Ed's story
Treating arachnoiditis pain with intrathecal drug delivery
The following story tells the experience of one person who is receiving intrathecal drug delivery for the treatment of arachnoiditis pain. As you read it, please bear in mind that the experiences are specific to this particular person. Results vary, not every response is the same.
Pain had become a part of everyday life for Ed of Mahtomedi, Minn. It started in 1969 when he cracked three vertebrae in his neck during a parachute jump in Vietnam -- and nearly ended in 1989, when worn out from incessant pain, Ed attempted to take his own life.
"I thought it was the only way I could get through the pain," Ed said. Luckily, a friend was able to help him seek medical care.
Ed has arachnoiditis, an inflammation of the membrane covering the spinal cord that causes severe pain by pressing on the nerves. After years of pain medication and failed surgeries, an anesthesiologist specializing in pain management proposed they try intrathecal drug delivery.
In the summer of 1990, two weeks after a successful screening test, Ed underwent surgery to begin intrathecal drug delivery. He experienced no complications, and went home the day following the procedure.
Intrathecal drug delivery uses a small pump that is surgically placed under the skin of the abdomen to deliver morphine directly into the intrathecal space (where fluid flows around the spinal cord). The medication is delivered through a small, soft tube that is also surgically placed.
The spinal cord is like a highway for pain signals on their way to the brain -- where the feeling of pain is experienced by the body. Because intrathecal drug delivery delivers medication directly to where pain signals travel, pain can often be dramatically controlled, with only a small fraction of the dose required with oral medications. This helps reduce side effects.
"Now my wife and I can go out to dinner when we want," Ed said. "We go out with friends, go to football games and baseball games -- different things that I haven't been able to do in years." Ed is also able to help his family's business -- raising and training horses for competitions.
Ed has experienced no side effects from the therapy; however, they can happen. For example, because the pump and the catheter are surgically placed, surgical complications such as infections, are possible. The catheter could become dislodged or blocked, or, in rare cases, the pump could stop working. This could cause a reduction in or loss of pain relief and may require surgery to correct. Drug-related side effects also can occur. They may include itching, urinary retention and constipation.
Ed credits intrathecal drug delivery with helping him escape from a life of debilitating pain.
"This pump is really helping me. I have some bad days, but most are good days. It's nice to have the chance to enjoy my life again."