Hi everyone,

I am new to this medium. I suffer from chronic pain from cervical facet syndrome. I was wondering if any of you here have had facet joint injections, neurotomies, etc. I have had several injections (I've lost count) and 1 neurotomy (1 month ago) that didn't work, I am now trying acupuncture treatments (3 so far). I am trying to be positive but nothing is working and I am so tired of being in pain 24/7.

Have any of you had similiar experiences? Would love to hear from anyone.

Thanks!

Hi Suz91941, welcome.
I have cervical arthritis, and so far have had 6 sets of epidurals. The first 3 were to the top, but didn't do a lot. Pain was still spreading to shoulders, arms and back. I then realised that the main problem area was C5 to C7, so now have the injections there, with much better results.
The last one has taken about a week to really improve things, and while not taking away all of the pain or discomfort it does give a considerable benefit.
I'll get it done every 3 months.
I have a lot of trouble sleeping, waking every hour or so when neck, back , hips or shoulders get a sore. So that leaves me unrefreshed. I'm now looking into muscle relaxants to help me sleep.
The constant pain, even when not bad, just wears you down, and with the lack of sleep really affects your life. there are some good recent articles on this site about how pain affects the brain and you in general. http://psychcentral.com/news/index.p...1&s=pain+brain
I wonder about the future-how bad will it get, what will my life be like? I avoid going out now as it makes me sore to be upright for long. Don't like travel, hard to make decisions etc.
It just takes over your life, bit by bit.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for responding to my questions. Since going to my acupuncturist I am noticing I have relieve for maybe less than 24 hours but the pain is back the next day. I am not adverse to the pain of getting these injections but they just are not working for me. I think I will finish my 9 sessions with the needles and then may have to have the second neurotomy (ugh!) that my pain Doc suggested.

Are you on pain meds? If so can I ask you what you are taking? I am taking 1 Vicodin every 4-6 hours and it just takes the edge off of the pain. I am still fully employed so I need some kind of relief during the day if I need it, Tylenol just doesn't cut it.

Take care.

Cheers!

Hi Suz, we don't have Vicodin in Australia, but it looks like tramadol may be an alternative, and I take that.
50mg every 4 hours, but not after 6pm as it keeps me awake. Sometime this is not enough and I may increase the dosage a little, but usually I will take something else, like Mersyndol or Dolased, which has paracetamol, codeine and a muscle relaxant. Or I can take a similar one, called here panadeine, which is the same but without the muscle relaxant.
When I get the beartrap on the head, nothing really works but a muscle relaxant sure helps. I throw everything at it until something works!!
Tylenol are lollies, in this context.
Make sure you are getting a good sleep, as the lack of that increases your pain through muscle tension, as you try to cope with everything through the pain. You can also get over-the -counter muscle relaxants, sold as sleep aids.