I have been dealing with chronic lumbar and sacrum tailbone pain since 2000. I had a L5/S1 fusion in 2004. The pain also spreads to the sides of each hip bone. It is very painful to sit, stand, or sleep at night. I have tried blocks, RF, etc., to no avail. The listless and GI side effects of oral opiates and morphine have never agreed with me, therefore I have stayed away from them. Three days ago I had a temporary electric stim (trial) placed in my spine. Sometimes, I feel the tingle and sometimes I don't. It seems to depend on how I move and if the internal leads move with me... then I may feel a stimulation down my back and legs. I am thinking about asking for a morphine pump trial, but I do have reservations.
QUESTION:
I am told that the pump uses a fraction of the morphine of the oral meds. Do you become resistant to the dosage of morphine and have to have it increased often? Does your brain become fuzzier as the dosage is increased? Some people seemed to have taken high dosage of pain killers before going on the pump and continue to take some after going on the pump. Some are free from oral meds. Are there really no side effects even at increased dosages? From what I have read, your body has Withdrawal if there is an interuption in flow. I have to make a decision this Thursday and I feel like I'm darned if I do and darned if I don't. Also, how much do you notice the pump implanted in your stomach?
I could use some input.
Have you watched the dvd of how they do this and implant it? If your Dr. has not let you and you have not talked with a Psychiatrist, to see if you can handle this in your body, please do these two steps before going any further. I am against it, I do not want to be given meds thru a pump.....I want to be in control. You sound so much like what I live with here........So please do the first two steps i suggested. if you can live with it, then great.
JMHO Sherry
Sherry,
Thank you for your reply. I have not seen the DVD and have no idea about how to find a Psychiatrist who would know about the pump and it's ramifications. I have read what I can from the internet and the medtronic web site. Narcotics scare the heck out of me. I have received some low dose oral opioids and morphine. The side effects were groggyness and constipation. I did not take them for very long.
I am afraid of narcotic side effects and addiction. I am told that the amount of morphine fed by the pump is about 1/300 of oral morphine. And, since they are not metabolized by the body, there are no side effects. Yet, when the pump cathater fails users say that they get painful withdrawal symptoms. Morphine is a slippery slope and I don't know where it leads long term. Most of the people who are on them were and still are on oral meds too. Their opinion of no side effects may be relative.
I too,like to be in control too. The unknown is what scares me. I want to live my life independently and with a clear head.
I am confused and do not know where else to turn for relief. It would be great if they could pinpoint the source of the pain and treat that, but all I get are shrugs.
Can you tell me if you have tried the pump?If not, what gives you pain relief? My tailbone and lumbar hurt when I sit. When I lay down at night, my back might not be in much pain. But I wake up 2 to 5 times a night and my lower back out to the sides of the hip bones are very painful. Standing gives me pain in the lower back.
What are good questions to ask myself or a Psychiatrist?
Sherry, thank you. I have many more questions than I have answers.
Ray
Ray, any Dr. that wants to do a pain pump has access to the dvd provided by the makers of it. I talked to alot of people who had them and some had them removed asap, the reason behind it is to not take meds, but yet they still had to. Also to go get it filled each month, was not something I knew I could do.....
Your symptoms of pain are in the exact areas of mine. I have been thru Fentanyl patchs that do not stay on, Methadose that didn't touch it and is scary, I almost died from that...Vicodin and soma help me the most, I have seen 4 pain specialist in the the past 3 years. The one I have now asked me what works and listend to me, instead of pushing his ideas on me. What a relief. I cannot work at all, sitting, laying in bed and walking are a constant switch all day long.....I cannot have any surgery to replace a hip because I have a very servere osteo arthritis, the bones are to brittle..I do not drive either. I went from working 60 hours a week gradually decreasing my hours until I could not function, I do laundry and dust and the rest, well I hope my hubby will do. The tension it causes does not help the pain. Its hard on the caregiver as much as me. But my life as I knew it, is not there and never will be. No planes to go anyway or long drives........
