Epidurals

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Wishing you luck with your epidurals, which discs are Herniated??? I am

C5-6 & 7, but fortunately not bothering me that much right now, other than

numb arms. Hope this relieves your pain.

Hugs,

Marta

> From: BearyPrety@...

>

> >>

> oops I sent that by accident, I wasn;t finished.. I am going to an

ambulatory

> care facility tomorrow to get two epidurals for my neck and back. My

> herniated discs are KILLING me, I can't stand the pain anymore. But I will

be

> good to go day after tomorrow.

> diana

[Guest guest]

SB, Wow! You have had a whirl wind of a few months! I can relate to the no epidural with childbirth...my anesthesiologist told me could absolutely give me one, as difficult cases were his specialty! Needless to say he worked on me for over an hour w/out any success and I was an absolute train wreck and he stormed out because he couldn't work w/ me crying in pain....DUH! He came back a half an hour later and said he thought that he might be able to try a caudal (sp?) so my mom suggested that I try, I listened but it was another 45 minutes with out success, by this time I was begging him to leave! He refused and I ended up kicking him not on purpose, but he deserved it! I ended up with such bad bruising on my back I can't even tell you! 2 inches out on either side of my spine we just black. I couldn't sleep in my back for 2 weeks! Luckily this was with my third baby because I don't think I would ever have had another

after that! I hope that you are able to get some resolution with the door that should be handicap accessible! That is a poor situation! I can understand how you are feeling about the wheelchair or scooter....I was in a wheelchair for 8 months before my revision and didn't think I would end up there either ( though my reason for being there was not my back) after my revision I was able to be out of it and walk for the very first time in about 10 months! I pray that I will not have to go back into it ever again but knowing that I could get around and not be stuck in the house while life went on around me was quite helpful! Will you insurance company pay for a scooter? You should consider asking your doctor for some help with that...you are so lucky to have found such a compassionate one!! It seems as though the Neurontin is helping you,,,that is great! The loopiness should get much better soon.And how lucky are you that the

hospital was so agreeable?!?! YAA-HOO! I am glad that you were able to go on a vacation on the last week of you time off! You Granddaughter is just beautiful!!! What a gift to have maintained such a close relationship with your former in laws!! Well, I have to make the kids breakfast before they break my door down, ha ha! Have a beautiful day! SuzieSB <bahadreama@...> wrote: I too was told that I could not have an epidural for childbirth because of my long fusion. However, my pain management doctor has absolutely no problems giving me the epidural steroid injections because he uses a flouroscope that works like a live action x-ray and he has some sort of flexible device that he uses for the injection -- he does not use a straight needle like I assumer the OB_GYN

folks would use. He threads it up around all the metal in my back and gives me injections in several places, including facet joints and SI joints in addition to the "lumbar selectives" I love my pain management doctor! It wasn't easy to find a good one, until I called the local scoliosis specialist who had previously told me he couldn't do anything for me and asked if he could recommend a good pain management doctor for SI joint injections. Why didn't he think of that on his own?? I have no clue, but I am glad that I went out of town to see a doctor who was more familiar with treating Harrington Rod patients and was able to explain exactly what was happening to my back and what the possible treatment options are. He recommended the SI joint injections as a tool to help determine if the source of my biggest pain is the SI joint or the end of the crazy rod that goes across my pelvis. He was the first doctor who seemed

familiar with that third rod. The knowlegeable doc??? Barton Sachs at Texas Back Institute in Plano (thank you, in Waco for giving me his name). I had my fifth visit to my pain management doctor (Dr Eckman at Spine Hospital in OKC) and I have to say that I am so happy to have finally found him. He is very caring and very knowledgeable about what is happening in my back. I kinda freaked out when I opened the first statement from my insurance company that showed how much my portion of the bill would be and I tried to ignore the hospital bills until I was doing my taxes a couple of weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were much less than expected. On my fourth visit, I had told the doctor that I was tempted to cancel because I really can't afford the bills. The doctor is "in-network" for my insurance, but the hospital is not. A few weeks later, I got a nice letter from

the hospital saying that at my doctor's request, they will accept the amount the insurance pays, plus the normal co-payment for 'in-network' facilities and write off the remainder. I think they can do this partly because Spine Hospital is owned by the group of doctors who work there. After having the injections, I am sore for a couple of days, but about a week later I notice the pain is mostly gone. I still have some problems waking up in the middle of the night with my legs hurting from the knees down, so the Dr has given my neurontin to take at bedtime. I had only tried it a couple of times before my most recent visit last week, and hadn't liked it because even though I took it around 8 PM, I was still feeling loopy at noon the next day and my students wanted to know where they could get some of whatever I was on. The doctor told me that it is something that has to be taken on a regular basis to work,

