrist is not an example of the medical care you receive at Mayo. All the medical personnel (except the Psychiatrist) we have met at Mayo are caring,
and very knowledgeable. I didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression of Mayo. Marie
Marie..that is the impression of everyone I've heard of when they speak of the Mayo Clinic. I regret not going there for my back ailments from the start. Hope all goes wonderfully for you! Keep us in the loop as to your progress. ~kathy