Well, I thought about posting this very topic, Thanks for beating me to it!
I have had 4 knee replacements, 2 back surgeries and I am in a similar boat.
About a month ago got a 4 layer lumbar nerve ablasion where they burn the nerves on the L and R side of the spine at the L3, L2, L1 and S1. Marginally effective for me. It was explained by the pain mgmt folks at Wake Forest that sometimes additional nerves will get inflamed when you block others. I have very bad arthritis which leads to stenosis in time.
Anyway, am currently getting ready to get nerve blocks in both knees because the knee bone is connected to the elbow bone and that makes me walk funny.
Back to the topic, I will be probably getting a spinal stimulator put in because I really can't control it anymore. I've been on the Tramadol, Naprosyn, Celebrex, Percocet, Oxicodone trip for years and then Fentnyl patches for years after that. I am tired of the pain and pissed off that most of my hobbies are now undoable. I haveca partially restored '69 Dart in the shop I will never finish most likely.
I have been told the newer stimulators have amuch better rate of pain reduction, are adjustable and much more trouble free. Supposedly there will be 10-12 leads from the contoller to the nerves on the lower 5 or 6 joints of my lumbar.
I gotta try it! Bad enough I'm an old ugly fat man, I need to be a more mobile old ugly fat man.