A Shrink always is to be talked to before any Dr. puts a pump in, I can't handle the thought of this in my body, I can't and also if your going to still have to take meds, why then do it?
I filed for dissability almost 3 years ago and finally will soon get my hearing date.......only after I got a lawyer...........
The shrink can help by talking with your pain dr.. but getting consults is the best way to find a new dr. with all your files with you. There were times when I wondered why God let people suffer? But God has nothing to do with this.........I rest alot during the day alot, it bothers me so much, I had worked since 18 and quit when 52, so 3 years now and I still miss my life. Although for 10 years prior, this was happening in stages to me.
I hope this helps, but feel free to lean on me.
Sherry
Hi,
Same surgery, same problems as you. Also about the same time frame, 3-4 years ago. I take by mouth morphine sulfate orally and also take anti-depressants. I take a med at night to help me sleep, and just got a TENS unit today. Have not tried the pump and for me would be hesitant to have something implanted. The fusion is the last surgery I want to have!
I would think that a morphine pump would deliver the same medication to your body that the oral ones would. They have extended relief morphine (which is what I take) so that you only 3-4 tabs a day. After the first few weeks, the grogginess and upset stomach went away for me. I'm a network administrator by trade, so I have to have my wits about me.
I've also found that talking with a psychiatrist has helped me very much. Chronic pain causes depression and a host of other problems, (sleeplessness) and you may get some relief. I know that by taking of myself mentally it helps immensely with the physical issues.
Good luck!
Theresa
Sherry,
My wife had most of your problems... OA, RA, Connective Tissue, Spinal Stenosis, Lymphodema. thin hip bones, no knee cartalige, paper thin hip bones, bad heart, etc.. She was too fragile to have surgery. She waited too long to have surgery and was too compromised with all this other stuff by the time it was absolutely necessary or she had to live with it. It turned out that she had to live with it. Flexeril and something like Neurontion did help with the back pain. But it had it's groggy effects. I do understand a lot of what you are saying and I empathize with your situation.
Getting back to the pump. I've had the pain for 7 years and take no pain meds. I understand that the pump delivers about 1/300 or higher increments of what oral meds deliver because it goes right to the spinal cord and is not processed by other organs of the body. My greatest concern is do you build up a tolarance to this type of delivery over time and what are the side effects of that.
I'm 60 years old now and have had MS for 32 years. I still walk with a AFO brace (I think that the AFO caused the problem because of uneven walking height and hard walkind) and go to the health club about 4 times a week. My pain comes in in mostly passive things like sitting, sleeping and some in standing. I want to maintain an active and cognizant life and be able to drive and care for myself. I saw the effects of the oral meds on my wife and I thought that they were physically debilitating. She took 13 different meds.
This Thursday I go in to report on the results of my one week temporary electric stim trial. I can't say that it did much for my pain. The trial stim was erratic levels and tingled in random places. I will have the leads removed.
I can get the DVD from the Medtronic rep. I'm slightly concerned about the pump in my body but I also want to live without this constant pain and not have to be dependent on people to drive me around and care for me the rest of my life.
Ray
Theresa,
Thank you for your input. I'm not sure how this site works. But if you can read my reply to Sherry, I think that it addresses what you are talking about. I'm still not sure aabout a shrink. Pain is subjective and I have no idea about how any person who is not in pain, including a MD or Shrink, can understand what someone else is going through. Pain is depressing but I don't feel depressed. Anti-depressents usually tire me out too. I tried them twice and felt like I didn't want to do anything all day. I had a hard time with that. I do take Baclofen for the MS spasams. It's a muscle relaxant and may exaserbate the effects of anti-depressents. I don't know.
Ray
Ray, Sounds like you have a lot going on also. MS I know is something else to deal with. I found going to the proper Shrink helped me alot. he understood my pain very well, Fibromalgia has alot to do with relaxation exercises and also using the pool to do some activity. When its real bad, the only thing to get it under control is prednisone. I have a bone degenerative issue, mostly heredity and also from Osteoporosis.
