Quote:
Originally Posted by moose53
I've had epidurals -- both neck and lumbar. Some worked. Some didn't.
For me, they are NOT painless. I always get a vagal response and come real close to passing out. Especially the ones in my neck. They've now learned to give me a drug beforehand that lessens that.
I had one two years ago in the lumbar. Fluoroscope-guided. Lasted over a year. Absolute joy 
I had one in my neck about two months ago. Weird. One week after, I had pain in my neck, shoulder, forearm -- but, not in my upper arm or my hand or fingers. Just like the pain was breaking up. After three weeks, it was pretty much no pain.
I just had one in my lumbar spine about a week ago. Supposed to be fluoroscope-guided. Wasn't  But, the director of the pain management center did this one personally. I think they were short-staffed. I got really horrendous facial flushing from this one -- never happened before.
I almost always turn into STEROID-WITCH for about 6 weeks after (PURE RAGE). Hasn't happened yet on this one. Didn't happen as much last month either, come to think of it.
I go to one of the best teaching hospitals in Boston. They'll do three shots per year -- sometimes four. They're like gold -- I only get them when I absolutely cannot stand the pain anymore. Having the neck and the lumbar fratzed at the same was kicking me to the curb.
You have to be real careful of steroids. You can lose your hips if you get too many injections.
I prefer the fluoroscope-guided ones because I have such weird architecture in my lumbar. They will NOT do the ones in the neck that way here. I think they're usually willing to do them that way in the lumbar because they get more money -- I truly believe that the reason I didn't get it this time was because of short-staffing.
I would NEVER in a million years say that they're painless -- very painful -- for me anyway  Then you throw in the vagal response, always gotta be someone there making sure they don't have to scrape me off the floor
When they work, they're a G-d-send. When they don't work, it's like finding out that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy don't exist -- heartbreaking.
Barb |
Hi-
I've had two guided epidural injections is the L4 L5 S1 area. The first in 02/09.I was really frightened to get this done but found that is wasn't a burden at all. In fact it gave me instant releif for the first few days but then the pain in my back and leg returned. After two weeks I got some releive for a couple of more weeks, the pain went from a 7 8 to a 4 5. But then after that the pain returned. I got another injection in a few more months that worked for a few days, then not at all. Now only surgery is in the picture for me as additional problems have been found that are pinching the L5 nerve root and causing sciatica. However, I have a friend who had exact pains as me but was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and she had two injections very close together, perhaps 3 weeks apart and she has no pain at all. She is able to work and do everything as if she was normal. The only side effect she has is a numb leg. I did have spotting for a day with my second injection which they said was a normal side effect (although I am post menapausal by 1.5 years) So the epidural is worth trying in my opinion, prior to seeking surgery. Just make sure you have a guided epidural and it is done by a specialist in spine medication and a good anestheiaologist.