I had my first rhyzotomy on Monday. It was a fiasco. WHen it was my turn, I got into the OR and they hooked up my IV. The doc came in and looked around, then realized the machine she needed wasn't there. She went to go find it and it turns out someone took it without checking to see who had it booked.

So they unhooked my IV and sent me back to pre-op where I waited for 4 1/2 hours. My doc finally came back and got me. Because of the snafu, we'd lost the OR and my anethetist. I had to go down to another floor (picture me in a hospital gown and paper slippers going down a cold cement stairwell.) where I ended up in a radiology room.

I had the rhyzotomy without the benefit of any pain meds or meds to calm me because of the lack of an anethetist and let's just say it was NOT fun.

My head is very tender, I am not sleeping well, despite pain meds and sleeping pills. I will wait till Monday before I make the final verdict on whether or not this helped at all, but so far, it's not looking good.

Anyway, I am feeling pretty blue about the whole situation. I have to wait till January 12th to have my first lidocain drip so if I am in pain in the meantime, it means more shots in the head. At this point, I am sick of the whole thing.

Just thought I would update. I have a few private messages, but haven't had the energy to respond yet. Forgive me, but I will get to them.

*Shakes head in disbelief* Sounds positively medieval.

I can't believe they put you through that whole ordeal, rather than having you come back another day.

Sending feel better hugs, prairiegirl.


*note to self: stay away from Canadian west coast for medical treatment*

That's incredible, in this day and age. I'm supposed to go next week and there is no way in *$*^ that I'll let anyone do anything without the benefit of tons of meds. In just my diagnostic blocks, I've felt a very uncomfortable level of pain and this is deliberate burning of the nerve. I'm sending you massive hugs that you'll feel better soon. That doctor should be zapped without any meds so she can feel your pain. What a barbarian!

isn't the doc who was at fault-it was the idiot who made off with the machine. It set off a chain reaction which ended up in no OR and anestetist. I knew it woulod be a very long wait to get in again which was why I stuck it out. She was apologising and trying to do things as carefully as she could given the circumstances. She's an excellent doc. I am just PO-ed at the person who messed everything up in the first place.

Either way, you're suffering more than you should be. I forgot to add that my doctor warned me that I would be in a lot of pain for up to a month before I felt any relief. Given that advice, and he was very up front with me about it, it will probably take awhile for the pain your feeling to subside. I hope they will write you more pain meds if you need them. Please take care of yourself and take it easy.

*Laughs* I have enough hydromorphine to choke a horse and about 150 sleeping pills. Getting meds is not an issue, thank goodness.

I don't know if the length of pain as a result of the shyzotomy is the same seeing as I did not have the full on burning of the nerves. I do know all the gouging into my head with the thing they use to do it with has made the nerves angry and painful. It's like stirring up a hive of wasps. I see my doc on the 4th (or sooner if I am in intolerable pain) and I will certainly be discussing how this is or isn't working for me.

I hope your surgery and results are smoother than mine! Let me know how you do.

*Laughs* I have enough hydromorphine to choke a horse and about 150 sleeping pills. Getting meds is not an issue, thank goodness.

I don't know if the length of pain as a result of the shyzotomy is the same seeing as I did not have the full on burning of the nerves. I do know all the gouging into my head with the thing they use to do it with has made the nerves angry and painful. It's like stirring up a hive of wasps. I see my doc on the 4th (or sooner if I am in intolerable pain) and I will certainly be discussing how this is or isn't working for me.

I hope your surgery and results are smoother than mine! Let me know how you do.

PG, I hope your pain is easing up some. I updated my update post and really, when I thought about it, all three times my procedure has been postponed, its been because of the doctor. Oh well! I do hope your doing a little better and that you'll post how things are going for you. Take care.

I will go read your update in a minute.

I am feeling AWFUL. I have had a bad, bad headache since the surgery and no amount of morphine is making it going away. It's just taking the endge off ever so slightly. I called my doc's office today to see if they could squeeze me in, but they were overbooked as it was. So...I have to tough it out till the 4th.

It's kinda scary because I start a holiday job on Monday and here I am feeling like death. I was crying today because my head hurts so much and it all feels so hopeless. I need that ONS NOW!! Either that or the Lido so I don't have to keep having shots in the head every week so I can have 5 days of relief.

Anyway, thanks for checking up on me.

Is there any chance you could go to an ER and get them to inject some long acting anesthetic? Or have you tried lidocaine patches? I have them but they don't stick to my neck or anywhere there is hair. I really need a lido creme. Or, have you tried putting capsacin creme on it? Repeated applications may help you get through till the 4th. Having to start a new job while you're in so much pain really is rough. Hang in there and take care.