• Effectiveness

  Major (for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 12 hr Daily

Advice & Tips: I have been using the pacer now for about a year. Over that time, I have sent the unit back to University Hospital in Cleveland several times to "tweak" the parameters to allow for maximum benefit with no discomfort. Currently, I have the pacer fairly optimized to me, and I use it approximately 12 hours per day while I am sleeping. To date, I have experienced very favorable results. My FVC scores over the last year have been very steady as a result of using the pacer daily. Now that it is FDA approved for use in ALS patients, I would highly recommend considering this device. Once the wires are implanted, it is very easy to use and has proved to be very beneficial and has improved my quality of life significantly.

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 12 hr Daily

Advice & Tips: I had the pacer along with a PEG tube implanted about one month ago. The procedure itself was fairly painless and recovery time was minimal, only about a week. The surgery for the pacer is a orthoscopic procedure where only 4 small incisions are made in the abdomen. The wires of the implant come out of the body just under the breast and are attached to a small plug which is taped to the body just under the breast. The pacer is actually an external device which is attached to the plug when using it. I use my pacer approximately 16 hours per day. I use it primarily through the night with no discomfort. I am hoping that the use of the pacer allows me to keep my diaphragm muscles from atrophy. Time will tell.