Hi everyone !!! Hope everyone is doing good and hopefully painfree or getting thru it like I am !!

Anyways, my Doc finally said it time for a shot in the neck ! So I was wondering how many of you have had a : Flouriscopically Guided Cervical Transformenal Steriod Inection ?? If I am correct it is a Nerve Block ?? (My Doc is very to the point) If someone has had this could you give me a little insight ?


Thanks everyone !!!!
Dolfinz

Dolfinz,
I had a series of 3 flouriscopically guided cervical injections 3 or 4 yrs. ago. I'm not sure that I had the same thing you're talking about and if not, it's probably the same general idea. It wasn't painful at all. I had an IV and they put something in it that made me pretty loopy I wasn't completely out because I would come to a little and hear them talking but for the most part, I was dozing. The problem for me though was that they didn't help at all except for a day or so. I saw a neurosurgeon a couple of months afterwards and also another PM dr. and both said that the injections wouldn't have helped me in the first place because my problem and pain wasn't coming from the cervical spine. I hope you have better luck!

Dolphinz
I get ESI epidural spine injections in the C/5....I do not get nerve blocks sorry if that is what he is doeing.
In my case the esi with flourascope at the hump on the upper back, I could point to the spot the pain generator, it is where I got the injection. I do not take anesthia, next time I will though. I had excellant results that I have not been back in 1 1/2 years maybe 2 1/2. I had cervoc genic headaches with a knot at the base of the skull that the injection helped the best.
I felt it go down my arms and blow up with pressure like a baloon. Not pain, but not pleasant either. Next time i would ask for sedation.

THey used depo medrol. It calmed down a lot of symptoms, but the most was the head pain miracle. It is trigger points I get a s tune ups, set for some on the 29th, but I will need another ESI for the traps and arms soon.

Wish I knew for sure what procedure you were having, maybe someone else will know and explain how they faired.
Dianne

I am so interested to see how you do with this treatment ! Please keep us posted. I am always looking for new and wonderful things to help with the pain. I get relief for about a week or 5 days with anesthetic (bupivicaine/marcaine) in my trigger points I can have it done every two weeks or so. I like the effect, but something more longterm would be better.

The thing to remember is that this only masks the pain the underlying prob is still there so if you overdo it you could do more damage if you keep feeling well and don't have the triggers to stop...pain....I hope this makes sense.....

take care and keep us posted please!!
love and hugs,
Victoria

Hi everyone..

Thanks for all the info.. I think it is a nerve block that he's doing.. will have it done on Mar. 14th so I will keep everyone posted.. Gibbn.. You are right .. it only masks the pain for a while and I wish there was something else that would help longterm other than surgery ! But first it's Forida for 3 weeks and then come home and have the shot !!!!!

I wish everyone a painfree or not painful weekend.. GO PATS !

Hi Dolfinz,

It's my understanding that a steroid injection is not the same as a nerve block. I've had both done, in two different injections; the steroid injection is to reduce inflammation and irritation of the nerves, whereas the nerve block injects an anesthetic to put the nerve to sleep, or "block" it. My doc did tell me, though, that in the steroid injections they also inject a small amount of a mild, short-acting anesthetic. The transforaminal approach targets a specific nerve root, because the injection is done through the foramen of the vertebra where the nerve root exits the spinal cord, rather than a generalized injection into the epidural space, in between the vertebrae.

I'm not actually sure how mine was done...I'll have to ask my doc when I see him tomorrow. It was under fluoroscopy, with some anesthesia; I requested some anti-nausea meds, too, as anesthesia tends to make me queasy. I was drowsy, but not asleep...I've had several injections in my neck for various things, and with some of them they gave versed and some they didn't. That's the med that makes you forget everything that happened...I definitely liked that better! Mine were all done at a surgery center. I just remember being sore for a few days and very sleepy the day of, which makes it hard because they wanted me to keep a pain diary for that day. It's hard to tell how you react to the injections when you sleep the day away! I didn't have any long-term effect from mine, though, but I know some people do, as Di can attest to.

Here's a link to a brochure about the procedure from a pain management center somewhere...I didn't dig too deep to find out where it's from...

http://www.paindiagnostic.com/Proced...nfoConsent.pdf

Hope this helps, and I hope the injection brings you some relief!

Take care, and enjoy Florida...we're snowed in for the fifth week in a row here in Colorado!

Donna

Hi Donna,

Thanks for the info, the Steroid injection sounds more like he described to me .. anti inflamitory injection to the vertabrae... I am hoping that it gives some relief to me, it seems everyday there is a new area that just plain hurts no matter what you do !!

Gosh I am glad we are not snowed in but I have been there MANY times ! Florida will be a welcome relief, but my mother is having back surgery so I am going down to take care of her..and get a little sun in while I am there !

Thanks everybody as usual for helping.. I will let ya know...
Dolfinz