I have tried the tens units, didn't work on me.
I do find physical thereapy is helpful when I am at the end of my rope.
Sherry
Hi Ray,
I did not realize you also had to deal with MS. That must be very difficult.
As far as addiction, or the side effects of morphine, I look at it kind of like insulin for a diabetic. To function in life I have to have my pain at a semi-manageable level. I am single, and support myself. I am still lucky enough to be able to work, and I enjoy it. So for me the "addiction" is a non-issue. Yes, I'm addicted to it, but there is a large difference in using drugs, and abusing them. I'm also an alcoholic and quit drinking about 20 years ago, so I am especially nervous about addiction. But I'm very honest with my Dr's, and tell them about it. This way I also have support from myself and my Dr's in the addiction part. And I do not abuse the drugs. The side affects can be managed and for me have disappeared with time. I take 2-3 tabs of morphine sulphate a day, and that pretty much takes care of me all day. I am not "druggy" or groggy.
It takes time and searching to find a psychiatrist you are comfortable with. I know that I may have to "interview" 4-5 to find one that I can trust and connect to. And to be able to enjoy life like I do, it helps me to talk about some issues I face with someone. Not everyone feels this way, and you have to do what you feel is best for you.
Good luck to you, and I wish you well.
Thanks
Theresa
Sherry,
Prednisone was a necessary evil for my wife. She used it continuously for years. I believe that it contributed to her hip and other bodily problems. After a prolonged time you body stops manufacturing your own prednisone and you have to take pill to maintain the minimum. I recognize your situation.
Dear Ray,
I am shocked by some of the replies you have received and believe it's time to set the record STRAIGHT! I am a chronic pain management patient who has suffered through four back surgeries and I'm only 31 years of age. The dose of narcotics I was on, prior to the pump implant, was obscene. You are correct, the pump gives you approximately 1/300th of the doseage that you would take on a normal, oral regimen. I finally gave into the pain and decided that I HAVE to have some quality as well as quanity of life...I have a Medtronic Morphine pump. The trial wasn't too bad, a little scary at first because you can't have any form of sedation so your doctor will KNOW that any effects you have are from the VERY small amount of morphine that is injected around the L-2-L-3 area. My first trial, I did in fact get my first spinal headache, which was AWFUL. The headache was so severe, I could not stand up to really evaluate whether the morphine had worked. HOWEVER, bravely enough I tried the trial one last time. It was the first time, in over 9 years, that I had been PAIN FREE for an entire 6 hours. A psychiatrist is NOT what you need, and I speak from experience as I have my Masters in Psychology and am pursuing my PhD. The pump has CHANGED my life, I am free of oral medications, but more importantly I am PAIN FREE! I live each day thanking God that I found a doctor that could finally give me my life back. A psychiatrist can only help you deal with the trauma the pain has brought into your life, but certainly, cannot relieve the pain. I understand wanting to be in control of what goes into your body, but remember that the amount of medication that is administered through the pump is SO small that there aren't any "fuzzy or foggy" effects in your brain. In fact, I am clearer now than I have been in 9 years as well as pain free. I would definitely ask your doctor for the DVD or I believe you can request it from Medtronics as well. The DVD told me everything to expect during the trial, as well as if I was a candiate for the operation what to expect during the surgery and post-operative questions. I have dealt with MANY pain management patients (all with the pump) and I have not once heard a horror story from a single patient. There's a short recovery time from the surgery itself, and a matter of finding the correct dosage for you individually, but it was and remains the BEST decision I have ever made in my entire life. I look forward to the future now, rather than back at the past where there wasn't any pain...because there's no pain to deal with now, I have a future. AND by not taking the oral medications (which can be very hard on your kidneys, liver, etc.) I have extended my life as well. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the pump or trial for the pump. The way I see it, you are suffering miserably right now, so why not just do the trial and see what happens, if it doesn't relieve your pain (which is unlikely, but possible) then you don't have to worry about the surgery.
