Re: Implanted Pain Pumps

[Guest guest]

My husband had mouth and throat cancer, before he died they put in a pump and he

said it took away some of the pain. I hope this helps you, good luck

 

Cheers

Donna wrote:

I would like to know if anyone happens to have implanted pain pumps.

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

I've had a pump (Medtronics) for the for the last 12 years and I find it very

effective for pain management. It's not the " answer all " to my pain issues, but

between the pump and the medicines that are in it, and the other meds I take,

it's very effective. I feel very lucky that the doctor I am with was very

aggressive in his methods and has never been afraid to up my meds in the pump

and or add to them. And he's also been very liberal in his use of breakthrough

meds to make me as comfortable as possible.

There are a few negatives about the pump that come to mind right away. The first

being that it seems that most doctors start their patients on very low doses and

take their sweet time in titrating you up to proper levels. The second negative

I've experienced is that once you have a pump installed, many doctors seem to

think that it is an " answer all " , And that can be problematic. And the Third

thing worth mentioning is, for some reason, you might run onto a few times

during the lifetime of your pump where for no apparent reason, it will stop

being effective. I've gone through this 3 times in 12 years. 2 of those times

were at the end of the life cycle of my

first pump. But it also happened once with my newer pump. It wasn't that the

pump wasn't working, but more that the medicine lost it's effectiveness. I have

been told that that's not possible. But nobody could tell me why I was sent into

the horrors of withdrawals though. Thankfully my Doctor gave me a large supply

of Dilauded ( that's what in my pump ) to keep on hand in case it ever happens

again. Of course whenever it has happened to me, it was always on a weekend.

Some of the positives I enjoy with the pump are, once you are set and

comfortable, You will cut your doctor visits down to the few times a year you

need to have the pump re-filled. Another is that you will no longer be

handcuffed to a schedule of taking your oral pain meds. And the best thing I

enjoy is the steady pain relief it gives you the whole day through as compared

to the waves you ride on with oral meds.

I know that before I got my pump I spent 8 years of what seemed like endless

Doctor and pharmacy visits every month. I no longer waste all that time. I might

see him 3-4 times a year at most now, and I like that.

I hope these things I mentioned help you. If there are any other specific

questions you have, I'll be happy to share my experience with you. You can reply

here or in private at ronwood@...

Be well,

Hugs,

Ron B. - NY

> Donna wrote:

> If anyone can tell me if they have a pump and if they work I would love to

hear from you.

[Guest guest]

It is wonderful to hear that pain pumps can be effective. I worry about the

future of my pain management.

I hope more doctors will be like yours. I have seem several articles about the

increase is abuse of opiod pain meds again. I am afraid this will set pain

managment in the US back 2 steps.

That's for sharing about the pain pump. One question, is your's external?

Gentle hugs, Tami

--- \ Ron wrote:

>>

> I've had a pump (Medtronics) for the for the last 12 years and I find it very

effective for pain management.

[Guest guest]

Hello,

One thing that helped me before I had my pump was meeting other people that

already had theirs. I also joined the Yahoo group " Pumpsters " . And I picked

peoples brains and got tons of pro's and cons to help me make my decision.

It was especially helpful meeting people face to face. And my doctor

arraigned for that to happen with other patients he already implanted them

in.

As I wrote originally, I find that success comes from the combination of the

multiple meds in my Pump ( dilaudid and bupivacaine), as well as the

additional meds I take (Oxycodone for BT & Muscle relaxers). I also exercise

everyday and have modified my diet. All these things have helped me

incredibly. And when I say exercise, it might just be a walk around the

block. Other days I might ride my stationary bike. If I'm really feeling

good I ride my Bicycle. Everyday is a new adventure...:-)

I can relate to your concern regarding the future of PM. I live on Long

Island, and this year has seen some horrible crimes related to the very

medicines we need. There have been numerous pharmacy robberies as I'm sure

have happened all over the country. Sadly though there were 2 very bad cases

in which a total of 6 people were killed. And since these horrible crimes

have taken place, the knee jerk reactions have been amazing. Some pharmacy's

have stopped stocking our meds. Others have added armed security, etc...The

sad thing about this In my humble opinion is, the only people this really

hurts is Us, those of us that need our meds. I've yet to hear any story's

about a pain patient holding up a pharmacy. It's always a street

addict...:-(

My Pump is Inside me, on my right side just above the waist line. It's about

the size of a hockey puck and it has a catheter that

weaves around the back to my spine. It's filled by inserting a needle into a

port that they locate by using a template. The whole procedure take all of 5

minutes. And in my case because of the dose and concentration of the meds I

have in mine, I only have to get filled up 3 times a year. And that's the

greatest benefit in my opinion. I really hated going to the Dr's office

every month.

I've never heard of anyone having an external pump except for post op usage.

As far as I know there are only a few type's of these too. I have the

Medtronic type. I like this one because it's easily customizable to your

personal needs. If you found that you hurt worse at certain times in the

day, they can program a bolus into your routine to give you an extra little

dose at those times. It's been a life saver for me.

Gentle Hugs right back at ya,

Ron B. - NY

_____

>Tami wrote:

It is wonderful to hear that pain pumps can be effective. I worry about the

future of my pain management.

>I hope more doctors will be like yours. I have seem several articles about

the increase is abuse of opioid pain meds again. I am afraid this will set

pain management in the US back 2 steps.

>That's for sharing about the pain pump. One question, is your's external?

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the information. I thought most are implanted. I have seen an

external morphine pump. I have been tried on morphine and unfortunately it had

no effect on my pain.

It would be wonderful not to have to call my doctor every month and run over to

their office, pick up my prescriptions and then go to the pharmacy.

As I said it is good to know that down the road I have an option if the oral

meds are no longer enough.

I have seen the articles about the rising abuse of pain medication. I saddens

me because it is a giant step backwards for us.

Gentle hugs, Tami

--- Ron B - NY wrote:

>

> My Pump is Inside me, on my right side just above the waist line. It's about

> the size of a hockey puck and it has a catheter that

>

> weaves around the back to my spine. It's filled by inserting a needle into a

> port that they locate by using a template. The whole procedure take all of 5

> minutes. And in my case because of the dose and concentration of the meds I

> have in mine, I only have to get filled up 3 times a year. And that's the

> greatest benefit in my opinion. I really hated going to the Dr's office

> every month.

>

>

>

> I've never heard of anyone having an external pump except for post op usage.

> As far as I know there are only a few type's of these too. I have the

> Medtronic type. I like this one because it's easily customizable to your

> personal needs. If you found that you hurt worse at certain times in the

> day, they can program a bolus into your routine to give you an extra little

> dose at those times. It's been a life saver for me.

>