I've had 3 blocks and given by 2 different Dr's in very different ways.

The 2nd Dr was very different and he concerned me, am I right to be concerned?

My husband was allowed to stay in room with me.

No blood pressure cuff was used. No relaxant or IV was used.

He asked me to lay on my stomach with a pillow under my hips. He washed my backside with a betadine wash. He injected a numbing medication in 3 different places.

He did not use a fluoroscope or CT or Sonogram to better pinpoint exactly where the needle was going, instead he blindly inserted 3 needles. As he inserted needle he asked when I felt like he hit my crazy bone to let him know.

When he inserted the long needle (3x's) he chanted a little prayer. He frequently apologized for hurting me.

He tapped on needles occasionally to look for bubbles. He said he had to look for spinal fluid in each needle, explaining spinal fluid was clear and the only way to tell if he hit the spinal nerve is by the bubbles, which will float to the top of the needle.

He then injected medicine for the block in each of the 3 long needles with a syringe. He told me he injected B-12 to heal my nerve.

He placed Band-Aids on each injection and told me I could get up.
After the procedure Dr Walsh instructed me to take am/pm 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, L-Argenine 500 mg and grape seed extract to improve blood flow.

He asked if I needed him to write a pain medication script. I said no. He said to call for an appt. when I needed another block.

I was led back to a chair outside the room and told to stay for 15 mins then was allowed to leave. I was given an instruction sheet for pain management postop.

This was much different from the first 2 Lumbar Sympathetic Block I received.

Dr used a fluoroscope was used, an IV was inserted a blood pressure cuff was used and I was wheeled into a sterile looking operating room. I was given a relaxation drug but I was awake.

The first two took 1/2 hour longer to do.

I had a side effect the first time of severe diarrhea. Dr said he adjusted where he inserted the needle. The side effect didn't re-occur the second time.

The first two Blocks I paid $150 co-pay ea as an outpatient. I was told this is because the hospital is outside the system.

The third block was $0 co-pay because it was at a surgery center within the system.

Can anyone let me know just what should happen? I am left to try to find a hospital approved to do the Lumbar blocks. I am beginning to think it's the lack of equipment that is the problem?

What should I do? I don't feel comfortable going back to the 3rd Dr. the first two blocks were fine but my HR person said I would have to pay $250 from now on. We asked if they would wave co-pay and they said no. Not even if they have no one in system to do.

So what do I do?

The 3 blocks have helped to chase it back down my leg to the foot. But the foot still swells and is sensitive and discolored.

My Orthopedic Dr prescribed 150 mg lyrica