so I have been taking it for a week now. Monday morning, my mouth and my brain just would not coordinate and it was very difficult to do math. Fortunately, I have an honors class first thing on Monday and they were very patient with me and helped me avoid making too many mistakes. By afternoon, it was better. By Friday, I was having no problems at work, but it was still difficult to roll out of bed at 5 AM when I felt so nice and relaxed. I am sleeping much better (and even having some interesting dreams). I went shopping yesterday, and managed to walk a long way from the parking lot to the store without a shopping cart!! One thing the doctor said last week kinda freaked me out a bit. I told him about the new school building that we moved into over Christmas break and how crazy it is that the handicapped parking places and a handicapped ramp go to a door that cannot be opened from the

outside. I have to walk around to the main door, then walk a long way to the office, then walk a long way to my classroom. It has been taking me 20 minutes to get from my car to my classroom (fortunately, I can exit out the door in the afternoon and it is not far from my room). Dr got quite upset and said he would be happy to help me agitate for a lock and a handle on that nearby door, or my boss should provide me with a wheelchair. I had been getting to the point of wondering if a wheelchair or scooter would be a good idea so I could go more places without worrying about how long I would have to walk (because if there aren't shopping carts, I can't walk far at all -- the cane isn't much help), but it still freaked me out that the doctor suggested I might need one. I had really expected him to say that the exercise would be good for me instead of getting so insistent that I should not be expected to walk so far. The first

day I went to work still woozy from the neurontin, I had a LOT of difficulty making it to my room. It is a good thing I had my cane to help keep me upright. I bought the cane mostly because I noticed several years ago before I knew about flatback, that it was less painful to walk if I didn't try to stand up straight. It looks less weird to walk bent over with the cane (and it is handy to lean on if I have to stop). I had a wonderful Christmas break since we got an extra two weeks off work for the movers to do their thing. I spent the first three weeks working nonstop to get as much of my unpacking and organizing as possible done. I finally have my house to a point that I can live with it --except for my daughter's room. After we get her stuff organized, there is still the attic to deal with. My husband is making progress in the garage. The formal living room still has a ton of pictures that need to be

distributed around the walls of the house, but I spread them out along the walls so I can finally walk around in the living room. I don't think I have enough wall space for all of them. Moving into a house that was already full of stuff has definitely been challenging. I spent the fourth week of my vacation in the Bahamas. I absolutely love it there and I always feel so much better while I am there. It was my husband's first time to go, and we left the kids at home under the care of our next door neighbors. We didn't do anything touristy -- we spent most of our time visiting my family and friends. It doesn't matter that I divorced my Bahamian husband -- his family is still my family and they were thrilled to see us. My new granddaughter is gorgeous!! I have posted a picture at http://members.cox.net/bahadreama/shamara.jpg

Even the saggy bed in the hotel felt very comfortable to me!! I had no pain while I was in Nassau. Of course, with a chunky 5 month old to tote around, my stepdaughter wasn't too interested in doing much walking this trip either, and I rented a car. As I drove around, I was amazed at the distances I used to walk with my daughter on my hip! Brings words and photos together (easily) withPhotoMail - it's free and works with .

Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, more on new and used cars.

[Guest guest]

I've been wondering how you were doing! I'm so glad to hear that you had a good break and that things are going well )

<rant>

I'm perpetually surprised at the idiotic way that facilities for the disabled are handled. My biggest gripe is toilets. We're in the midst of a multi-million pound refurbishment at my workplace, and they've had posh architects and designers in to make it all perfect. Some of the results include:

One size desks with an integral footrest and pc holder that are impossible to sit at if you have an inside leg longer than about 32 " (ie a lot of men and some women)

A ludicrously uncontrollable tap on the kitchen sink - it's pretty, but having a single twiddly, twisty knob, moved by use of a pencil thin lever, to control the flow and the hot/cold balance is useless if you have RSI, arthritis, cerebral palsy, claudication due to neck issues etc

Main toilets which are flushed by a push button that is so hard to press that I physically cannot manage it some days, and the list above applies

Basins in said toilets which are so wide that the taps are difficult to reach, and as they are heavyweight press-action, again refer to the listDisabled toilet: hand towel dispenser too high to reach from a wheelchair. Basin too low to reach from standing. Mirror too low to see your face without ducking when stood, but too high to see your whole face from a standard wheelchair. Twisty lock on the door that is extremely difficult to use if you have any issues with using your hands. Very heavy door that is physically difficult to open on a bad day.

