Surgical Intervention

Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulator - the Best Kept Secret

After years of using these other products, I finally went to a pain management doctor. Right away, they brought up the option of a Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) surgery. I was amazed that over all the years my neurologist had never mentioned this option. The DRG Stimulator targets specific spinal nerves by placing leads near the dorsal root ganglion to modulate pain signals and prevent pain in lower extremities. It involves a trial phase first, takes a week and you wear the device taped to your back. Assuming you get good pain relief (50% or more), it is followed by a permanent implant. Amazingly, the success rate is huge - about 81% of patients report at least 50% pain relief at three months. How are more people not telling us about this?

The surgery is  outpatient and it takes about 2 hours. You walk out of the building with mostly surgical site pain. Expect to be very limited and restricted at first; for almost 6 weeks I couldn't bend, reach, or pick up anything heavier than a gallon of milk! However at 8 weeks post-op I had not used anything for pain relief except for a little capsaicin cream. I would estimate that today, my pain hovers around 2-3 most of the time! This is from my previous normal of 8-9. It’s been absolutely LIFE-CHANGING.  

Typical Cost: $45,000 to $78,000 (in US without insurance). 

For certain conditions, insurance may cover this surgery, making it <$10K after deductibles and copays. 

Also there are overseas options. -=When I compared costs in In Germany it was approximately $14K and India where it costs $9 to $10K. Prior to my surgery the insurance carrier (Cigna) had not approved it, I kept moving forward and decided if it wasn't covered I would just deal with the collections people at the Hospital. I was desperate and when I saw the over 80% success rate I knew I would do whatever I needed to get it done.

After just eight weeks, the trial and implant were done, and my pain dropped dramatically—from a 9 down to a 2.

TODAY - I have about  50 to 75% of my pain gone! Life is good and the pain feels very manageable. You still have neuropathy but you can have a life.

Click here for a link to a medical site with a great overview of the DRG