Best and good luck!
Angi,
Thank you for the encouragement. I am in the process of getting scheduled for a trial. Rather than a spinal injection, the doctor is going to insert an external pump for about three days. If that works, and I'm praying that it will, he will schedule me for the implant.
The doctor plans on doing both the trial and the implant on an outpatient basis. My only concern there is: will I be able to get in and out of bed and or chairs to care for myself for the first few days after surgery without assistance. Since the implant is in a pocket just under the skin are the stomach muscles impacted?
Angi, I would be interested in anything else that you can tell me about your post implant recovery. My personal email is ray17051@comcast.net
Thanks
Ray
Ray, I hope the best for you on this trial. SOunds like you have found someone who can help you thru this process.
Godspeed,
Sherry
Hey, Ray.
well, for the bad news, or, what I know about the L-5/S-1 and the L-4/L-5 junctures and the pain(s) from both being ruptured...
Okay, I am NOT a doctor, I have NOT seen any scans of yours... However, I KNOW, from my own ruptured discs that the two different areas produce two separate sorts of pain. The sciatica (like you described from the Lumbo-sacral rupture or bulge) is from the lower juncture. The pain you are NOW describing, in my case for sure; Is NOT Lumbo-sacral; It IS one juncture up, from the L4/L5 disc. PLEASE ask your neuro or ortho to check on this area for you as, really, the lumbosacral area does not generally cause the same pain symptoms that you are now describing...; especially AFTER a fusion!
You really need to get to your doc and have this checked out before you end up with some more (very unpleasant) symptoms, ok?
Please let me know how it goes for you.
Anne
Anne,
Thank you for your comments. I did have the L5/S1 fusion, but I didn't have any ruptures or bulges, Nobody seems to be able to identify the source of the various pains in my back. The oral meds just have bad side effects on me.
I'm scheduled for a 7 day (ay home) trial of the pump. That will begin this Friday, Aug 24. They will install an external pump on an out patient basis. A nurse will come to my home for 7 days and do whatever it is she has to do for the trial. I'm not afraid of the surgery. I just want to live my life without pain or side effects.
I will post my experience.
Ray
hey, I just had my jaw-joints removed and, though it's been 3 weeks with this insidious, burning pain of the bone cement, I'm looking toward at LEAST another month of same. I'd love to pick your brain on this subject as I really need to do SOMETHING about all of this; have last nearly 20 pounds and still have to have the joint replacements... really don't want to go much below 100lbs, for sure..
Thanks... Anne
(pm: annebeckett@peoplepc.com )
HI TO ALL OF U THAT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEDTRONIC PAIN PUMP. I HAVE HAD ONE SINCE 1996. LET ME TELL U A LITTLE ABOUT MY SITUATION BEFORE I TELL U HOW THE PUMP HAS WORKED FOR ME.