Oh, and at one point they moved the 2 departments with the highest incidence of mobility problems among the staff to the top floor and took away the lift! They couldn't quite grasp why we were upset about this.....

I have a fairly significant commute for work, and so periodically need to use the public facilities on the various stations. Invariably the main toilets are down a steep flight of stairs and cost 20p to use. The disabled toilets are free. However, they're always permanently locked and have a sign on them saying that if you wish to use them you must find a member of staff and ask them to go to the office for you to get the wand to open them with. On several occasions, after I've doddered my way down the stairs and fought through the turnstile I've been asked why on earth I've done that when there are facilities for " people like you " - people just don't seem able to grasp that as much as the stairs are bad on a day like that, it would be worse to have to chase all around the station (Kings Cross and Paddington are big) to find a member of staff, when almost invariably they say they can't deal with it and that I need to find someone else, and either cannot tell me where to find that person, or if they can the person is not there when I finally get there, so that by the time I've wandered all the way around the station 3 or 4 times I'm exhausted, and quite possibly in tears from the pain. It's easier just to take it slow and steady and manage the damn stairs!

</rant>

titch-- Something unknown is doing we don't know what

[Guest guest]

A simple solution might be for you to get the key to the door, or have

a doorbell installed.

At my daughter's school, there is a doorbell by the handicapped

entrance. The special ed class rooms are there and they get a lot of

traffic of parents and outside therapists. They only admit people

that they know. Everyone else is referred to other entrances.

>

> I too was told that I could not have an epidural for childbirth

because of my long fusion. However, my pain management doctor has

absolutely no problems giving me the epidural steroid injections

because he uses a flouroscope that works like a live action x-ray and

he has some sort of flexible device that he uses for the injection --

he does not use a straight needle like I assumer the OB_GYN folks

would use. He threads it up around all the metal in my back and gives

me injections in several places, including facet joints and SI joints

in addition to the " lumbar selectives "

>

> I love my pain management doctor! It wasn't easy to find a good

one, until I called the local scoliosis specialist who had previously

told me he couldn't do anything for me and asked if he could recommend

a good pain management doctor for SI joint injections. Why didn't he

think of that on his own?? I have no clue, but I am glad that I went

out of town to see a doctor who was more familiar with treating

Harrington Rod patients and was able to explain exactly what was

happening to my back and what the possible treatment options are. He

recommended the SI joint injections as a tool to help determine if the

source of my biggest pain is the SI joint or the end of the crazy rod

that goes across my pelvis. He was the first doctor who seemed

familiar with that third rod. The knowlegeable doc??? Barton Sachs

at Texas Back Institute in Plano (thank you, in Waco for giving

me his name).

>

> I had my fifth visit to my pain management doctor (Dr Eckman at

Spine Hospital in OKC) and I have to say that I am so happy to have

finally found him. He is very caring and very knowledgeable about

what is happening in my back. I kinda freaked out when I opened the

first statement from my insurance company that showed how much my

portion of the bill would be and I tried to ignore the hospital bills

until I was doing my taxes a couple of weeks ago. I was pleasantly

surprised to find that they were much less than expected. On my

fourth visit, I had told the doctor that I was tempted to cancel

because I really can't afford the bills. The doctor is " in-network "

for my insurance, but the hospital is not. A few weeks later, I got a

nice letter from the hospital saying that at my doctor's request, they

will accept the amount the insurance pays, plus the normal co-payment

for 'in-network' facilities and write off the remainder. I think they

can do this partly because Spine Hospital

> is owned by the group of doctors who work there.

>

> After having the injections, I am sore for a couple of days, but

about a week later I notice the pain is mostly gone. I still have

some problems waking up in the middle of the night with my legs

hurting from the knees down, so the Dr has given my neurontin to take

at bedtime. I had only tried it a couple of times before my most

recent visit last week, and hadn't liked it because even though I took

it around 8 PM, I was still feeling loopy at noon the next day and my

students wanted to know where they could get some of whatever I was on.

>

> The doctor told me that it is something that has to be taken on a

regular basis to work, so I have been taking it for a week now.

Monday morning, my mouth and my brain just would not coordinate and it

was very difficult to do math. Fortunately, I have an honors class

first thing on Monday and they were very patient with me and helped me

avoid making too many mistakes. By afternoon, it was better. By

Friday, I was having no problems at work, but it was still difficult

to roll out of bed at 5 AM when I felt so nice and relaxed. I am

sleeping much better (and even having some interesting dreams).

