marmalady

Hi, Patty, The pump continues to be a lifesaver for Matt. He had the pump replaced about 2 years ago for 'end of life' of the pump; that went well also.

The key to having success with it is to find an experienced neurosurgeon who has done many of these surgeries. You need to ask lots of questions before you decide who will do your procedure. I personally feel that a big university based hospital has the most experience. We were very fortunate in being recommended to UMDNJ in NJ; the surgeon who did Matt's initial surgery had the experience that gave us the most confidence. You also need to find out who will be doing your pump refills. Different states have different protocols; some smaller cities may not even have the resources to do the refills. In NJ, home health nurses could be trained to do the refills, which was very convenient! Here in SC, we have to go to the Medical University, where a neurosurgeon or his PA do the refills.

Hope this helped!

Hello Marmalady--In my quest to decide on the baclofen pump,I've been searching the form for people who have either good and/or bad experiences. I seen a post where you stated that your son had gotten his in 2004 with no problems. Has that still been the case and would mine telling me if he has felt it to have been a good decision? Any input your willing to supply would be great. Best wishes to your son and entire family!! Sincerely, Patty