Epidural Stimulator

[Graham]

I was talking to a terrific bloke in Canada recently. He spoke of an "epidural stimulator" it's a neurostimulator used for pain relief. The device generates a tiny electric current that blocks a nerve's ability to transmit pain. As many with spinal injuries experience referred pain, I thought some of you may find this interesting.

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I have Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and Ischaemic Heart Disease. I'm presently in an electric wheelchair with braces on both legs. I have undergone a coronary arterial bypass when rushed to the hospital with severe angina. The surgeon initially turned me down as I needed all seven arteries replaced. My heart specialist (who is much larger than the diminutive surgeon) "coerced" him into doing what he could. I got 4 out of 7 replaced. As I still get angina, I have an epidural electronic stimulator implanted in my belly with a wire next to my spine. This allows me to send an electrical current to my spinal chord to confuse the pain by depressing the controls of a device that looks like a TV remote control.

The electronic epidural stimulator is supposed to also have a side effect of forcing the body to grow new arteries around the blocked ones. I saw that phenomenon during my angiogram; my system had already tried to grow a small group of seven small arteries around a blocked one, all on its own. Unfortunately, only one of those was still open. Another side effect that really surprised the doctors at the Pain Clinic is that for the first time in years, I can make the big toe on my bad right leg move. Sure, it's only a lift of one toe by about 2 or 3mm, but I couldn't do that before.
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