>

> I went shopping yesterday, and managed to walk a long way from the

parking lot to the store without a shopping cart!!

>

> One thing the doctor said last week kinda freaked me out a bit. I

told him about the new school building that we moved into over

Christmas break and how crazy it is that the handicapped parking

places and a handicapped ramp go to a door that cannot be opened from

the outside. I have to walk around to the main door, then walk a long

way to the office, then walk a long way to my classroom. It has been

taking me 20 minutes to get from my car to my classroom (fortunately,

I can exit out the door in the afternoon and it is not far from my

room). Dr got quite upset and said he would be happy to help me

agitate for a lock and a handle on that nearby door, or my boss should

provide me with a wheelchair. I had been getting to the point of

wondering if a wheelchair or scooter would be a good idea so I could

go more places without worrying about how long I would have to walk

(because if there aren't shopping carts, I can't walk far at all --

the cane isn't much help), but it still

> freaked me out that the doctor suggested I might need one. I had

really expected him to say that the exercise would be good for me

instead of getting so insistent that I should not be expected to walk

so far.

>

> The first day I went to work still woozy from the neurontin, I had

a LOT of difficulty making it to my room. It is a good thing I had my

cane to help keep me upright. I bought the cane mostly because I

noticed several years ago before I knew about flatback, that it was

less painful to walk if I didn't try to stand up straight. It looks

less weird to walk bent over with the cane (and it is handy to lean on

if I have to stop).

>

> I had a wonderful Christmas break since we got an extra two weeks

off work for the movers to do their thing. I spent the first three

weeks working nonstop to get as much of my unpacking and organizing as

possible done. I finally have my house to a point that I can live

with it --except for my daughter's room. After we get her stuff

organized, there is still the attic to deal with. My husband is

making progress in the garage. The formal living room still has a ton

of pictures that need to be distributed around the walls of the house,

but I spread them out along the walls so I can finally walk around in

the living room. I don't think I have enough wall space for all of

them. Moving into a house that was already full of stuff has

definitely been challenging.

>

> I spent the fourth week of my vacation in the Bahamas. I

absolutely love it there and I always feel so much better while I am

there. It was my husband's first time to go, and we left the kids at

home under the care of our next door neighbors. We didn't do anything

touristy -- we spent most of our time visiting my family and friends.

It doesn't matter that I divorced my Bahamian husband -- his family

is still my family and they were thrilled to see us. My new

granddaughter is gorgeous!! I have posted a picture at

http://members.cox.net/bahadreama/shamara.jpg

>

> Even the saggy bed in the hotel felt very comfortable to me!! I

had no pain while I was in Nassau. Of course, with a chunky 5 month

old to tote around, my stepdaughter wasn't too interested in doing

much walking this trip either, and I rented a car. As I drove around,

I was amazed at the distances I used to walk with my daughter on my hip!

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Brings words and photos together (easily) with

> PhotoMail - it's free and works with .

>

[Guest guest]

SB,

So happy to read your post! I have been thinking about calling you

to confirm you hadn't returned to the Bahamas for good, but I seem

to be rather anti-social at present. (Martha, got your message

yesterday, thought you were already in Hawaii - call my home again

and I'll answer - if I am here and not in the bathroom.) I am glad

to hear you are experiencing relief and would love to get together

with you again soon. I have so much time on my hands and don't feel

like doing anything at all. I went out to dinner on my birthday just

because I had been in my pj's all day and needed a motivation to

dress. It was a good decision. However, the next day ended up being

a lot of R & R.

You are absolutely right, that child is beautiful! Thank you for

sharing her with us. Call me or email me and let me know if you ever

venture south anymore. Once I start driving again, I certainly be

willing to head your way.

Take care,

kam

[Guest guest]

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week. Then you are done and can not

have another one for 6 months. There are other epidurals (different

meds) that can be repeated every three months and it only takes one

time - but they do several needlesticks along your spine (usually 4 to

5). But they do them all at once - and then you are done. Each of

these takes an admission to Day Surgery and you are asleep when they do

it - but you wake up within 30 minutes or so -

Megwin

P.S. I am speaking from my own experience with one Doctor - there

might be different ways and different opinions - I do know that there

is different stuff in the nerveblock than there is in the " one time "

injection. The price of one of these? Over $5,000.00 - that's one

time I am thankful for Medicare -

Megwin

On Nov 22, 2006, at 9:09 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> I could'nt figure this one out either. My opinion in the end is that

> if there is no benefit, there is no point in going back for more, or

> maybe do just one more in case the 1st one did'nt hit the right spot.

