Hi Sharon~
Welcome to the forum, but sorry you have to be here. Sounds like you have a lot to deal with too. Hang in there!

I did want to comment on this:
I take 50mg of Elavil at bedtime and I also take Tramadol 37.5mg 4x’s/day. I've been on this combination for over two years with no problems. Sometimes I think they have to put the warning on there if something happened to one person out of 3 million, just to cover their butts. Of course this is just my opinion and I am not a medical professional.

I hope you find some relief soon! Take care and keep us in formed--we care!
Hugs,
Jan

Hi J-moe!
First of all, welcome to the forum. Sorry I didn't welcome you sooner. I'm also sorry you were treated so badly by your doctor. Sad to say there is too much of that going around! You hafta kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince......well, ya know what I mean!! I didn't believe it when I heard people say it either, but it IS true--they (good, compassionate, kind, empathetic, caring doctors who GET it) are out there! Your doctor sounds like a frog to me.

I would suggest just keep looking for a different, caring doctor. You need help to decide what your next step is. I wish I could help more. Don't give up, you'll find him/her! Please let us know how you're doing--we care!
Hugs,
Jan

Hi All,

I am about ready to have a facet Rhizotomy done at L3/L4/L5 and S1. My spinal PM doc is a "gem" and I have been with him for 4 years now. He did an ESI first; helped a little. Then he did a Sacroilliac injection; same thing. Then he did the facet blocks which lasted about a week...all on the left side by the way. And it is the left leg that has been giving me fits. His point is is that the pain will keep coming back (and it has), plus the fact that the facet blocks gave me relief. So, his deal is that the Rhizotomy should give me relief. I am not so sure this will work but I am willing to give it a try.

Hi Kathi~
Wishing you good luck, fast healing and pain-freeness! <-huh?? Well, you know! Please come back and let us know how it went and keep us informed on your progress! We care.
Hugs,
Jan

I've just had a facet block, one week ago, and the anesthesiologist would like to follow it up with RFA. In the meantime, the injection helped, and then I did an acupuncture, and that helped a bit more, and then a Feldenkrais therapy session, and that helped a bit more.

So, while far from perfect, far from it, it's helpful, and I'm thinking that even though the RFA is recommended (he says I'd probably get them every 6 months), I'm not quite ready to be a revenue stream for another doctor. I'll take a few more blocks, if given the chance.

About Elavil and Tramolol. I've taken both, or Elavil and oxycodone. They are not contraindicated to give together, but they do react. One slows the breakdown of the other in the blood, so the effects of them are a bit more than additive. This means that if you get drowsy, youll be more so. Alcohol, opiates,benzos,all interact in this way, and one needs to be prudent.

Finally, it would be really graet if all the links for info on RFA could be put together and put into the stickies, so people know what to think about.

I have neuropathy, and usually post there, and I'm reluctant to kill off ANY nerves, when they die so easily on their own.

I also have Neuropathy and totally agree with LizaJane.
Hugs,
Jan

Hi

The old brain talk is alive and well. If you google brain talk you will find them. They mention something about hasty pasty so you will know which one to click on. All of the old information is there. All you need to do is search the threads and you will get a lot of information.

Good Luck, Pam

Hello all,
I had the RFA in 2002 at age 45 after several steroid epidural injections along with a couple of extremely painful myelograms and after each proceedure I had more and more pain until I finally said no more punctures in my back...until I had my level 2 spinal fusion on L3-4 4-5 and now am left with the cauda equina syndrome as well as a severe case of arachnoiditis! The only other puncture going into my spine will be a pain pump which makes much more sense to me in the fact that I will be cutting my narcotic use down to a fraction of what I take now!
I wish you all the best with your outcome!

Thanks Janster!

I also forgot to mention that I have small fiber peripheral neuropathy as well. But I did want to say also that my disc are not all that bad; I have one that is bulging. It is the facets that are terribly arthritic. As I said above, my PM did 3 types of injections and the pain kept coming back. However, the facet block lasted the longest. I, too, am a little afraid of having the nerve lesioned because of the PN. I asked my Neuro and another Neurologist about my cervical fusion in September as I was afraid then that the PN would worsen. They both told me it wouldn't, and it didn't. The main reason for the Rhizotomy, besides the pain/radiculopathy, is I have to have pelvic floor physical therapy. Both my Urogynecologist and my PM feel that I need to get the lumbar/sacral nerves calmed down in order to go into PT. I suppose I could have insisted on more blocks but my PM says it is rather pointless since he knows where the pain generators are. And I don't think he wants to give too many steroid injections in a given year.

Oh, I wanted to add one more thing I was told today.

I talked with my Neurologist about this upcoming Rhizotomy (being done by the spine group I go to). And she told me that the Rhizotomy would not worsen my PN at all. If I remember correctly, it is the medial branch nerve in the facet. I would have to look at a chart again LOL! Somebody, please correct me if I am wrong about that nerve. But I think that is what it is called. Anyway, my PM told me that it was the nerve whose "sole purpose in life was to transmit pain...that's all it does." So, hopefully, this will eventually help with the left leg pain I have and then I can get into PT.