Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonny1
Hi, I am brand new here and looking for some much needed information from people who have/had nerve blocks.
Brief summary: Bilateral carpal tunnel (started in 2006), bilateral basal joint replacements, bilateral thumb IP fusions, Left MCP fusion, left tendonitis, right trigger thumb. These are all surgeries I have had since 2007, last one in July 2010. (worker's comp case). Each surgery amazingly helped the problems, yet after the last one, I noticed this burning sensation in both hands. I thought, this is new and scary. Surgical sight was healing a lot slower than prior surgeries. Doctor (hand surgeon) tried managing it for about 3 months and has since referred me to pain management.
First PM visit 2 weeks ago: put on lyrica (which caused my eyes to blur) and lidoderm patches (which caused my whole body to itch uncontrollably). Doctor wants to do nerve blocks. I am less than thrilled about it as I am afraid of needles and have never had success with cortisone shots. Of course I looked procedure up on computer to find that doctor goes in through front of neck/throat!! YIKES....anybody have these done?(for hands/arms) I would appreciate any information!
Thank you!
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Sonny,
Just last week I had the fourth of eight of the nerve blocks that I believe you are referring to (stellate ganglion blocks) done for CRPS of my right arm. Because of where they insert the needle they are scary and in my experience I have had to be conscious for the procedures so that I can let them know if I am experiencing any side effects (they ask about tingling of the lips, metallic taste in the mouth, and ringing in the ears). I have had none of these effects. The procedure is done under x-ray guidance and I am lucky enough to have a great doc that I trust a great deal. My doctor does give me a mild sedative IV to make it easier on me (I assume that this is standard practice). An anesthetic is injected at the site and then the block is performed. If at any time I feel discomfort I signal the doc and he administers more of the anesthetic. The procedure itself does not take very long (maybe 15 to 20 minutes, including set up of the x-ray equipment, etc.) After the procedure you can expect temporary closure of the eye on the side or sides that the block is performed on, as well as sinus congestion. Your throat will be sore and you will be told to not eat or drink anything for two hours post injection and after that you can start with clear fluids until you feel that you are able to work your way up to solids. In my experience this is usually within just a few hours after the initial two hour waiting period (don't get me wrong...I'm not usually up for digging into any really crusty or hard foods with "sharp" edges). I tend to experience some neck stiffness and tenderness the day of the injection and the following day as well, but this could just be me. I was diagnosed with CRPS in October of last year and got into a pain management specialist at a large medical center two hours from home in January of this year and the blocks began in February. My pain has decreased, but is still bad enough to be disruptive to my daily living. In my opinion the blocks, although scary, have been worth it. Even though I still have pain, I would no longer rate it a 10 every day, as I would have prior to the blocks. I still have to use multiple oral pain meds and topical lidocaine patches daily. My doc's hope is that by the eighth block we will have disrupted the pain cycle, but I know that there is no guarantee. I know that I have written a great deal here (and please keep in mind that this information is all just from my personal experience, as I don't know anyone else who has had these) and I apologize if I have given you too much information. However, if you have any questions that you think I might be able to help with, don't hesitate to let me know. I hope that I have been of some help to you and I wish you the best on your path!