> BUt, if 2 of them don't help at all, there is no point in a 3rd. If

> there is partial improvement with the 1st one, then it may be possible

> for the 2nd or 3rd to help even more. But, dont' forget, there is only

> so many that you can do safely in a hyear.

>

>

> barbarac102 <barbarac102@...> wrote:

> Hi, Quick question, are 3 epidurals necessary in your opinions.

> I got one but never went back. Now, in hindsight, I believe it did

> help. I was told I should feel it right away but recently I was told,

> it could take 2-3 weeks, which I think was in my case.

> It's been over 2 months since I had one, does it matter when you go

> back?

> Thanks for any input.

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> email and get things done faster.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of

any kind.

I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of sedation of

anesthesia.

It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true;

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" 97546168 " ;

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

Vivian Harkness

http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

---------------------------------

Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get

things done faster.

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of having one a week, only that you are allowed up to 3 and

that often it takes 2 feel relief, though some feel it in the first one. I've

also only heard that they give them about one month or so apart. At least with

me, I was told to come back in about a month, but never went. Now I'm

considering going back. I didn't like the after effects from the sedation and

anesthesia(sp).

Vivian Harkness <vivianharkness@...> wrote:

Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of any kind.

I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of sedation of

anesthesia.

It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt = false;

.Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

.Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

" 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

Vivian Harkness

http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

---------------------------------

Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get

things done faster.

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of having one a week, only that you are allowed up to 3 and

that often it takes 2 feel relief, though some feel it in the first one. I've

also only heard that they give them about one month or so apart. At least with

me, I was told to come back in about a month, but never went. Now I'm

considering going back. I didn't like the after effects from the sedation and

anesthesia(sp).

Vivian Harkness <vivianharkness@...> wrote:

Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of any kind.

I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of sedation of

anesthesia.

It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt = false;

.Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

.Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

" 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

Vivian Harkness

http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

---------------------------------

Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get

things done faster.

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of having one a week, only that you are allowed up to 3 and

that often it takes 2 feel relief, though some feel it in the first one. I've

also only heard that they give them about one month or so apart. At least with

me, I was told to come back in about a month, but never went. Now I'm

considering going back. I didn't like the after effects from the sedation and

anesthesia(sp).

Vivian Harkness <vivianharkness@...> wrote:

Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of any kind.

I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of sedation of

anesthesia.

It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt = false;

.Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

.Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

" 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

Vivian Harkness

http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

---------------------------------

Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get

things done faster.

[Guest guest]

Medicare pays for the anesthesia - so why go through all that pain? I

think most Doctors at least use some Lidocaine like they do on spinal

taps. Those needles are very long - and they have to go all the way

into the nervebundle - I would think that really hurts -

The new PD also puts you to sleep - except when he just does an

injection of an Epidural -

I don't think I would opt for the Epidurals without any kind of

Sedation or numbing.

I am a Chicken !!!

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 4:39 PM, Vivian Harkness wrote:

>

> Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of

> any kind.

> I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of

> sedation of

> anesthesia.

> It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

> .Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt =

> false; .Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

> .Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

> " 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

> When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

> under

> anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

>

> Vivian Harkness

> http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> email and get things done faster.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Makes one wonder how many ways there are and how many different Doctors

and procedures - I only know of these two - so I have not seen anything

else and also have not heard of others talking about different ways -

at least not doing a nerveblock. That one is meant to keep the pain

from radiating into your legs or upwards. It did not work for me this

last time - so I am not really a big advocate of Nerveblocks as such -

unless there is one that does better.

Not only that - I never had this much Neuropathy in my left leg (that

was my good one) - after the second injection something just felt

" wrong " . I told the Doctor and he said " Hmmmm - let's see what the

third one will do - if it does not help come back and see me in a

couple of weeks. " Well I decided to switch Doctors - I am sick and

tired of Injections that do not work when I can get more relief from a

pill.

Megwin (the Drug Addict - lol)

On Nov 23, 2006, at 5:14 PM, Barbara wrote:

> I have never heard of having one a week, only that you are allowed up

> to 3 and that often it takes 2 feel relief, though some feel it in the

> first one. I've also only heard that they give them about one month or

> so apart. At least with me, I was told to come back in about a month,

> but never went. Now I'm considering going back. I didn't like the

> after effects from the sedation and anesthesia(sp).

