Hi Suz91941, welcome.
I have cervical arthritis, and so far have had 6 sets of epidurals. The first 3 were to the top, but didn't do a lot. Pain was still spreading to shoulders, arms and back. I then realised that the main problem area was C5 to C7, so now have the injections there, with much better results.
The last one has taken about a week to really improve things, and while not taking away all of the pain or discomfort it does give a considerable benefit.
I'll get it done every 3 months.
I have a lot of trouble sleeping, waking every hour or so when neck, back , hips or shoulders get a sore. So that leaves me unrefreshed. I'm now looking into muscle relaxants to help me sleep.
The constant pain, even when not bad, just wears you down, and with the lack of sleep really affects your life. there are some good recent articles on this site about how pain affects the brain and you in general. http://psychcentral.com/news/index.p...1&s=pain+brain
I wonder about the future-how bad will it get, what will my life be like? I avoid going out now as it makes me sore to be upright for long. Don't like travel, hard to make decisions etc.
It just takes over your life, bit by bit.