Susan,
I have never had steroid injections in the sites that you had yours but I have had multiple injections in both knees and shoulders. Some people have the same reaction that you had on maybe one occasion but then never had a problem again.
I have only gained relief from the steroids, and only once was there discomfort for a few days.
Did you get relief after the days of pain? Was it long term pain relief?
If your doctor said that he gave you too much after you described your symptoms and said that he is going to give you a smaller dose that is a good thing.
Since you already feel anxiety, I imagine that it makes it even harder for you to relax about this next injection. I can only say that it is a good that your doctor knows what to do this time to make things better for you.
I have had as many injections as recommended, so when the steroids wear off I am on my own with the arthritis. The discomfort I felt the one time from a knee injection was well worth the 7-8 months of relief I received.
Maybe the anxiety you felt when you got your first one made you tense up and sometimes that makes it a bit more difficult on you. Try to trust that your doctor is going to adjust the dose so that you won't go through the pain again.
Take a deep breathe and think happy thoughts and how good it is going to be to not have the pain. Do whatever you have to do to relax. We all have our own way of dealing with what makes us uncomfortable.
I am probably not much help but I do know that we have to help the doctors too. If we tense up to much because of fear or anxiety it can make it rougher on us. So do what you can to not think about the last shot and think about this next one as your first one. Some times we are our own worse enemy. I know that I can be mine.
I wish you nothing but the best and pray that this next injection will be pain free and give you many, many months of comfort. Good luck to you and I know that it is easier said than done, but really try hard to relax and trust that history will not repeat itself.
Judy