>

> Vivian Harkness <vivianharkness@...> wrote:

> Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of

> any kind.

> I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of

> sedation of

> anesthesia.

> It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

> .Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt =

> false; .Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

> .Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

> " 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

> When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

> under

> anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

>

> Vivian Harkness

> http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> email and get things done faster.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Oh man, are you saying your leg, which wasn't bad before the epidural got worse

after the injection???

That is terrible if I'm understanding you correctly.

I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through that.

Definitely.

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

Makes one wonder how many ways there are and how many different Doctors

and procedures - I only know of these two - so I have not seen anything

else and also have not heard of others talking about different ways -

at least not doing a nerveblock. That one is meant to keep the pain

from radiating into your legs or upwards. It did not work for me this

last time - so I am not really a big advocate of Nerveblocks as such -

unless there is one that does better.

Not only that - I never had this much Neuropathy in my left leg (that

was my good one) - after the second injection something just felt

" wrong " . I told the Doctor and he said " Hmmmm - let's see what the

third one will do - if it does not help come back and see me in a

couple of weeks. " Well I decided to switch Doctors - I am sick and

tired of Injections that do not work when I can get more relief from a

pill.

Megwin (the Drug Addict - lol)

On Nov 23, 2006, at 5:14 PM, Barbara wrote:

> I have never heard of having one a week, only that you are allowed up

> to 3 and that often it takes 2 feel relief, though some feel it in the

> first one. I've also only heard that they give them about one month or

> so apart. At least with me, I was told to come back in about a month,

> but never went. Now I'm considering going back. I didn't like the

> after effects from the sedation and anesthesia(sp).

>

> Vivian Harkness wrote:

> Some doctors do it that way, others refuse to do it with sedation of

> any kind.

> I have never had an epidural, or nerve block, with any kind of

> sedation of

> anesthesia.

> It wasn't to bad...the fear was worse than the actual procedure.

> .Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; .Shortcuts.doUlt =

> false; .Shortcuts.location = " us " ; .Shortcuts.lang = " us " ;

> .Shortcuts.annotationSet = { }; .Shortcuts.overlaySpaceId =

> " 97546169 " ; .Shortcuts.hostSpaceId = " 97546168 " ;

> When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

> under

> anesthesia - they do three - one a week.

>

> Vivian Harkness

> http://www.geocities.com/southeastsearchandrescue/index.html

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> email and get things done faster.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have gone to the Pain Care Specialist, once this month and once in October and

received steriod injections in my spine. Anyone know what they are called?

Phyllis

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

under

anesthesia - they do three - one a week. Then you are done and can not

have another one for 6 months. There are other epidurals (different

meds) that can be repeated every three months and it only takes one

time - but they do several needlesticks along your spine (usually 4 to

5). But they do them all at once - and then you are done. Each of

these takes an admission to Day Surgery and you are asleep when they do

it - but you wake up within 30 minutes or so -

Megwin

P.S. I am speaking from my own experience with one Doctor - there

might be different ways and different opinions - I do know that there

is different stuff in the nerveblock than there is in the " one time "

injection. The price of one of these? Over $5,000.00 - that's one

time I am thankful for Medicare -

Megwin

On Nov 22, 2006, at 9:09 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> I could'nt figure this one out either. My opinion in the end is that

> if there is no benefit, there is no point in going back for more, or

> maybe do just one more in case the 1st one did'nt hit the right spot.

> BUt, if 2 of them don't help at all, there is no point in a 3rd. If

> there is partial improvement with the 1st one, then it may be possible

> for the 2nd or 3rd to help even more. But, dont' forget, there is only

> so many that you can do safely in a hyear.

>

>

> barbarac102 <barbarac102@...> wrote:

> Hi, Quick question, are 3 epidurals necessary in your opinions.

> I got one but never went back. Now, in hindsight, I believe it did

> help. I was told I should feel it right away but recently I was told,

> it could take 2-3 weeks, which I think was in my case.

> It's been over 2 months since I had one, does it matter when you go

> back?

> Thanks for any input.

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> email and get things done faster.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yesterday when I received my monthly steroid injection, I asked my doctor " why

don't you put me under for this because it really hurts? " . He said that when

you are under, it is more likely that a mistake can happen and he said that he

is " not about mistakes " . Also, the procedure is so quick, why risk the

complications of anesthesia?

Phyllis

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

Medicare pays for the anesthesia - so why go through all that pain?