AS OF NOW, I HAVE HAD 7 SURGERIES ON MY SPINE DUE TO SEVERAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING SPINAL STENOSIS, KYPHOSIS (MY SPINE BENDS FORWARD) SPONDYLOLISTHISIS, DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE AND FAILED BACK SYNDROME (WHATEVER THEY MEAN BY THAT, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I KNOW MY BACK IS BAD). LIKE I SAID, I HAVE HAD 7 SURGERIES THE 1st WHEN I WAS ONLY 19 YEARS OLD. MY MOTHER HAD TAKEN ME TO NUMEROUS DRS. FROM THE TIME I WAS ABOUT 13 AND ALL THEY COULD SAY IS THAT "SHE IS TOO YOUNG TO HAVE THIS MUCH PAIN AND BACK PROBLEMS". THEY ALL RAN THE SAME TESTS OTHER DRS. HAD ALREADY DONE AND KEPT TELLING MY MOM IT WAS "ALL IN MY HEAD". UNTIL ONE DAY SHE BORROWED A HEATING PAD FROM A NEIGHBOR, TO TRY TO GET ME COMFORTABLE AND I FELL ASLEEP ON IT. WHEN SHE WOKE ME, I HAD BURNS ON MY BACK FROM NOT FEELING THE HEAT OF THE PAD. SHE TOOK ME TO THE HOSPITAL AGAIN. AND THEY ADMITTED ME (I THINK I WAS ABOUT15 THEN). THEY RAN TESTS AGAIN TO NO AVAIL, AND TOLD MY MOM THEY WANTED TO SEND IN A SHRINK (PSYCHIATRIST) TO SEE ME AND SHE REFUSED. SHE KNEW I WASN'T FAKING. ANYHOW, WHEN SHE HAD LEFT FROM VISITING ONE DAY, A NURSE CAME IN AND SAID SHE WAS TAKING ME TO SEE ONE OF THE OTHER DRS. AND GUESS WHAT KIND HE WAS? YEP, A SHRINK. AFTER MY MOM REFUSED IT, THEY DID IT ANYHOW. WHEN I REALIZED MYSELF WHAT KIND OF DR. HE WAS I REFUSED TO SPEAK TO HIM AND INSISTED ON GOING BACK TO MY ROOM. WHEN I GOT BACK TO MY ROOM I CALLED MY MOM RIGHT AWAY AND SHE CAME AND SIGNED ME OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. I KNOW THIS IS A LONG STORY BUT I WILL GET TO THE POINT. SINCE I WAS STILL ABLE TO WALK OK, EVEN THOUGH IN PAIN, I GOT MARRIED AT 17, NOT BECAUSE I HAD TO EITHER. AT 19 MY HUSBAND TOOK ME TO THE U OF M HOSPITAL IN ANN ARBOR MICH. AND I SAW 1 DR. THERE. HE RAN ALL THE EXACT SAME TESTS ALL THE OTHER DRS. HAD RAN AND FOUND THE PROBLEM RIGHT AWAY. OH BY THE TIME MY HUSBAND TOOK ME THERE I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN IN MY LOWER BACK AND BOTH LEGS I COULDN'T STAND, SIT, LAY DOWN, NO POSITION RELIEVED THE SEVERE PAIN I WAS IN. THEY SET A DATE FOR MY SURGERY, AND THE 1st THING I NOTICED WHEN I AWOKE WAS I HAD NO MORE PAIN IN MY LEGS, JUST PAIN AT THE SURGICAL SITE. THAT WAS IN 1976, I HAD MARRIED IN 1974. AT THAT TIME U OF M JUST HAD WARDS FOR ROOMS. I WAS IN A 30 BED WARD. 15 BEDS ON EACH SIDE AND I WAS ALMOST AT THE BACK OF THE WARD. 2 DAYS AFTER MY SURGERY I WANTED TO CALL MY MOM(YOU DIDN'T HAVE BEDSIDE PHONES THEN) THE ONLY WAY I COULD CALL HER WAS IF I COULD WALK, YES WALK FROM MY BED TO THE NURSES STATION AT THE FRONT OF THE WARD. THEY HAD GOTTEN ME UP A FEW TIMES AND HAD ME WALK DOWN A FEW BEDS AND BACK, THIS TIME THEY WANTED ME TO MAKE IT ALL THAT WAY?? I THOUGHT THEY HAD LOST THEIR MINDS. BUT, I WAS DETERMINED TO DO IT AND I DID. I CALLED MY MOM, SHE ASKED ME WHERE I WAS CALLING FROM SINCE SHE NEW I DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE. I TOLD HER I WALKED TO THE NURSES STATION AND SHE BROKE DOWN CRYING. (WITH HAPPINESS). THEY DID