Epidurals

[Guest guest]

my doctor does one shot at a time, and each shot is 1 month apart, and he

generally does a series of 3. Plus, you are wide awake for it - just a little

bit of local anesthetic, although I did'nt find the procedure to be bad at all.

So I guess that people do it differently

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]

although anesthesia can be dangerous for some people, if they are older, or have

bad hearts etc. so it can be some risk. I did'nt think that the epidural pain

was that bad. For one of them, I guess the needle was right up against a nerve

root, because there was some pressure and pain while they were injecting the

steroid (about 15 secs of pain), but it was tolerable. But for my other

epidural, it was not bad at all.

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote: 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]

do you think that the nerve block made you pain get worse? that has always been

my fear with injections, that they might accidentally do some damage and make

things worse. ALthough, the ones I did have all went ok from that point of view

(although did'nt really help either)

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 <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]

was it an epidural or nerve block that made the left side go bad? I wonder if

it is possible that the needle can hit a nerve root and damage it. That is what

I worried about with mine. They had " nerve damage " written as a possible side

effect on the consent form, but they said that it is very rare.

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]

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that

I have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

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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[Guest guest]

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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[Guest guest]

It was the Nerve Block - the second Injection of the three it takes to

complete the Block. I honestly feel something happened - but I can't

be sure what - I know you can end up paralyzed from the injections -

that's why you have to sign that release form every time you have one.

I was even more concerned with the " shrug " of the Doctor and getting no

explanation at all - does that prove some kind of mistake on his part?

I really don't know -

I am off the injections for a while - it really scared me - and I wish

I would have never even gone for that - but at the time I did not have

much choice - he told me that was the only thing that would help the

pain of spinal stenosis.

Megwin

On Nov 24, 2006, at 8:24 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> was it an epidural or nerve block that made the left side go bad? I

> wonder if it is possible that the needle can hit a nerve root and

> damage it. That is what I worried about with mine. They had " nerve

> damage " written as a possible side effect on the consent form, but

> they said that it is very rare.

>

> 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]

Yes - it changed the pain as far as location - but it did make it worse.

Megwin

On Nov 24, 2006, at 8:19 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> do you think that the nerve block made you pain get worse? that has

> always been my fear with injections, that they might accidentally do

> some damage and make things worse. ALthough, the ones I did have all

> went ok from that point of view (although did'nt really help either)

>

> 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 <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]

Sigh - I agree - makes me feel really helpless - I would like to be in

control over my own body - but that body has it's own ideas - lol.

Megwin

On Nov 24, 2006, at 2:13 PM, Barbara wrote:

> 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]

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far,

this combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25

pounds briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute

movie, depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be

much worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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.

Recent Activity

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New Members

Visit Your Group

[Guest guest]

Yeah, my release said a similar thing too. I guess that maybe the needle can

poke the nerve root itself and damage it? I hope you have other options. Can

they do just a regular epidural steroid?

Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote: It was the Nerve Block - the

second Injection of the three it takes to

complete the Block. I honestly feel something happened - but I can't

be sure what - I know you can end up paralyzed from the injections -

that's why you have to sign that release form every time you have one.

I was even more concerned with the " shrug " of the Doctor and getting no

explanation at all - does that prove some kind of mistake on his part?

I really don't know -

I am off the injections for a while - it really scared me - and I wish

I would have never even gone for that - but at the time I did not have

much choice - he told me that was the only thing that would help the

pain of spinal stenosis.

Megwin

On Nov 24, 2006, at 8:24 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> was it an epidural or nerve block that made the left side go bad? I

> wonder if it is possible that the needle can hit a nerve root and

> damage it. That is what I worried about with mine. They had " nerve

> damage " written as a possible side effect on the consent form, but

> they said that it is very rare.

>

> 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]

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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[Guest guest]

My doses are all low, otherwise I too get too much side effects. Lyrica is just

50mg twice a day. I could'nt take more or I would feel drunk too. Methadone

is low too - 7.5mg per day. Not too much side effects with that. For

constipation I take Miralax. see seperate posts on that - it seems to work the

best for me.

Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple

of times, I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you

take? That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But

my attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go

for the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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[Guest guest]

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was still too

much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I woke up

the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually tolerate doses

well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote: My doses are all low,

otherwise I too get too much side effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I

could'nt take more or I would feel drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per

day. Not too much side effects with that. For constipation I take Miralax. see

seperate posts on that - it seems to work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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I started with the lowest dose of it, which I think is 25mg, and then gradually

worked up. You might be interested to hear that at first I did have quite a bit

of side effects, but after being on it for a week or 2, I did'nt notice the side

effects as much. I guess that my body got immune to the side effects a bit. So,

if you are thinking of trying it again, keep this in mind. SOmetimes if you can

put up with the side effects, they will decrease over time. For now, 50mg

twice a day is all that I can reasonabley tolerate. If I increase the dose, it

definitely works better on teh pain, but the side effects become noticable.

Tristan

Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote:

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was

still too much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I woke up the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually

tolerate doses well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote: My doses are all low,

otherwise I too get too much side effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I

could'nt take more or I would feel drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per

day. Not too much side effects with that. For constipation I take Miralax. see

seperate posts on that - it seems to work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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[Guest guest]

I'm glad it works for you. Have you gained weight from it? I always hear people

say that.

I haven't tried the lyrica since the summer. Never felt I needed to. I hate

any med that has that many side effects that you have to put up with it for

weeks, I always feel like there is something wrong in that.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

I started with the lowest dose of it, which I think is 25mg, and then

gradually worked up. You might be interested to hear that at first I did have

quite a bit of side effects, but after being on it for a week or 2, I did'nt

notice the side effects as much. I guess that my body got immune to the side

effects a bit. So, if you are thinking of trying it again, keep this in mind.

SOmetimes if you can put up with the side effects, they will decrease over time.

For now, 50mg twice a day is all that I can reasonabley tolerate. If I increase

the dose, it definitely works better on teh pain, but the side effects become

noticable.

Tristan

Barbara wrote:

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was still too

much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I woke up

the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually tolerate doses

well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin wrote: My doses are all low, otherwise I too get too much side

effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I could'nt take more or I would feel

drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per day. Not too much side effects with

that. For constipation I take Miralax. see seperate posts on that - it seems to

work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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.

Recent Activity

5

New Members

Visit Your Group

[Guest guest]

I'm glad it works for you. Have you gained weight from it? I always hear people

say that.

I haven't tried the lyrica since the summer. Never felt I needed to. I hate

any med that has that many side effects that you have to put up with it for

weeks, I always feel like there is something wrong in that.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

I started with the lowest dose of it, which I think is 25mg, and then

gradually worked up. You might be interested to hear that at first I did have

quite a bit of side effects, but after being on it for a week or 2, I did'nt

notice the side effects as much. I guess that my body got immune to the side

effects a bit. So, if you are thinking of trying it again, keep this in mind.

SOmetimes if you can put up with the side effects, they will decrease over time.

For now, 50mg twice a day is all that I can reasonabley tolerate. If I increase

the dose, it definitely works better on teh pain, but the side effects become

noticable.

Tristan

Barbara wrote:

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was still too

much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I woke up

the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually tolerate doses

well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin wrote: My doses are all low, otherwise I too get too much side

effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I could'nt take more or I would feel

drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per day. Not too much side effects with

that. For constipation I take Miralax. see seperate posts on that - it seems to

work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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They have before this - but those were not always helpful - I hope my

new Doctor gives me some new options -

Right now I just try to not walk or move too much because that hurts -

not much of a Life I must say.

Thank you Tristan for responding to me e-mails.

Megwin

On Nov 25, 2006, at 2:19 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

> Yeah, my release said a similar thing too. I guess that maybe the

> needle can poke the nerve root itself and damage it? I hope you have

> other options. Can they do just a regular epidural steroid?

>

> Megwin <Ravenfeather@...> wrote: It was the Nerve Block - the

> second Injection of the three it takes to

> complete the Block. I honestly feel something happened - but I can't

> be sure what - I know you can end up paralyzed from the injections -

> that's why you have to sign that release form every time you have one.

>

> I was even more concerned with the " shrug " of the Doctor and getting

> no

> explanation at all - does that prove some kind of mistake on his part?

> I really don't know -

>

> I am off the injections for a while - it really scared me - and I wish

> I would have never even gone for that - but at the time I did not have

> much choice - he told me that was the only thing that would help the

> pain of spinal stenosis.

>

> Megwin

> On Nov 24, 2006, at 8:24 PM, Tristan Jouvin wrote:

>

> > was it an epidural or nerve block that made the left side go bad? I

> > wonder if it is possible that the needle can hit a nerve root and

> > damage it. That is what I worried about with mine. They had " nerve

> > damage " written as a possible side effect on the consent form, but

> > they said that it is very rare.

