Re: Lumber spine injections-

[Guest guest]

> wrote:

> Bennie,

>

> Thanks so much for your input. But I haven't read about the side effects. I

did have the epidural shots with no luck.

> What if any did you have.

,

Unfortunately, I was in so much pain and trying to work, I trusted the Doctors

when they told me that they needed to do spinal in different locations. I ended

up having over twenty spinal injections, not to mention four myelograms for

status, and I was told the medications are just like a natural component but if

you look it up, it is stated not for spinal use and irritant.

I had faucet blocks, Sacral Iliac Injections, Epidurals, Diagnostic Spinal

Injections and was sitting in the Doctors Office Surgical Center waiting for my

" next " injection and after six hours the Doctor came in and said " Ready? " . When

he opened my chart, he stated he could not do the spinal injection as on the

last one, they could not get through the scar tissue.

I was LIVID and demanded to be seen although that was only spinal injection day.

I think the second epidural was the only one that gave me relief. I have had the

RAZC procedure when the go through the coccyx and also they break up the scar

tissue.Racz procedure

During this procedure, a wire catheter is fed into the lumbar epidural space.

The goal here is to reach the scar tissue causing the serious pain. The tip of

the wire helps to cut pathways through that scar tissue while injecting enzymes,

pain medication, and steroids into the area. The overall goal is to eliminate as

much of the scar tissue as possible. The relief can often last for months.

My Doctor's website lists all these procedures and their purpose.

http://www.interventionalpainassociates.com/Other-Procedures-Offered.php

She is the only Doctor who told me to place heat on the area the injected so

that the medication can disperse and not settle in one area. One simple

instruction that not other Doctor I saw mentioned.

I fault the seven years and a quack Doctor who thought I was faking my pain

level until he finally did a discogram and three discs were gone and he was so

embarrassed when he went over the results and said, " I guess you were in pain " .

No lie. I left his office with my records and never went back. I researched the

internet and the recommendations are that a discogram should be done after six

months after a Doctor cannot diagnosis the pain is generated from the discs. I

had useless injections when he was injected wrong locations.

On my MRI, there has been an area of " scarring, or disc material, which is not

well defined or impinging or nerve intrapement " The last one three months ago

showed arachnoidititis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoiditis Doctors are apprehensive of

diagnosing this as the fault causing this is spinal injections.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU5bF-rQ7Ec & feature=related is a great video

showing how it happens from injections. This one is kinda weird but discusses

the process of arachnoititis

and this one

This video shows a patient with arachoiditis and the patients of Australia that

formed a group to advocate for patients that had myelograms that they say used

oil based dyes that caused arachnoiditis in thousands of people.

They use a different based injection in myelograms to visualize the spine now

but the steroids remain a nuerotoxin when injection in the spinal canal.

Below is an exert from Dr. Burton who is an advocate against epidural injections

and some say fanatical but read his information and as with other literature

test it and make sure it is

researched.

The manufacturers Depo-MedrolÒ (Upjohn Pharmaceutical Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan,

U.S.A.) stated in 1981 that " we would advise against the epidural/ extradural

routes of administration because of possible adverse reactions. " However, this

specific recommendation was withdrawn from the data sheet in 1997.

Kenalog (triamcinolone suspension) is another steroid used in epidural

injections. This drug is " not recommended for administration via the epidural

route " according to the data sheet provided by its manufacturers, Bristol Myers

Squibb (Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S.A.) As with any " off-label " use of a drug

or device their application is dependent upon the individual doctor’s discretion

and clinical judgment. It is the individual physician who then takes personal

responsibility for this.

In both the U.S. and England epidural steroid injection (ESI) in the treatment

of back pain is practiced extensively and by a variety of clinicians including

general practitioners, anesthesiologists, radiologists and specially trained

physiotherapists.

The current associated literature on Depo-MedrolÒ states that it is

contraindicated for intrathecal administration and that it contains benzyl

alcohol, which is potentially toxic when administered locally to neural tissue.

Most patients who have had adverse effects from the epidural suspensions say

they would not have allowed the injection if they had been provided with

informed consent and had known that these drugs were not licensed for this

particular application. From Dr. Burton's website:

http://burtonreport.com/infspine/adhesarachepiinjkoontz.htm

From the Depro Medrol medicine website:

Before using methylprednisolone, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are

allergic to it; or to other corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone); or if you have

any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can

cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more

details.

Intrathecal/Epidural

Arachnoiditis, bowel/bladder dysfunction, headache, meningitis,

parapareisis/paraplegia, seizures, sensory disturbances.

The steroid injections in muscles is differrenr from spinal injections that are

carried by the cerebral fluid and through the brain and circulate back through

the systems.

I don't think many of our Doctors discussed these side effects and the problems

it could cause. Mine didn't and just recently she told me to use heat on the

injections.

I did not mean to make this long but several of the members her including myself

have gotten arachnoiditis and it is really painful.

I hope the information helps you and gives you sites to visit. Other members

have shared there research before so maybe the can post it and you can have

other

Bennie