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[Guest guest]

Yesterday I went for my steroid injection procedure (my injury is 3 herniated

cervical discs, keep that in mind). I told the doctor that I have been having

trouble swallowing, wet the bed one time and now my feet and legs are starting

to hurt. I was very surprised that he gave me an injection in my lower back. I

asked him why he was doing it there and he said " you don't know what is going on

down there " . So like an idiot, I let him do it. Nothing bad has happened to me

but why in the world would he mess with my lower back.

Phyllis

Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote:

Oh man, are you saying your leg, which wasn't bad before the epidural

got worse after the injection???

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[Guest guest]

I had anesthesia and a sedative but was awake through it all. That sounds pretty

strange what he told you. You needn't be totally out, I wasn't and didn't feel a

thing.

Phyliss <fraft13@...> wrote: Yesterday when I received my monthly

steroid injection, I asked my doctor " why don't you put me under for this

because it really hurts? " . He said that when you are under, it is more likely

that a mistake can happen and he said that he is " not about mistakes " . Also, the

procedure is so quick, why risk the complications of anesthesia?

Phyllis

Megwin wrote:

Medicare pays for the anesthesia - so why go through all that pain?

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[Guest guest]

Yes - that is what happened - I also have more pain on the left side of

my back now - when the right side was always the one that was bad - and

it was my right leg that was affected by nervepain - that has not

changed much - but now we have the added Neuropathy in the left leg

(which is much worse than in the right one and was not there). It

concerns me greatly - I don't know if that was something he did -

something slipped or what - but believe me I am very upset with the

whole thing.

These Epidurals can go terribly wrong - I found that out with my first

Child (during his Birth) and I found that out when I had surgery and

they gave me an Epidural Anesthetic - that was one Surgery I do not

even want to think about.

So now we will see what this new Doctor says - he is the one that put

me on Lorcet and Neurontin - and it is giving me some relief as long as

I take it right on time. The mornings when I get out of bed are pure

hell - I think I need a crane to help me up - lol. I told him what

happened - he did not give me an explanation either - and I know that

all Doctors stick together even if they disagree with what one of them

does or did - they will never say it out loud.

I am thankful that I found some relief right now - I am sure things

will not stay the same - it will eventually get worse again, but for

now I can get through the day unless I overdo it.

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 7:36 PM, Barbara wrote:

> Oh man, are you saying your leg, which wasn't bad before the epidural

> got worse after the injection???

> That is terrible if I'm understanding you correctly.

> I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through

> that.

> Definitely.

>

[Guest guest]

Well - you have a point - but I don't understand the " mistake bit " -

can you be sure he hits the right spot? All the injections I had were

done under an X-ray machine with fluorescent (sp) dye -

I would not ever argue your point because I do not know enough about it

- and I am not even sure we are talking about the exact same

" Epidurals " . Each Doctor has his own way - I honestly do not know

which is best - or which is correct.

I never had a " monthly injection " - not ever. I did receive regular

injections into the back of my head and my shoulders - they are just

cortisone injections - and those are not the same than what is done

under anesthesia - that is the extent of my knowledge.

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 7:56 PM, Phyliss wrote:

> Yesterday when I received my monthly steroid injection, I asked my

> doctor " why don't you put me under for this because it really hurts? " .

> He said that when you are under, it is more likely that a mistake can

> happen and he said that he is " not about mistakes " . Also, the

> procedure is so quick, why risk the complications of anesthesia?

> Phyllis

>

>

> Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

> Medicare pays for the anesthesia - so why go through all that pain?

>

> Recent Activity

>

> 4

> New Members

>

> Visit Your Group

>

[Guest guest]

I like to get an explanation of what is being done to me - and I

dislike Doctors that do something to you and then walk out without

telling you why they did it.

You should have the final control over what they do to you and your

body - that is exactly why I changed Doctors.

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 8:04 PM, Phyliss wrote:

> Yesterday I went for my steroid injection procedure (my injury is 3

> herniated cervical discs, keep that in mind). I told the doctor that I

> have been having trouble swallowing, wet the bed one time and now my

> feet and legs are starting to hurt. I was very surprised that he gave

> me an injection in my lower back. I asked him why he was doing it

> there and he said " you don't know what is going on down there " . So

> like an idiot, I let him do it. Nothing bad has happened to me but why

> in the world would he mess with my lower back.

> Phyllis

>

> Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote:

> Oh man, are you saying your leg, which wasn't bad before the epidural

> got worse after the injection???

