Reply To: Spinal Cord Stimulator Part 13

[Anonymous]

Good luck tomorrow Mark and Caroline and hope the journey doesnt cause too much of a flare up. A trial 3 weeks from now would be fab but I guess there are quite a few of you going down there tomorrow, so I suppose not everyone will get a trial that quick.

I had to stay nearby (as I live a long way from Bristol) during the trial so we booked a cheap hotel. I went back the day after as I had an allergic reaction to the dressings, otherwise I would have been free to not return until the end of the trial, though as Rob says infection is a big risk so the slightest raised temperature (I made sure the thermoscan was in my case), aches or shivers, reddened skin etc, you need to go back. I spoke to them on the phone due to additional pain (some of which was the reaction to dressings). So, you will need to stay nearby, but you may not have to go daily. Harrison’s tests sound amazing – not heard of anyone having that sort of thing to assess its performance.

As mentioned, the removal of it takes a couple of minutes. Basically, the pain nurse just sits you hunched over on a couch and yanks the wire out which slips out easily in seconds. I took mine home as a souvenir! – amazing all that technology in a tiny thread of a wire! The main implant electrodes are bigger.
You will get surges as you move during the trial, but dont assess it on that as the main implant isnt so bad for that, although still happens with radical movement, ie sitting to lying, but you get used to it. Good luck!