I haven't had the RF done yet but it is scheduled for next month. My doctor told me that following the the procedure, the pain can get worse for up to a month before any improvement is felt. The first round of facet injections set off my occipital neuralgia, making it worse than it already is. Now, each time he works on the facet joints, he'll be giving me an occipital block to try to avoid aggravating that nerve. He also prescribed muscle relaxers to see if they will help the ON as well. He won't be doing RF on the ON until after the facet's are done as he is doing four levels and that is too much at one time. We're both hoping that the facet RF will help the ON. You should call your doctor and discuss it with him. Also, the facet injections I underwent were diagnostic and to see if I'd be a good candidate for RF. I have noticed that the repeated steroid injections have calmed the inflamation and that I'm getting better relief, but it's not a given that you'll get extended pain relief with them.

I hope this makes sense. Take care, Ellena

I also had the diagnostics done and did get relief from them, but this RF on the left worked so well and now I am very discouraged, because the right side is not. I am relieved to know that others understand my pain, my support system is somewhat disfunctional. The doc also mentioned the possibility of my having fybromialgia. I also am what some call a hypersensitive, with extreme anxiety, some depression, and OCD. I think crap if they had gone through all this pain for so many years, wouldn't they have some of that too? I am not bitter, I just want help and it took years for a doctor to finally listen to me.