After spending the summer here so Jo could get the nerves in her neck cauterized, which has provided some relief, she is now getting treatment on her lower back. It was determined that cauterization may not be the best option so she is currently in the screening trial for 'Neurostimulation Therapy for Chronic Pain'.
During the screening trial wire leads are placed in the epidural space near Jo's spine.
The neurostimulator, about the size of a stopwatch, which is normally implanted, is taped to her back since this is a trial. We were very concerned about this since Jo has a severe tape allergy so the Pain Center had her try different tapes and spraying antihistamine spray on the skin. This worked for a couple different tapes.
Small electrical currents through the leads to the spine area disrupts the pain signals from the spinal cord to the brain, effectively tricking the brain that there is no pain. This was done Monday and she has a followup appointment today to remove the leads and discuss the trial.
Unfortunately they may not have prepped her well enough to prevent her tape allergy problems which may have caused additional pain messing with the results. There has been a learning curve on usage of the device so while there was some pain relief in an area it sometimes caused discomfort in other areas. Sleeping was a big issue since the device and all the wires were taped to her lower back.
With this mixed bag of results we are hoping she doesn't have to make a decision today. We will keep you posted.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Trail and error sometimes is not fun but I sure hope something works for her soon.
ReplyDeleteOh boy, I sure hope something works too.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of neurostimulator. I hope they work out the bugs. I am sure for Jo some relief is better than none.
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