Barney, I have had my Baclofen pump for two years now. I went through the initial testing where they inject the Baclofen into your spine. Being that I am an incomplete quadriplegic, I did not have a lot of body movement or control before the test, but immediately after the test, my body was quite flaccid. It only lasts for a short period of time. I suppose if your body does not react to the injected Baclofen, then you are not an ideal candidate for the pump. The pump was surgically put under my skin on the right side of my torso, with a catheter running from the pump to my spine, also under the skin. There was also a small incision made in the lower back where the tube enters the spine. The medicine in the pump is removed and refilled once every six months. This is done by inserting a needle through the skin into the pump and withdrawing any left over medicine and replacing it with new medicine. The amount of medicine put into the pump depends on the dose of medicine administered. The pump also has an alarm to make sure that it doesn't run dry. Calibrating the pump is painless, as this is done with a device that looks like an oversized PalmPilot. The device is held next to the skin while the doctor chooses the dose of medicine to be administered. In the two years that I have had my Baclofen pump. I have had virtually no problems with it at all. The only problem I have had, is swelling around the pump area, but the doctor never found out what caused it. It wasn't the pump itself. She believes I may have bumped it against the arm of my wheelchair. I opt to get the pump, as opposed to taking the oral medicine, because the high dose of the oral medicine I had to take was making me to lethargic and causing me too many other problems. Because the medicine goes directly into the spine with the pump, I only need a small dose and do not have any of the side effects from the medicine. I had heard so many horror stories about the pump that I was really afraid of it, but now I am so glad that I chose it. I hope this has been of some help to you. If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me.
Naomi C4-incomplete, quadriplegic since July 2005 due to Transverse Myelitis **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)