> >

> > 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]

really? - I never heard that it makes you gain weight, but that makes sense to

me. I have noticed that my appetite seems to be increased on it, so that makes

sense. But I am very careful not to give in to it.

Barbara <barbarac102@...> wrote: I'm glad it works for you. Have

you gained weight from it? I always hear people say that.

I haven't tried the lyrica since the summer. Never felt I needed to. I hate any

med that has that many side effects that you have to put up with it for weeks, I

always feel like there is something wrong in that.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote:

I started with the lowest dose of it, which I think is 25mg, and then gradually

worked up. You might be interested to hear that at first I did have quite a bit

of side effects, but after being on it for a week or 2, I did'nt notice the side

effects as much. I guess that my body got immune to the side effects a bit. So,

if you are thinking of trying it again, keep this in mind. SOmetimes if you can

put up with the side effects, they will decrease over time. For now, 50mg twice

a day is all that I can reasonabley tolerate. If I increase the dose, it

definitely works better on teh pain, but the side effects become noticable.

Tristan

Barbara wrote:

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was still too

much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I woke up

the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually tolerate doses

well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin wrote: My doses are all low, otherwise I too get too much side

effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I could'nt take more or I would feel

drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per day. Not too much side effects with

that. For constipation I take Miralax. see seperate posts on that - it seems to

work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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.

Recent Activity

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[Guest guest]

I found my bottle it was 50mg, so you could understand how I felt, but I tried

taking half of it and didn't care for it. But, if it works for you that's good.

Tristan Jouvin <tristanjouvin99@...> wrote: really? - I never heard that

it makes you gain weight, but that makes sense to me. I have noticed that my

appetite seems to be increased on it, so that makes sense. But I am very careful

not to give in to it.

Barbara wrote: I'm glad it works for you. Have you gained weight from it? I

always hear people say that.

I haven't tried the lyrica since the summer. Never felt I needed to. I hate any

med that has that many side effects that you have to put up with it for weeks, I

always feel like there is something wrong in that.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

I started with the lowest dose of it, which I think is 25mg, and then gradually

worked up. You might be interested to hear that at first I did have quite a bit

of side effects, but after being on it for a week or 2, I did'nt notice the side

effects as much. I guess that my body got immune to the side effects a bit. So,

if you are thinking of trying it again, keep this in mind. SOmetimes if you can

put up with the side effects, they will decrease over time. For now, 50mg twice

a day is all that I can reasonabley tolerate. If I increase the dose, it

definitely works better on teh pain, but the side effects become noticable.

Tristan

Barbara wrote:

I even cut the lyrica in half of a dose by opening the cap and it was still too

much. I forget what the dosage was but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I woke up

the next day feeling like I couldn't walk straight, and I usually tolerate doses

well, but not that.

Tristan Jouvin wrote: My doses are all low, otherwise I too get too much side

effects. Lyrica is just 50mg twice a day. I could'nt take more or I would feel

drunk too. Methadone is low too - 7.5mg per day. Not too much side effects with

that. For constipation I take Miralax. see seperate posts on that - it seems to

work the best for me.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan, Glad this is all working for you. I tried lyrica a couple of times,

I felt drunk, it felt way too strong for me. How much methadone do you take?

That seems to be a new thing that they are giving that out for pain. But my

attitude is whatever is working do it even though I admit I always try to go for

the lower doses and would really like not to have to take anything but if it

takes away your pain then it's ok. I was doing great just seeing a chiropractor

but that was very costly.

What do you take for constipation, again, hope you don't mide me asking, that

seems to be a problem with these drugs.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

Sure. The main thing that works and that keeps the pain under control is a low

dose of methadone. I am also taking lyrica at a low dose, which seems to help a

bit too. They also have me on cymbalta and voltaren (well the generic of it

which is diclofenac), although I can't tell if those 2 do anything, but they

might be helping a bit. With this combination, I manage to do ok, and have'nt

really been needing any vicodin any more (I used to neeed it before this

regimen). I also have'nt done any injections at all in a while (none of them

really helped much so far). The only other thing I take is stuff for

constipation. I am also doing aquatherapy exercises and stretching. So far, this

combination of things has kept me stable and allowed me to avoid fusion.

I am not doing great (I cant' lift more than something that ways about 25 pounds

briefly without pain, and I have trouble sitting through a 90 minute movie,

depending on how comfortable the seat is), but then again things could be much

worse (and they have been before), so I am not complaining too much.

Barbara wrote:

Hi Tristan,

May I ask you what pain meds you are taking and what seems to be working for

you?

