United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Just a quick question....
What E-stim unit U all use, where did u get it from and much does this cost?
As I am not sure whether our insurance is gonna cover it....but Dr. Julia Terzis Ask us to get slow pulse e-stim .
I know In physical therapy they use this...
Also the sad thing is that according to our insurance policy, My husband cannot have more than 90 days visit to physical therapy after the surgery....and which has already been expired : (
I mean that's just ridiculous as they should be knowing that how important PT is after these kind of injuries!
O man....nothing seems good.....

Shafali,

Our son has a birth injury, and we use a unit that goes all the way down to 2HZ and only costs about $100. It is "cheaper" but is perfectly comfortable, especially in the slower rates. My 2-year-old even insisted "back on!" when I went to take it off last time we used it! Now *that* is comfort

I would try asking for a case manager for your insurance. My husband just had major surgery for a leg fracture, and our insurance only pays 30 days! But... it is by "diagnosis". Sometimes you can get different diagnoses for the same injury. Like first one being pain management, then motor retraining, then muscle strengthening etc., which might get more days.

Good luck!!

Kate

The unit my son uses is from EMPI. His Dr. wrote a scrip for it to be used at home. He is only allowed 20 visits per year to PT but we found we mostly can do it at home, and just go in once a week or month (whatever is needed at the time) to see how things are progressing and to see if we need to be doing anything different. So fer its working out really well. Check with your indsurance company and see if the unit will be covered. The unit is the 300PV. My son is 13-RTBPI.

Can these cheaper models be used overnight. I have been told to get the NT-2000 and use it overnight. I think it is about $700.00. I have found models that adjust down too 3 MA as does the NS-2000 but our Dr. recomended the NS-2000 for overnight use.

I wouldn't have any qualms about using any old e-stim on myself overnight (my 2-year-old son is another story). The NT-2000 *TES* unit has some safeguards for overnight useage in children - namely, that the case has been modified to be tamper and water-proof, and the unit shuts off if the electrodes get wet or come off. The NT-2000 has an "electrode monitor" so maybe it turns off if the electrodes come off, too... I'm not sure about that.

Any old estim unit should do just fine for an adult, as long as you put the unit somewhere where you will not accidentally turn the knobs. You should be extra careful about attaching the electrods (an additional ace wrap can come in handy) or else you might get "bitten" or your skin might get irritated. But there really isn't any risk involved as long as you don't wet the bed

Kate