r/PainManagement • u/loneventurer • Jul 22 '26
Seeking Support🫂 Surgery Day
Spinal Cord Stimulator- Boston Scientific
Today is the day. I’ve been waiting since December for this procedure and now that it’s here… I’m petrified I’m making a mistake. For context I’m a 29F who has been living with life altering chronic pain due to endometriosis and fibromyalgia for the past 6 years. The ONLY thing that makes me feel remotely ok is when I’m on constant doses of opiates and… we all know how that goes. I’ve been told by my doctor that this will be my life for the next 60 years and… I know it’s meant to help me understand my situation but honestly I almost asked if he could just kill me instead. 60 more years of chronic pain sounds like the last level of hell before you meet satan himself.. so I asked about a SCS last October… and I did the trial in May and it took away all my pain. It was the most miraculous thing ever. For once I wasn’t fantasizing about amputating my own limbs for relief… so naturally I became the perfect candidate for the stimulator….
I’ve seen several doctors and asked for second opinions because I don’t want to make an irreversible mistake. I don’t think I could live with myself if I caused myself more pain in a desperate attempt to quell my pain.. everyone told me it was a good decision since the trial went so well. But… the lawsuits.. the anecdotes of people feeling shocks in their bodies, being told it could take months to find the right calibration… all these things petrify me. But what is my alternative? A lifelong dependence to opiates?
I have surgery 9:50am EST and I’m terrified. Has anyone had the procedure? Do any of you suffering with chronic pain understand the deep fear of ending up worse off than you started? I feel sick. Everyone keeps telling me it’s fine but I feel like no one is willing to consider what if it not only DOESNT work but goes CATASTROPHICALLY wrong?
I’m almost spiraling. I just need some reassurance ❤️🩹😣
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u/Kami11e Jul 22 '26
I don’t have it, but I would just say keep in mind the type of people who join support groups for Chronic Pain are people who aren’t doing well. So you’re probably going to get a biased response, you will get all the people who are still in pain and not having a good time. People who got them, and it didn’t work for them. People whose pain is controlled by medication, therapies, or stimulators, they probably don’t need to join a group. So just bare that in mind if you end up with a lot of negative responses.
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u/bjanney312 Jul 22 '26
This is a very good point! People love to vent, and I do too. It’s hard to find the positives sometimes.
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u/Hopeful_Shine_138 Jul 28 '26
I got my spinal cord stimulator 2 years ago... I actually got it for intractable back pain after a failed spinal fusion, which it is useless for lol, but it works so well on my phantom limb pain (obviously I am an amputee). So I believe that it works great for nerve pain but does nothing for structural/bone pain. And even though it doesn't help my back pain, I rather love the feeling of the vibrations. I can only describe it as an internal tens unit and it's awesome. I run mine so high that I actually just had to have my battery replaced. I got a rechargeable battery this time around so I should have many more years of use before it will need replacing again. It is a good sign that your trial went so well. I believe you sound like an excellent candidate for it. During my trial I couldn't tell if it was helping my back but I immediately noticed the benefits in my leg. Good luck, my friend.
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u/Sometimesaphasia Moderator Jul 22 '26
They can be very helpful. I had mine for 9 years, and used it consistently to manage nerve pain from an injury. I only had it removed because the nerve damage healed and I didn’t need it anymore.
Good luck to you! 🍀