Thanks.

Tristan Jouvin wrote:

not necessarily.

A good pain doctor will do both, but should give you some say in the decision.

I recently decided to hold off on any injections for a while, as I found that I

have been SLOWLY improving with physical therapy, and told him that I want to

just take meds for now. My doctor was fine with this. So, I just go in once a

month to adjust the meds and review how it has been going, but no injections.

Phyliss 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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[Guest guest]

Hello again,

Has anyone had any luck with epidural injections in the spine? The Dr said

there was only a 50% chance it would help but I have two bulging discs at

the lumbar area. It seems I cannot get the pain to lessen with anything

except it will decrease some if I use a heating pad. I also have DJD in that

area.How long does it take to work if it does, and will they do it in the

office? Thanks for any advice.

Heidi M

[Guest guest]

I'm looking at possibly getting one. I have 1 bulging disc (L5-S1), plus SI

issues. I've already gotten an SI injection, and that has helped. If the back

pain continues, I may do that. Yes, there is about a 50 50 chance with it not

working....but I prefer to take that chance - you won't know if you don't try

it, and it could work.

I'm not sure about the epidurals, but other joint injections are 2 pronged - a

local that works for a few hours, and then the steriod, which takes several days

to kick in. My SI was done at the pain management office, guided by a

fluroscope, and if i recall, my mom's epidural was done at the pain management

office as well.

Tina

Heidi Mendelsohn <hmendelsohn@...> wrote:

Hello again,

Has anyone had any luck with epidural injections in the spine? The Dr said

there was only a 50% chance it would help but I have two bulging discs at

the lumbar area. It seems I cannot get the pain to lessen with anything

except it will decrease some if I use a heating pad. I also have DJD in that

area.How long does it take to work if it does, and will they do it in the

office? Thanks for any advice.

Heidi M

[Guest guest]

i have had several. they really help. they last me about 3 months. well worth

it and very little pain during the procedure. rita

[ ] Epidurals

Hello again,

Has anyone had any luck with epidural injections in the spine? The Dr said

there was only a 50% chance it would help but I have two bulging discs at

the lumbar area. It seems I cannot get the pain to lessen with anything

except it will decrease some if I use a heating pad. I also have DJD in that

area.How long does it take to work if it does, and will they do it in the

office? Thanks for any advice.

Heidi M

[Guest guest]

Heidi,

I was head of authorizations for a large pain management facility in

Southern California for many years. I am not a doctor or a health

care provider; but I did have to present cases in front of medical

directors at insurances companies, so I am familar with alot of

clinical data.

Epidural steroid injections (ESI) can help with the pain of bulging

discs. It's not like an epidural that is used in labor. The epidural

that you would have done would be a steroid to help w/ the

inflammation. (It's not a high dose, so common side effects say like

an oral steroid like predisone are not a concern). The steroid would

be injected into the epidural space. You would be able to walk

afterwards and you would still have feeling in your lower body.

There are differnt types of lumbar epidural steroid injections. It

would depend on the approach. From my experience, most patients found

relief with a transformainal approach. Some get relief right

away...others it can take a few days or no relief at all. My former

collegues would recommend a series of 3 epidurals over a course of a

few months depending on if you find relief. If you do get relief from

the 1st injection, it can last a few weeks to a few months.

Depending on you, you can chose to have a straight lumbar ESI in the

office. If your nervous about getting an ESI, I would recommend

getting it done at an outpatient surgery center. There you can have

an ESI done under fluoroscopy (x-ray guidance). There the doctor can

see exactly where the epidural is going, as to in the office where

he's doing it " blindly " and by touch. A nurse would give you local

medication via IV (a mild sedative) to help you stay still during the

procedure and to calm your nerves. Transforaminal lumbar ESI's can

only be done w/ fluoro. If you elect to have the ESI done at an

outpatient surgery center, you need to have someone drive you home.

Many patients who have an ESI done w/ fluoro tend to have relief

immediately, but that is due to the IV medication and not from the

ESI itself. ESI's can be done under general anesthesia for patients

who wish to go that route.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

>

> Hello again,

> Has anyone had any luck with epidural injections in the spine? The

Dr said

> there was only a 50% chance it would help but I have two bulging

discs at

> the lumbar area. It seems I cannot get the pain to lessen with

anything

> except it will decrease some if I use a heating pad. I also have

DJD in that

> area.How long does it take to work if it does, and will they do it

in the

> office? Thanks for any advice.

>

> Heidi M

>

>

>