Hi shells24:
I know that it can be disappointing to say nothing of expensive and time consuming to enter a type of cure and end up with
little to no relief
The same thing happened to me so now I am on narcotic pills and a pain patch.
These drugs are highly controlled and you must go to a pain clinic to get them after getting a series of tests to determine
what your condition is and if the drugs will help.
You may be afraid of becoming addicted, or may have a family to consider which is all something to consider
If you have any questions I can help you with regarding the pills/patch just connect with me.
All the best and feel better soon. defl

Hi @deefl. Thanks for the information. Yes I too am currently under the supervision of a pain center to manage the pain. I am also on meds to help manage, and was hoping these injections would be a way for me to be rid of the pills, but no such luck. I have not considered the patch. Is it a daily patch? does it really help alleviate the pain? pros, cons?

I was on Fentanyl pain patch for 18 months. While my pain was gone, it was not a fix and I was happy to get off of these highly addicting patches.

Hi shells24 I do not feel there is any down side to the patch. I use a special tape to hold it down on the edges as I have had it lift up.
I am also on opioid medication too because the pain is pretty intense without it as well.
I do not feel I am an addict but do require more sleep with this much medication. Each person is different and their
reaction will be different as you know. If you are on, or will be on pills one day, you can cut them so you are not getting
so much medication. You can not cut the patch. What I like about the patch is you have a steady stream of medication
as opposed to a pill that seems to end abruptly and then you need to take more to get relief. I am covered both ways.

There IS a down side to using ANY Opioid. Yes, they will help with the pain, but are very habit forming, PLUS.....one should avoid driving because technically you would be Driving Under the Influence. I know. I was taking Morphine and Tramadol for ten years for Neuropathy pain. I got pulled over by a cop who just happened to be a good friend. I told him about my condition and my meds. As a friend he had me do a Field Sobriety test which I failed miserably because my Neuropathy makes walking straight impossible. Again, as a friend, he took me to the ER for a blood test, which showed the narcotics, and I failed miserably also. All this could have resulted in a ticket, but instead he took me home and had another cop drive my car home. he said IF I promised to quit driving OR get off narcotics, he would NOT give me the ticket I sooooo deserved. I got off very lucky and within a month I was at Mayo's Pain Rehab Center where they cleaned me up and taught me how to "MANAGE" my pain. BTW, my cop friend is now an even better friend.

What a great friend - making a punishable moment into a deep learning moment.

medic7054 You are lucky to have such a good friend. Is there any way to tell what states have laws like this? I never thought of this. I drive all the time, but since I have used my pain medication for years I feel that I can adjust for it, so far no accidents or tickets for many years. If this is true in many states it will make pain control harder and life more difficult for many pain suffers.. Opioids are not the best pain control, but for some they work. In fact my sciatic pain which usually comes as shooting pains that cause me to jump are in my opinion more dangerous if I am driving, however if I feel an attack coming on I do not drive, nor do I drive if I feel I can not control things well due to new medication.. If many states have these kinds of laws there are many people who could be in trouble. From my point of view this adds more problems for pain suffers who maintain control, but may not be able to pass a blood test. I could not walk a straight line even if I had no drugs in my system since I am missing a leg and I kind of wabble when I walk in all circumstances. 🙂 I woulld like to know if there is a way to check which states have strict standards? 19lin

All states have basically the same DWI laws. When driving with narcotics onboard you are running the risk. No, lets say you had an accident and the other party was either seriously injured or killed, you would be held liable when they tested your blood and found narcotics. I was lucky.

I went through a series of epidural shots and facet injections many years ago for my cervical spine and nerve compression. Fortunately, I was insured. I continued to receive the shots despite receiving no benefit or relief since the doctor insisted that it would take a while for the injections to work. The last facet shot was extremely painful, more so than the other shots, and left me with a pain in my neck which has never gone away. I decided that, for me, the shots were not beneficial, just costly and time-consuming. After running into other patients who went through the same thing, it seemed as though only the doctor's bank account was benefitting from this treatment.

I have had 2 shots also and found no relief either so not doing them anymore what's the point