HAVE TO TAKE ME BACK BY WHEEL CHAIR BECAUSE I WAS TOO WEAK TO WALK BACK. BUT I DID IT AND WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF. I DID REALLY GOOD FOR A FEW YEARS, I DID HAVE PERMANENT NERVE DAMAGE IN MY RIGHT LEG BUT I COULD LIVE WITH THAT. SINCE THAT SURGERY I HAD WORKED AS AN OCCUPANCY SPECIALIST AND OFFICE MANAGER FOR GOVERNMENT HOUSING AND LOVED MY JOB. BUT IN 1980 I GOT BAD AGAIN AND HAD TO GO BACK IN THE HOSPITAL. THE DR. AT U OF M WAS NO LONGER THERE SO I FOUND ANOTHER DR. THAT WOULD LISTEN TO ME. HE FOUND THAT MY DISCS AT L-4 AND L-5 HAD COLLAPSED AND DID SURGERY AGAIN. THE FIRST ONE WAS L-5 AND S-1. I DID GOOD WITH THAT ONE AFTERWARDS AS WELL. BUT AGAIN WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS THE PAIN BEGAN GETTING BAD AGAIN AND FELT LIKE IT WAS UP HIGHER. WENT TO THE SAME SURGEON AND HE FOUND THAT L-3 TO L-4 WAS THE SAME AS L-4 TO L-5 AND DID MORE SURGERY. NOW THAT WAS #3 AND I THOUGHT I HAD IT ALL BEAT BY THEN.I WENT ALMOST 4 YEARS IN AND OUT OF SEVERE PAIN JUST FIGURED THAT WAS TO BE EXPECTED AFTER 3 SURGERIES. WELL IN 1982, AFTER BEING TOLD I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO HAVE A CHILD, I GOT THIS NON-ENDING FLU BUG, SO I THOUGHT. LOL, I WAS PREGNANT. I HAD THIS OLD FASHION DR. WHO WOULDN'T TELL U THE SEX OF THE BABY OR ANYTHING GOOD, ALL I EVER HEARD WERE BAD THINGS THROUGH OUT MY PREGNANCY, SUCH AS THEY COULD ONLY SEE ONE KIDNEY, THE HEAD WASN'T GROWING AT THE RIGHT RATE, THE CHEST CAVITY WASN'T IN THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THE HEART SO I PLANNED ON HAVING A DEFORMED CHILD, AND TOLD MY HUSBAND, MY MOM AND EVERYONE I KNEW THAT SINCE GOD LET ME GET PREGNANT WITH THIS CHILD, I WOULD KEEP IT NO MATTER WHAT WAS WRONG. WELL MY SON WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY OF 1982 @ 3:04 IN THE AFTERNOON, WEIGHED 6LBS. 7 OZ. AND NOT A THING WAS WRONG WITH HIM. NOTHING!! TALK ABOUT RELEIF. I DID HAVE TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY C-SECTION SINCE I WOULDN'T DIALATE AT ALL AND I STARTED HEMORRAGING. SO THEY HAD TO PUT ME TO SLEEP AND TAKE HIM BY C-SECTION. OK BACK TO THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS. APPROX. 6 MOS. AFTER MY SONS BIRTH I HAD TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY HYSTERECTOMY (TOTAL), SO I STILL THANK GOD TO THIS DAY FOR MY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT THAT YEAR. IN 1994 10 YEARS FROM MY LAST BACK SURGERY, HERE WE GO AGAIN, BACK IN THE HOSPITAL, A DIFFERENT DR. SINCE MY LAST DR. MOVED OUT OF STATE TO START A NEW PRACTICE. THIS TIME I HAD TO HAVE A FUSION. FROM L-2 TO L-3 TO L-4 MAKING SURE THE PLATE AND SCREWS AND EVERYTHING WOULD STAY IN PLACE. OF COURSE THEY HAD TO TAKE BONE FROM MY HIP TO FUSE THE SPACES TOGETHER. WELL IN 1991, MY HUSBAND AND I DIVORCED. I CONTINUED WORKING FOR THE SAME COMPANY UNTIL I COULD FIND A JOB THAT ONLY REQUIRED ONE PERSON AND NOT A COUPLE. I FOUND THAT JOB AND STILL LOVED IT, STILL DOING THE SAME WORK I HAD ALWAYS DONE. AND STILL IN PAIN OFF AND ON. I WORKED UNTIL 1992 AND HAD TO FILE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BECAUSE I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO DO MY JOB WITHOUT BEING IN PAIN. MY MOM CALLED ME ONE DAY FROM FLORIDA AND TOLD ME ABOUT AN AD SHE FOUND IN THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE "FLORIDASPINE INSTITUTE". I CALLED THEM, GOT ALL THE DETAILS, AND MADE AN APPT. TO FLY DOWN FOR AN EVALUATION. