Spinal Cord Stimulator

• Do not eat within six hours of your appointment; however, you may have clear liquids until two hours before the procedure.
• Avoid taking any diabetic medication including insulin on the day of your procedure. If you find your blood sugar low, you may drink up to a half glass of apple juice up to two hours before your procedure.
• Bring your diabetes medication with you to take after the procedure.
• Stop aspirin, naproxen, Celebrex, ibuprofen (Advil) three days prior to the procedure.
• Instructions on stopping blood thinner medications will be provided.
• Continue to take all other medications with a small sip of water. Bring all medication with you so you can take it after the procedure. Please note: Do not discontinue any medication without first consulting with your primary or referring doctor.
• Please notify the doctor of any blood thinner medications, medication allergies, ongoing infections, and/or pregnancy on the day of the procedure.
• You will need to bring someone with you to drive you home after the procedure. For your safety, if you do not identify your driver on arrival at the surgical center, your procedure will be canceled and a cancellation fee will apply.
• You must have arrangements to stay in the greater Toronto area for 24 hours following the procedure.

If you have any questions or would like to request assistance prior to your procedure, please contact us. 

• You should not drive or operate machinery for at least 24 hours after the procedure.
• Do not drive or operate machinery unless the stimulator is turned off.
• Keep the skin incision site dry and clean until healed.
• Seek medical attention if signs of infection, such as redness or weeping at the surgical site, and/or fever or chills occur.
• Avoid motions that may shift the device or leads for 6-8 weeks, such as twisting, bending over, lifting heavy objects or raising arms above head.
• SCS devices need to be set to MRI mode prior to any MRI scanning.
• SCS devices have the potential to set off metal detectors.

If you have any questions or would like to request assistance prior to your procedure, please contact us.