Lumbar injections

Posted by melhen @melhen, Feb 28 11:32am

Thoughts on medial branch block and neurotomy
And lumbar injunctions, etc

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@udougy

Had my injection. Was a piece of cake. I have 80% less pain but Dr. says that may be due to the lidocane. He stated that I should feel less pain as the days/hours go by. So far I am quite happy and glad I did it. I know some of the risks and decided to go ahead anyway, as the risks are minimal. I was very happy with my Dr. and staff at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington CT. Will keep updating as the days go by.

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So glad it is helping you!!!! Fabulous news!!!
I’m still waiting for improvement. The spasms and pain from that is still happening. The swelling is diminished and I can walk with improved balance. So that is big!

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Nemo

I was told success not eminent and a second shot may be needed. I will update with better news.

Good you are at least getting some good results, keep up the fight, never give up!

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1st full day after injection. Still have some pain and general discomfort mostly in my right leg. 89.9% better tho.

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@udougy

Nemo

I was told success not eminent and a second shot may be needed. I will update with better news.

Good you are at least getting some good results, keep up the fight, never give up!

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I have a follow up in a few weeks with PM doctor. I was woken up by intense tingling down lumbar, back of legs, bottoms of feet that usually goes away quicker. It lasted so long, was nagging on me. Spasms and twitching under skin is ongoing along with pain. I still have hope this might improve, pain except not having too much hope for spasms. So, definitely need answers so it can halt it (it spreads around body).

If this stays this way, I will probably need another one, but the jury is out.

Thank you for the encouragement! I will!

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@udougy

1st full day after injection. Still have some pain and general discomfort mostly in my right leg. 89.9% better tho.

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I like those percentages! keep optimistic!

😊

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Could have gone to 90% but I just wanted to be honest

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@nemo1

Oh my God, Bobby!! 🤗 What an absolute horror. Such a nightmare for you, your wife and family. Such an ordeal to be forced to deal with. I’m so sorry what you had to endure and still endure!

Wish you did not have pain and hope the full body brace is not for a very long time.

Hoping they are doing SOMETHING to aide your healing and pain and hope talking about it, if even a bit, vents some of the anger and dismay at this predicament.

I will say when pain is extreme, when I think how bad it gets and to know it could last for a more prolonged time, it makes me have dark thoughts. But then there are better days when it’s not as bad that gives me a little relief. That said, my hope has taken hits over the last three years.

As this nerve thing progresses, I need to have answers just so I can prepare myself mentally and emotionally to what is ahead. I hear ringing in my head, ‘take one moment at a time’. It’s the one thing that keeps my mind from running like a freight train into depression.

Still hopeful for straight answers even if it’s more testing. I want the best case and worst case scenario. Not to plod along at this rate.

Pain really affects us. It is I’ve found to be a lonely road, in my head. Until a person walks in the shoes, cant see it, can’t feel it, don’t experience it, so how could a person understand. But the good news support comes from different places. Namely here, people who understand and know pain well.

What I’ve done is drawn up a ‘pain related mind map’ to show a doctor. If he or she would like to understand ‘at a glance’ pain. I will include a picture of it. It may not do a thing, but in my head I think it could. Because pain for the most part is an invisible ‘ailment’.

It was therapeutic to draw this pain mind map. For each person has their own pain maps that run parallel or detour out, the thing remains, is how much it affects us, without talking a lot about those extensions is a shared condition. Where support is more often than not, just around the bend.

💜

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The pain charts with the frowning/smiling faces are a pain! A "10" frown face for most people, would be getting your arm cut off with a baby Tylenol for relief. The medical staff usually gives the impression that the pain is all imaginary unless you have a pain that is quite obvious--- such as a broken bone or bleeding to death. Sorry to be such a Downer Donna, but our pain is a real pain in many ways and the medical support is not there for us.

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@mermaid7272

The pain charts with the frowning/smiling faces are a pain! A "10" frown face for most people, would be getting your arm cut off with a baby Tylenol for relief. The medical staff usually gives the impression that the pain is all imaginary unless you have a pain that is quite obvious--- such as a broken bone or bleeding to death. Sorry to be such a Downer Donna, but our pain is a real pain in many ways and the medical support is not there for us.

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I hear you. Not all pain bleeds…

Doctor says she needs to chill
To avoid stress without a pill

Cope with it best she can
To become a thing she could withstand

A mess she is, a mess indeed
The pain is madness that does not bleed

What you can’t perceive
Is endured, such agony

When it flares and when its worse
Yell and howl, moan and curse

It is not fair she wonders why
The curse that is, can’t be defied

So exist she does, to not live the same
Was a life extinct, that became so lame

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@udougy

Had my injection. Was a piece of cake. I have 80% less pain but Dr. says that may be due to the lidocane. He stated that I should feel less pain as the days/hours go by. So far I am quite happy and glad I did it. I know some of the risks and decided to go ahead anyway, as the risks are minimal. I was very happy with my Dr. and staff at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington CT. Will keep updating as the days go by.

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I did injections first 2 were awesome I am 75 and active so did not want to slow down unnecessarily. The 2nd shot lasted 6 weeks then pain 4/5/6 went back in scheduled 3 rd injection it lasted only about a week. So disappointing yet I ended up with at least 13 weeks thru Oct no surgery …I feel anyone that get injections and it helps be thankful !! Nj from CA

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@udougy

Nemo

I was told success not eminent and a second shot may be needed. I will update with better news.

Good you are at least getting some good results, keep up the fight, never give up!

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Well, I’m leveling off and if I’m feeling what I’m feeling, I woke up two days at 3am with intense tingling…Not good. Pains return, leveling off from the steroid elevation. Foot pain back. Not sure what if anything the shots now done.

The only thing I can say is that the tingling I’ve been having since this started, to when I got the shot (had tingling while injected) down both legs. Is back worse. So I’m not feeling too happy. Not sure what another shot would do. False sense of security. The first 2-3 days were promising. Well, that was sort lived.
🙁

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