Quote:
Originally Posted by GoTimothy
I had overuse syndrome from a Job injury. I had to get the stellate ganglion block to get my disability check, cause they said I was refusing treatment in 1993. I was supposed to get several of them. my first visit, there was four others in the waiting room who also got them, and we all were supposed to come back the next day, to get the second one. I was the only one to come back the next day. Immediately after the block my blood presher had drooped real low and all the nurses were scared. They new something went seriously wrong. But they sent me home anyway. I had severe chest pains and could not get out of bed when I got home. The hospital called and told me if I wasn't feeling well I should go to the emergency room. But I could not get out of bed and It was the doctors that screwed me up and I did not want to go back to them. I can't believe they they are still giving them out. I tried to sue the pharmaceutical companies for a trillion dollars to stop them from torturing people with them. It's 2009 and i STILL HAVE CHEST PAINS AND CAN DO VERY LITTLE WITHOUT HAVING TO SIT DOWN.
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Hmmm... I am not sure what to say other than all of us have had a real BAD experience to even be here so no doubt it is unwelcome insult to injury to try a procedure, to decrease your pain, and it only backfires big-time.
I will say that I've had 4 stellate blocks now, one with kind of scary side-effects that ameliorated later that same day. I would definately agree that an anesthesiologist who is board certified in pain management is the way to go if you pursue the blocks. I've dealt professionally with both anesthesiologists and physiatrists when I refered for various pain managment procedures and unequivocally the anesthesiologists get better results than the physiatrists, in my opinion.
Whether the blocks are worth it or safe? Depends on your results I guess. The prior poster certainly and rightly so, would say absolutely not! For me, they dropped my pain 80-90% but I saw the train-wreck coming and cheated by starting on them at 6 weeks post-op. I am 8 1/2 months post-op and will say they seem not to last forever as my sympathetic symptoms are returning and a 5th block has been recommended. Good luck!