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT FOUND I HAD THE SPINAL STENOSIS, THE KYPHOSIS (I WAS WALKING BENT OVER BY THEN) AND EVERYTHING ELSE I LISTED ABOVE. SINCE MY MOM LIVED IN LEESBURG FL. AND THEY WERE IN CLEARWATER, THEY PROVIDED US WITH MOTEL ROOMS FOR THE NIGHT BEFORE MY SURGERY SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE SO FAR THAT EARLY IN THE MORNING. MY SON WAS WITH ME AT THE TIME. THEY REDID ALL THE SURGERIES I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD REPLACED THE PLATES AND SCREWS WITH TITANIUM ONES, APPARENTLY THE 1st FUSION I HAD DIDN'T TAKE. THE BONES DIDN'T FUSE TOGETHER AND ONE OF THE SCREWS WERE HITTING ON ONE OF THE NERVES IN MY SPINE. AFTER I RECOVERED, MY SON AND I FLEW BACK TO MICH. AND I FOUND THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. AND WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER EVER SINCE. THIS ALL WAS IN 1995. IN 1996, WE MOVED TO FL. TO BE NEAR MY MOM AND STEP DAD. WELL IF YOU HAVEN'T GUESSED BY NOW HERE COMES THE FINAL SURGERY, I REFUSED TO HAVE IT DONE AT FIRST. INSISTING ON TRYING PAIN MANAGEMENT FIRST. THEY TRIED A SPINAL STIMULATOR FIRST WHICH WAS A PAIN IN THE REAR. AND THE LEADS WOULDN'T STAY IN PLACE IN MY SPINE. I WENT THROUGH SURGERY 3 TIMES FOR THEM TO TRY TO GET IT RIGHT. THE LEADS FOR SOME REASON WOULD NOT STAY SECURE IN MY SPINE. BY THEN ALL THE WORST THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN, THE KYPHOSIS KEPT GETTING WORSE, THE STENOSIS GOT ALOT WORSE CAUSE MORE PRESSURE ON THE NERVES, SO I TRIED ANOTHER PAIN MANAGEMENT DR. WHO WANTED TO TRY THE MEDTRONIC MORPHINE PUMP. BUT, BEFORE THEY WOULD DO IT, HE REFFERED ME TO A PSHYC. DR., GAVE ME A VIDEO TO WATCH AND BOOKLETS TO READ.AFTER ALL THAT, I AGREED TO HAVE IT IMPLANTED. THEY TRIED A TRIAL VERSION FIRST IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A CATHERTER IN MY SPINE AND THE MORPHINE PUMPING THROUGH AN IV TYPE MACHINE. SINCE, I HAD NO SIDE EFFECTS AND IN ABOUT A WEEK I FELT SOME RELIEF TO MY PAIN, THE DR. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH IMPLANTING IT. WE SET UP THE DATE AND I PREPARED MYSELF FOR THIS "NEW" THING THEY CAME UP WITH. WELL BEFORE THE DATE ARRIVED, I HAD GOTTEN SO BAD THAT THEY PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL EARLY AND IMPLANTED IT ON CHRISTMAS DAY OF 1996. THAT ONE LASTED ABOUT 3 YEARS AND THE BATTERY IN IT DIED SO THEY HAD TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER ONE. BUT BEFORE THAT I HAD TO GO IN FOR WHAT I SAY WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY FINAL SURGERY. I REFUSE TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE. THIS TIME I WAS IN SURGERY FOR ALMOST 18 HOURS. YES, 18. THEY REMOVED ALL THE PLATES AND SCREWS AGAIN, AND HAD A NEW THING CALLED CAGES. THOSE GO IN THROUGH THE FRONT OF THE SPINE. SO THEY HAD TO CUT ME AROUND MY WAIST ALMOST TO THE BELLY BUTTON, PUT IN THE CAGES TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN MY SPINE, THEN STICHED ME UP ON THE FRONT SIDE TURNED ME OVER AND REPLACED ALL THE PLATES, RODS AND SCREWS IN MY BACK FROM L-1 ALL THE WAY DOWN TO S-1. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE THE BIONIC WOMAN NOW. I HAVE TO JOKE ABOUT IT OTHERWISE I SIT AND CRY AND I REFUSE TO FEEL SORRY FOR MYSELF AND DO NOT WANT PITY FROM ANYONE. ANYHOW THE SURGERY FAILED TO STAIGHTED MY SPINE. WELL, I CAN'T SAY TOTALLY FAILED, IT DID STRAIGHTEN IT 1/16th OF AN INCH. WOW. GEESH. ANYHOW, AFTER I TOTALLY RECOVERED FROM THAT THEY REPLACED MY MORPHINE PUMP. THAT WAS IN 1999 AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME ONE IN TODAY. I DO HAVE TO ADMIT, IT DOES HELP SOME, BUT IT DOES NOT TAKE ALL THE PAIN AWAY. AT LEAST NOT FOR ME IT HASN'T. I STILL HAVE TO TAKE ORAL PAIN MEDICATION, MUSCLE RELAXERS, AND MY PSHYC. DR. HAD TO PUT ME ON ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND ANXIETY MEDICATION MAKING SURE THAT I KNEW THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONSTANT PAIN OR A CHRONIC PAIN PROBLEM DO GO THROUGH SOME SORT OF DEPRESSION WETHER THEY WANT TO ACCEPT IT OR NOT. SO THIS IS JUNE 13th,2010 NOW, I HAVE TO SLEEP IN A RECLINER DUE TO THE BEND IN MY SPINE I CAN NOT LAY FLAT AT ALL. I WALK LOOKING AT ALL THE NICE NEW SHOES THAT HAVE COME OUT OVER ALL THE YEARS, LOL.
I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO BE SOOO....LONG BUT I WANTED YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT THE PUMP DOES WORK, FOR MOST. IT MAY NOT TAKE AWAY ALL YOUR PAIN, BUT IT DOES TAKE AWAY SOME. IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE MEDICINE THEY USE IN IT AS WELL. I HAVE TO GO APPROX. EVERY 6 WEEKS TO GET IT REFILLED. THEY HAVE IT SET ABOUT AS HIGH AS IT WILL GO, AND YES ACCORDING TO MY DR. IF IT RUNS OUT YOU WILL GO THROUGH WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS SINCE EVEN THOUGH THE MEDICINE IS GOING DIRECTLY INTO YOUR SPINAL CANAL, SOME DOES GET ABSORBED INTO YOUR BLOOD STREEM.
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME VIA ANOTHER POST ON THIS SITE. THANKS FOR READING ALL OF THIS AND I WISH EACH AND EVERYONE OF U THE VERY BEST, GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
from: CindyKM56
Dear Ray and Sherry and anyone else worried about the Medtronics Pain Pump. I left a very very long message on here a few minutes ago. I am so sorry it was so long but I wanted so bad to get my point across. I hope, even though it is so long, u will still read it. The only thing I didn't go into was how it is implanted and how it is refilled. If u are interested let me know and I will be more than happy to explain that as well. Thanks for taking the time to read, I guess u could say my life's story on here.
Hope you both and anyone else concerned about the pump gets some relief from reading my story.
God Bless You All