Hi everyone,

I have some questions that have been left unanswered about what happened during my procedure of cervical steroid epidural injections that have left me very uneasy and confused, If anyone can help i would be very grateful.

I had epidural injection in feb 2012, using fluoroscopy for my c56 disc which was herniated and causing pain. Something had to have went wrong, I had extreme pain when he inserted needle, it felt electricuting, it was so bad I was crying and could barely catch my breath... in his report he states there was an absence of radicular complaint and csf flow and he injected the depo medrol, withdrew slightly, added a little numbing medicine and withdrew and reinserted the needle at c67, injected depo medrol, withdrew slightly, added a little numbing medicine and withdrew..He also stated that the epidrual space was confirmed on fluoroscopy...after the injection I did have a slight headache, but nothing excruciating, I also lost function of my right arm and hand, I did regain it after about 2 weeks, and my headache did go away, however the increase in pain is still there...

The doctor originally ordered from the pharmacy, numbing medication, depo-medrol, and isuvue, which is contrast. He did not put in his report that he injected the contrast, and the nurse only listed the depo medrol and numbing medication as the medications administered... One of my questions is, why did he not use the contrast he already pre-ordered for the procedure? Also why did he not report me crying in pain? By him stating that there was an absence of radicular pain that is him saying I never complaned of the pain, right? Could he be trying to hide the fact that he hit my spinal cord? When I called him the day after the procedure to tell him I lost motor function and was in more pain, he said it was not from injection and dismissed me completely... Told me I needed to go to pain managment...

Could he not have injected the contrast bc then it would show on the fluoroscopy that he hit my cord? Also why did he inject half the depo medrol in my c56 and then the other half in my c67? He told the nurse he was injecting my c56 and that is what the nurse wrote on her operative report, he did put on my consent form that he was injecting the c56 and possibly the c67, Im wondering if he only put that on my consent form just incase he would hit the cord during the procedure and have to move to a different spot, just to cover himself...so he injected half in c56 and half in c67...

everything that ive read on fluoroscopy injections states that after the needle is confirmed on fluoroscopy they inject the contrast and take another image to be sure it spreads right to confirm the exact location to be sure the dura was not hit... why would the doctor not want that type of proof that he was in the correct spot? especially since he had the contrast on hand? Also does the hospital keep the fluoroscopy images on file?

Thank you anyone who has any thoughts, Im trying to figure out what has happened to me and the doctor wont talk to me, I just want answers...thanks again!