PRiALT & my experience with a pain pump

[kerry]

I have been experiencing a great deal of neuropathic pain as my spinal cord has atrophied at the point where my surgery was (C1-C6). So I decided to try the drug PRiALT using a Medtronic intrathecal drug delivery system. PRiALT works! It made a marked difference in my pain level when Neurontin and Lyrica didn't seem to do much at all. So I can highly recommend PRiALT to those who are having serious pain problems. However, I had to have the pain pump removed because it became infected. So, after having my plane tickets & reservations for the conference unfortunately I will be unable to attend because I will be on IV antibiotics for a least another four weeks. I guess I will have to wait until next summer to try the pain pump with PRiALT again because school will be starting up soon and I just can't be in surgery again during the school year. I strongly advise people who might be considering an internal pain pump to really question the doctor who's going to put that in. My experience with an infected pain pump was a really bad one & they seemed very cavalier about treating me. It was my family practitioner physician who discovered what the infection was and how to treat it. The doctor who put in the pain pump saw me the day before I saw my family practitioner and didn't spot the infection. So for whatever that's worth I hope it helps somebody.

[kerry]

Well, my MRI results are in and my bone is infected at L5. There is also a mass inside the spinal canal which my infectious disease doctor is going to refer to my neurosurgeon to see if there's anything surgical that needs to be done. I'm very disappointed that I won't be able to go to the conference this year. At least I got Travelers insurance so I'll be able to get my money back on my airfare.
The pain specialists thought that my infection was being taken care of by the oral antibiotics. If I had listened to him alone there's a good chance that I would've lost the use of my legs due to the infection at L5. I'm very glad that my GP referred me to an infectious disease doctor.
So, in conclusion PRiALT work very well to control my neuropathic pain but we run the risk of infection any time we get a pain pump installed. And if you do get an infection be sure to run it past an infectious disease doctor.
that's all I have for now & I hope all the people going to the conference have a great time and I will miss you.

[marks]

Kerry, I'm very sorry about the infection. Do you have side effects with the pain pump? Some of my meds are making me rather sleepy Mark

[marks]

Kerry, I'm very sorry about the infection. Do you have side effects with the pain pump? Some of my meds are making me rather sleepy Mark

[kerry]

Hi marks, I found the PRiALT did not give me any side effects. So that is great. I will probably try again next summer after I finish up my Masters degree in rehabilitation counseling. When Neurontin and Lyrica and Cymbalta don't work to control the neuropathic pain I think PRiALT is a very good alternative.
Unfortunately for me, I had an MRI done last weekend showed that the infection had spread to the bone of L4 & L5. The infection went from the pain pump down the catheter into my spinal column & now there is a mass inside my spinal canal at L4. So I go see my neurosurgeon on Monday and will see if that mass is a lesion or abscess that needs to be removed surgically. if the infectious disease specialist had not ordered the MRIs it's possible I would been paralyzed from the waist down. That's why he ordered the MRI to begin with he is treating a patient right now who had a pain pump put in that got infected and his bone was infected but wasn't treated correctly so now he is paralyzed from the waist down. My doctor said that with this one patient in the hospital he wasn't going to take any chances with me and I'm glad he didn't. Anyway to answer your question I think a pain pump is a pretty good tool for us to try to use when the pain gets awfully bad.
Kerry

[Scott Shimer]

Kerri,
Glad the prialt helped but, sorry about the pump problem. I got my new pump in january ( the old ones battery was running out after 5 1/2 years ). Two days after it was installed I got a redness around it. It started to spread on both sides of it and they had me checked into the hospital. The first day the Infect. disease Dr. told me he was 95% sure it was MRSA ( again I had it after SCT surgery number 2 in 2004 ). It wasn't but, I had to do 6 weeks of cubicin IV at home to make sure no infection was in there. I tried Prialt for one week 2 years ago and got sick and had them take it out. I really didn't give it a chance. Since I really hurt now maybe I'll give it another try. I've tried about everything else and besides the fentora I really dont get much relief. I hope and will pray that everything works out well. Send me an email when you get a chance to let me know how things are going. Your call 7 years ago really helped me at a time when I was really down. Thanks again and my email is [e-mail].

Scott

[kerry]

Hi Scott,
I'm really sorry that the PRiALT made you sick. And I don't know if I were you if I would try it again are not. Well, I seem to be following your lead because I'm on IV cubicin as well. My last day is supposed to be August 11 but they said I might go longer than that. I have to go to the doctor's office to get it because Medicare will only pay for it if it's given to you at the doctor's office.Scott, I hope you're doing very very well and I will e-mail you. My e-mail address is [e-mail]