Greetings

I am new here, but by browsing for more info. regarding paraylisis and epidurals- I came across this site-

my mother is currently in ICU and paralyzed below the waist as the result of an epidural for back pain, it was her second..her first had went well

during the second, she suddenly got shooting pains in her back, ribs and legs..then everything went dead-, she was transported to via ambulance with no musclular control whatsoever. Now she has some control of her upper body but is completely paralyzed from the waist down, of course the dr. said it had nothing to do with the epidural but c'mon people, look at the facts...so i research and what i find is frightening, simply by hitting the wrong nerve the epidural can and does cause complete paralysis which may or may not subside. no one knows if she will regain use of her legs at all and will be leaving the hospital in a chair.

please, please think twice before someone tells you there is no harm in an epidural and serious side effects cannot happen, they can and they do and with far more frequency than the md will admit.

I am off to the ICU to visit her now...keep this in mind before letting anyone preform an epidural injection- google paralysis as a result of epidural and see what the mda has to say- it does happen...

blessings
Aimee

Aimee I totally agree. Epis are nothing to fool with. You made a very good point, make sure you know all about the procedure you are getting done BEFORE you get it done. Reading the paper the doc gives you sometimes (not on purpose) doesn't state all the facts.
Be knowledgable and be your own advocate.

Aimee,
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR POSTING. I GOT INJURED FROM MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYER WHICH RESULTED IN A HERNIATED DISC (L5 S1) AND ONCE I GOT AN EKG DONE, THAT PARTICULAR DOCTOR ADVISED ME TO GET A STEROID EPIDURAL INJECTION OR SURGERY. I AM SKEPTICAL OF BOTH AND RECENTLY I THOUGHT ABOUT THE SHOT [SINCE I HAVE BEEN TAKING MEDICATION (TRAMADOL 50 MG) SINCE 2006 IN WHICH I'VE NEVER TAKEN PILLS CONSISTENTLY BEFORE IN MY LIFE UP UNTIL THIS INJURY]. WELL I AM SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S CONDITION AND IT APPALLS ME TO KNOW THAT SHE IS IN THE ICU/PARALYZED FROM THE SHOT ITSELF WHICH REALLY SCARES ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE HEARING YOUR STORY B/C NOW I HAVE DECIDED THAT THE SHOT IS NOT FOR ME, ESPECIALLY SINCE DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT REACTIONS (GOOD/BAD). I WILL PRAY FOR YOUR MOTHER THAT SHE WILL REGAIN HER ABILITY TO USE HER LIMBS AND AT THE SAME TIME...I WOULD DEFINATELY LOOK INTO SUEING THAT DOCTOR WHO PERFORMED THE SHOT ON HER FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND I WISH YOU THE BEST!

MICHELLE

I had my 2nd injection about 2.5 years ago. I have pain from the injection site as well as intermittent numbness down my leg and in my large toe. I have been searching for info on nerve damage from the proceedure, but all I can find is that there is a .05 risk. well I am that .05. It can be misserable, but not as misserable as the pain it prevented. It was so severe it made me cry the pain was horrible. There is no such thing as a completely safe proceedure. The risks were explained up front and I dont feel the Dr was negligent only trying his best to help me. People so often forget that fact. Would I do it again? Yes! The discomfort felt now is just a tiny fraction of what I was experiencing. And Now I realize it could have much worse. I hope your mother gets better soonth and may God Bless

I had an injection in my cervical spine over 6 months ago...It was the worst decision I made!...I thought I would share this with others so that everyone is well informed of this procedure and what it can do. I had a herniated disc at c56 and bulging at c67, the pain was awful, so my dr told me he wanted to do this, it was very safe, there are possible side effects but they rarly happen and are not serious and he said he only had to tell me that for the same reason asprin has to put it on there label, but that it would go fine and is no big deal... When he inserted that needle into my spine the pain I felt was horrifying, worse then the pain I was already in by 100%, it was electrifying lines of pain everywhere!, the next day I lost the complete function of my right arm and hand, dropped my infant baby, couldnt even open the fridge etc. plus the pain was now way worse. I called my dr and told him and his response was oh thats not from the injection, u had weakness before hand, however in his notes there is no weakness indicated! he told me i needed to go to pain managment and i never saw him again...well this is over 6 months later, I did regain the full use back of my arm and hand but the pain is still worse then it was before! well ive been doing research and come to find out, the steroid he used isnt even fda approved to be used for injection into the spine! as well as the manufacturer has on the label not to inject it anywhere near or around the spine...now why was I not made aware of that? this specific steroid that was injected into my spine also causes a disease when injected into your spine (which is why it is not fda approved for injection into the spine) called arachnoiditis, which has no cure, and I currently have all the symptoms...The steroid is called depo-medrol...look it up, if anyone is getting a steroid injected into their spine they need to be sure to ask what steroid the dr will be using and look it up first!!! my life has been a living nightmare eversince and I have 3 small children to care for!...I would def. not recommend!

I've never had any relief from these injections either and I agree they can cause more damage than good. if ONE doesn't work do NOT let them do ANY MORE. Any subsequent injections will NOT WORK if the first one didn't so you're risking a whole lot of trouble by going ahead with more injections. Tell the doc NO if he wants to do more. Just don't let him. Arachnoiditis is a very REAL possibility and it's INCURABLE.

Best of luck and God bless. Hugs, Lee

Hi
I have just had an epidural injection for chronic low back pain, it was the most horrendous experience I have ever been through right from the start it was agony, but when he was pumping the fluid in it was the most horrendous pain ever it went all down my leg .
When I had to stand I couldn't as my leg was numb, when I told him he said that has nothing to do with what you have just had done !
I am still in pain if not worse, I feel so traumatised with it that I can't stop crying.
I don't know what to do, has anybody else experienced this? I hope not ad I wouldn't even wish this on my worse enemy, I have had three children with no pain relief, so I know what pain is! This was terrible experience.
Thanks
Nicola

Welcome nickc.

Hi, I have a L5 S1 protruding disc. I was given a epidural shot in Oct. The shot was painful and left my parkinson much worse off. I started having moderate tdyskinesa a week later.
It sounds like their might be a connection .
Would like to hear from others.
Happy new Year to all,
john

Dont belive the stats.Ive heard figues everywhere from 0 to 100% for dyskensia.You can trust themjust your own experience