I had my Lumbar epidural this morning. Most of my back pain is down to a tolerable level. I know it takes a while to work into the system There’s just that needle into the spine thing. But overall the pain level is down.

I hope this takes. My back always hurt, it's just occasionally it felt like someone shoe 10,000 volts through it. Ouch.

The procedure was tolerable, I'm not saying I want to do it every day. Such a mishegas for a procedure that takes about 15 minutes. oof.

I can't believe you weren't sedated! I was put in "lala" land, and had NO idea they were doing it. They gave me "Versed" and that stuff is GREAT. You feel nothing, and you see nothing -- and you hear nothing too. When you wake up it's all over, and that's that. You have no "drugged up" feeling at all. You wait about 15 minutes and you can go home. No big deal at all.

So I don't understand why they didn't give you anything. That's cruel and inhuman. Sheeesh

Nah. I get happy juice when I have an angiogram but not for these. We numb the area with Lidocane and he goes to work. Of course there was the "small pinch" which I think they should all have to experience sometime in their training. That and the "mild discomfort" with some other things.

I'm not saying I want to do this every day but they've done nastier things to me.

It's so weird finally feeling no pain. Now I'm just learning just how off balance (no jokes) I am. The muscles in my back now just feel tight and my thighs "heavy" is the only way to describe it.

The nurse asked me about sedation and I said I hadn't thought he ordered it. I said the only reason he would have ordered it it was to shut me up for a while. Truth be told, I could have had it if I wanted it.

I've always had docs who were stingy with the Versed. The only times I have had it was with my second discogram and the trial for the scs. Darn good thing I got it as he was rooting around in there for three hours. Yeh, I had my first discogram w/o Versed. All I had was lidocaine and I called that man every name in the book. This was an anesthesiologist and he knew better. The second time he wanted to do one before a surgery, I told him I wanted max Versed and if he hurt me anything like the first time, he better go into hiding. I'm surprised he kept me as a patient. On the other hand, I don't remember much about the procedure except that I told him I was stoned and he could begin. That idiot ended up losing his license.

Well there have been a couple of times I definitely told them where the gold was buried. I have been blessed to have excellent caregivers, the first being my wife who has put up with all this nonsense.