Medical Card Question, spinal cord simulator for pain management?

Get a DOT Physical and then you'll know.
My neighbor has that plus a pump that feeds his body some type of drug 24/7.
Both the stimulator and pump are embedded under the skin.
Anyway, get a DOT Physical and then you'll know if you can drive again. My guess is you'll be ok since you're not on pain medication.

 

Spine Pump is a special form of plastic tube put into the spine above the pain site. You will be held there on a experimental basis as you experience the special drug (Non narcotic) for the first time to see if it helps or not. If it does then they implant it permanently. You will return to have it refilled monthly or more often.

If it is a electric form it probably is understood that the voltages involve will not turn you into a puppet. The settings they may invoke or program while you are on the table is going to be hurting a bit after you start working in a big rig.

There is a certain period of time after surgery that you will need to wait to heal. Once healed go straight to your closest DOT medical exam site on your own time and money and try and see if you pass. This is something not covered anywhere because this technology did not exist until recently.

Regarding pain medicine, narcotics will be in your hair up to a year. If you trim it maybe 6 months then go take on any test. Have a note from your last pain clinic doctor stating that you are no longer being prescribed or need pain management since your last dose date. This is for the MRO in case they detect positives. Because pain medicine is banned in trucking since 1/1/2018.

Your ability to get home and service your pain pump in trucking will be dictated by the needs of the freight, you will not expect to be at your doctors for that date appointment. Dispatchers are not inclined to priority you home for medical stuff if they can help it.

 

Still in pain after surgery?why ? Scar tissue?Other problems?

 

Heavy, pain meds haven’t been banned, they just added hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone to the testing panel. If it’s legally prescribed and the prescribing Dr advises that the individual is safe to operate a CMV he is legally clear and subsequent drug tests will be reported as negative.

To the OP. Spinal cord stimulators absent a condition that impairs your ability to safely operate a CMV are not a problem. As far as time off a single level fusion, six to eight weeks for most occupations but from personal experience I would stay out of a truck for at least 6 months, preferably a year. In the mean time work as much PT in your schedule as possible. Oh, and BTW. Stimulators are not all the Dr’s crack them up to be. They help somewhat with the leg pain (Which I know you have) very little if anything for the back pain. PT and more PT will give you a better outcome.

 

ONLY if you can get a Pain Clinic Doctor to sign that driver safe with his DEA number on such a paper as per

What medications disqualify a CMV driver?

Not very many will because these drugs are capable of inducing DUI symptoms. Particularly against the Horizontal 6 clue eye test format. I tend to say that if a driver should take narcotics without that doctors note, he is DQ under FMCSA. Again, not too many doctors will write such a note. Some of these drugs are pretty strong. Ive been on 14 of 16 in the last decade. The one I am currently on is good for driving but I already keep a driver on hand for myself. The last two is reserved for cancer and hospice. My morphine is a base for several other drugs made which will certainly fail those tests.

I lean towards safety more than anything. I do the same because I do not drive until one week each month when I do not take medicine so I can finish the necessary errands on my own to give my driver a break.

 

This sounds like a retirement or leave trucking type thing?
But if you can find a truck with a Bose air ride that could help.
BOSE does not make seats anymore I've read.

 

I think most of us lean towards safety at least I hope so. The link you provided stated basically what I did. Additionally a pain pump targets the meds at a dosage that is very low compared to say a 10/325 Percocet taken orally. It also solves the problem of abuse or “accidentally” taking too many. It will trip a drug test but a note from the prescriber renders a neg result and makes one legal. As noted at the link you provided this does not necessarily mean the qualifying Dr will go along with it, but legally it’s ok.

 

I did a overview of one particular pump and the few medicines availible to it.

Here is the paragraph that lists the drugs one of several that will be selected for a patient.

US: Chronic intrathecal infusion of Infumorph® preservative-free morphine sulfate sterile solution in the treatment of chronic intractable pain, Prialt® chronic intrathecal infusion of preservative-free ziconotide sterile solution for the management of severe chronic pain, and chronic intrathecal infusion of Lioresal® Intrathecal (baclofen injection) for the management of severe spasticity. Outside of US: Chronic infusion of drugs or fluids tested as compatible and listed in the product labeling.

Source of that paragraph link and manufactor, you have several pain pump situations availible. My Clinic offers them in Little Rock through a hospital but my situation is not severe to need one just yet. (We are on our way up so to speak as the degeneration proceeds)

It is a opinion that several medicines could be used with good success directly into the spinal canal with the main control nerves direct to the brain and kill the pain problems without a narcotic anything. Its possible. And so driving a 18 wheeler will be a very good outcome.

The other thought is that this will be a device that is under electronic control. If you have gone into some of the foundries and mills like i have where huge induction currents are used and other radiation in terms of industrial electric power it would be a threat to it. Something to keep in mind.

Important Safety Information - Targeted Drug Delivery for Chronic Pain

 

As long as it doesn't show up on a drug screen, you're good to go, I've got a 2cm pseuodomenegicil in my back and no one but me even knows it's there.