William's Story
The following article tells the story of one patient who is receiving intrathecal drug delivery for the treatment of pain. Medtronic invited this patient to share his story candidly. As you read it, please bear in mind that the experiences are specific to this particular patient. Results vary; not every response is the same.
I am 48 years old and have been dealing with upper and lower back pain for about 23 years. I have had a cervical fusion as well as a lumbar fusion. I am at the point where surgery is not an option anymore. I had to take a medical disability from my job 3 years ago. I have been told that I will only get worse as my spine is getting brittle over time. I finally found this great pain management doctor about 4 years ago. He has done wonderful things to help with the pain; however he said that I am only going to get worse over time.
About a year ago, he introduced me to the idea of a pain pump. At first I was unsure about this as I thought it was just another way to make money. However, we continued to discuss it over the next few months, when I would bring it up. One day I said what the heck, let's go for it. We did the trial and it went well. We scheduled the surgery to implant the pump. A couple of months later after making the necessary adjustments to the flow, I started to feel like a teenager again. I went from about 45 pills of various meds a day to now I only take 1 type at bedtime. I have had many pump refills with no problems. If anyone is having second thoughts about getting the pain pump, GO FOR IT, it is the next best thing to chocolate.
