seeking joy in a life with chronic migraine, chronic daily headache and chronic illness
My friend Lisa and I met through a headache forum. At the time, she also had a nerve stimulator, so we e-mailed back and forth and finally met in person when I was in her part of the country for Thanksgiving. Her experience with the nerve stimulator has been, quite simply, hell. Lisa has had… Continue reading Lisa’s Nerve Stimulator Experience
Electrical stimulation is used for many illnesses, from headache to sciatica to depression. In today’s Washington Post, writer Daniel Stark shares his experience with deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s Disease. The article is honest, funny and, most important, from some who has “been there.” Many of the procedures and the device he describes echo… Continue reading The Power of Electrical Stimulation
After I had my stimulator about a year, Medtronic began publishing Living Well, a newsletter about the company’s implanted stimulation devices and drug delivery systems. According to the newsletter’s nerve stimulation FAQs, these activities might be harmful: using an electric blanket, skiing, sledding, golfing, amusement park rides. These are in addition to the limitations I’ve… Continue reading Nerve Stimulator-Imposed Restrictions
The FDA has given Boston Scientific approval to begin a trial of occipital nerve stimulation for migraine. The specific device that will be studied is called Precision, which is the smallest rechargeable stimulator available. The study, which is being called PRISM (Precision implantable stimulator for migraine), will involve approximately 150 patients at up to 15… Continue reading Neurostimulation Overload: Clinical Trials & Device Descriptions
According Device Makers Vie in Pain Treatment Market, a recent Reuters article, “Medical device makers are battling in the fast-growing market for implantable systems that manage debilitating pain in patients for whom medical alternatives, such as drugs or spine surgery, have failed.” These implantable systems include nerve stimulators for headache treatment. The short article provides… Continue reading Nerve Stimulator Manufacturers