>

> Recent Activity

>

> 4

> New Members

>

> Visit Your Group

>

[Guest guest]

I know they use all different kinds of meds now - not just cortisone or

steroids anymore - there are many different things out now that were

not available a few years ago.

There is no way of telling what he gave you - best bet is to ask him -

write it down and look it up - that's what I do -

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 7:51 PM, Phyliss wrote:

> I have gone to the Pain Care Specialist, once this month and once in

> October and received steriod injections in my spine. Anyone know what

> they are called?

> Phyllis

>

> Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

> When they do a " Nerve Block " they usually do one injection a week

> under

> anesthesia - they do three - one a week. Then you are done and can not

> have another one for 6 months. There are other epidurals (different

> meds) that can be repeated every three months and it only takes one

> time - but they do several needlesticks along your spine (usually 4 to

> 5). But they do them all at once - and then you are done. Each of

> these takes an admission to Day Surgery and you are asleep when they

> do

> it - but you wake up within 30 minutes or so -

>

> Megwin

>

> P.S. I am speaking from my own experience with one Doctor - there

> might be different ways and different opinions - I do know that there

> is different stuff in the nerveblock than there is in the " one time "

> injection. The price of one of these? Over $5,000.00 - that's one

> time I am thankful for Medicare -

>

> Megwin

> On Nov 22, 2006, at 9:09 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

>

> > I could'nt figure this one out either. My opinion in the end is that

> > if there is no benefit, there is no point in going back for more, or

> > maybe do just one more in case the 1st one did'nt hit the right

> spot.

> > BUt, if 2 of them don't help at all, there is no point in a 3rd. If

> > there is partial improvement with the 1st one, then it may be

> possible

> > for the 2nd or 3rd to help even more. But, dont' forget, there is

> only

> > so many that you can do safely in a hyear.

> >

> >

> > barbarac102 <barbarac102@...> wrote:

> > Hi, Quick question, are 3 epidurals necessary in your opinions.

> > I got one but never went back. Now, in hindsight, I believe it did

> > help. I was told I should feel it right away but recently I was

> told,

> > it could take 2-3 weeks, which I think was in my case.

> > It's been over 2 months since I had one, does it matter when you go

> > back?

> > Thanks for any input.

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful

> > email and get things done faster.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

That is a darn shame. I am so sorry that happened to you. Really makes me think

twice about getting another one.

You would think in this day and age, that there would be safer options and

more options.

I know I can't turn back time but I am such a loss for what to do next.

It is darn depressing and frustrating some days.

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote:

Yes - that is what happened - I also have more pain on the left side of

my back now - when the right side was always the one that was bad - and

it was my right leg that was affected by nervepain - that has not

changed much - but now we have the added Neuropathy in the left leg

(which is much worse than in the right one and was not there). It

concerns me greatly - I don't know if that was something he did -

something slipped or what - but believe me I am very upset with the

whole thing.

These Epidurals can go terribly wrong - I found that out with my first

Child (during his Birth) and I found that out when I had surgery and

they gave me an Epidural Anesthetic - that was one Surgery I do not

even want to think about.

So now we will see what this new Doctor says - he is the one that put

me on Lorcet and Neurontin - and it is giving me some relief as long as

I take it right on time. The mornings when I get out of bed are pure

hell - I think I need a crane to help me up - lol. I told him what

happened - he did not give me an explanation either - and I know that

all Doctors stick together even if they disagree with what one of them

does or did - they will never say it out loud.

I am thankful that I found some relief right now - I am sure things

will not stay the same - it will eventually get worse again, but for

now I can get through the day unless I overdo it.

Megwin

On Nov 23, 2006, at 7:36 PM, Barbara wrote:

> Oh man, are you saying your leg, which wasn't bad before the epidural

> got worse after the injection???

> That is terrible if I'm understanding you correctly.

> I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through

> that.

> Definitely.

>

[Guest guest]

It seems to me that generally, the doctors who prescribe the pills are also the

ones giving the injections. No injections, no medications.

Do you agree?

Phyliss

> I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through

> that.

> Definitely.

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[Guest guest]

It seems to me that generally, the doctors who prescribe the pills are also the

ones giving the injections. No injections, no medications.

Do you agree?

Phyliss

> I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through

> that.

> Definitely.

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[Guest guest]

I haven't found that to be true.

Phyliss <fraft13@...> wrote: It seems to me that generally, the

doctors who prescribe the pills are also the ones giving the injections. No

injections, no medications.

Do you agree?

Phyliss

> I can understanding why one would rather take pills then go through

> that.

> Definitely.

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