topic Re: Lumbar Epidural in Wellness

Lumbar Epidural

jewelfool — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:22:07 GMT

Anyone here had one or more of these? My mom is scheduled for one and the PA was going to schedule us with the doctor to go to the local hospital to be put to sleep to get the injections. However, I've not talked to anyone that has had them and been put to sleep. I don't want her in the local hospital even for an outpatient and she doesn't want to spend the extra money to do outpatient. I've rescheduled with the same doctor only in his office about 30 minutes away. No sedation. Opinions or experiences?

Re: Lumbar Epidural

LilacTree — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:24:15 GMT

I had two, one each for my last two babies. One worked and one didn't. I had no sedation.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

MalteseMomma — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:42:41 GMT

I had one with my second baby,many yrs ago,no sedation either.

Maybe hers is for a different reason than childbirth and would be painful.

Maybe the labor pains out do the pain of the lumbar injection, after all the reason for the lumbar injection for childbirth is that you are awake ,not sedated.

Truthfully if I were just going to get one for any reason now,I would want to be asleep.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

LilacTree — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:51:35 GMT

On 2/24/2014 MalteseMomma said:
I had one with my second baby,many yrs ago,no sedation either.

Maybe hers is for a different reason than childbirth and would be painful.

Maybe the labor pains out do the pain of the lumbar injection, after all the reason for the lumbar injection for childbirth is that you are awake ,not sedated.

Truthfully if I were just going to get one for any reason now,I would want to be asleep.

Ironically, after I felt I had passed a "tree trunk" and my last baby was born, they then had to put me out to tie my tubes, so I had no time to enjoy her, as I had my prior epidural baby. I had to be sterilized because my fourth baby was my last, just four and a half years from my first!! (Many reasons for that which I won't go into.)

Re: Lumbar Epidural

RedTop — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:55:45 GMT

I chose to have an epidural with sedation for my knee replacement. I was awake within a very short time after being moved from the operating room to the recovery room, and within 40 minutes was back in my bed on the orthopedic floor. The epidural wore off within an hour or so, and at that point I was able to stand at the bedside and take my first steps. No problems then, and 2 years later, still no problems. I would definitely choose an epidural again.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

jewelfool — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:53:22 GMT

This is for "back trouble" and nerve pain that runs down into her leg. These are different than the epidurals you have to give birth. It is a combination of corticosteroids and a numbing agent like Lidocaine or something like that to hopefully relieve her back and leg pain. She had back surgery last June on her lower back. She's fully recovered from that but now has degeneration in her upper back. My mother is 82. Sorry I didn't give enough information.

By the way, my daughter had an epidural for childbirth and never will again. They hit the spinal wall or whatever it is and she had a "spinal headache" that kept her flat of her back for over a week. She finally had to go back to the ER and have a spinal patch done to relieve the leaking from the injection.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

LilacTree — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 22:10:34 GMT

On 2/24/2014 jewelfool said:
This is for "back trouble" and nerve pain that runs down into her leg. These are different than the epidurals you have to give birth. It is a combination of corticosteroids and a numbing agent like Lidocaine or something like that to hopefully relieve her back and leg pain. She had back surgery last June on her lower back. She's fully recovered from that but now has degeneration in her upper back. My mother is 82. Sorry I didn't give enough information.

By the way, my daughter had an epidural for childbirth and never will again. They hit the spinal wall or whatever it is and she had a "spinal headache" that kept her flat of her back for over a week. She finally had to go back to the ER and have a spinal patch done to relieve the leaking from the injection.

Best wishes to her. I hope it works well for her, back pain is awful to deal with.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

hckynut — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 22:30:49 GMT

On 2/24/2014 jewelfool said:
Anyone here had one or more of these? My mom is scheduled for one and the PA was going to schedule us with the doctor to go to the local hospital to be put to sleep to get the injections. However, I've not talked to anyone that has had them and been put to sleep. I don't want her in the local hospital even for an outpatient and she doesn't want to spend the extra money to do outpatient. I've rescheduled with the same doctor only in his office about 30 minutes away. No sedation. Opinions or experiences?

I had several of them over they years. They didn't really do much for me except for maybe 2-3 days, but then neither I nor my doctor really thought they would eliminate the source of the problem. My spinal discs were completely ruptured and my Spinal Surgeon was mainly doing this until I got all the blood thinning meds out of my system and got a Greenfield Vena Cava Filter installed.

My nephew owns several Pain Clinics and has told me for a lot of his patience these work pretty well. Butt!! He also says for many it is only a temporary solution to a problem that might need a further type of intervention to completely eliminate it. My Spinal Surgeon friend has said pretty much the same thing. For some it is a great pain reliever and may completely eliminate further pain. For others, not so much.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

olewoman — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 23:40:45 GMT

Im going through the same thing,I had spinal epidural 3 weeks ago it is very painful so its better if she is not awake.I have the best spine doctor in my town the epidural did not help me he said that he can do 3 a year.Doctor also said sine epidurals are not the same as the ones we get when pregnant.My next step is for them to drill holes in my spine and cut all the nerves.I will pray that ut works for her. Im 63

Re: Lumbar Epidural

Tabbycat — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 23:53:21 GMT

My DH had one a couple of years ago?? It didn't help him at all. He refused when they wanted to give him another one.

Just after that, it was when those contaminated ones came into the headline news. He was sure glad he didn't take any more of them.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

gailcoco — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 01:33:23 GMT

I had one two years ago. I don't think they knock you out for these. Make sure that it is an ultrasound guided injection so they get in the right spot. My arthritis is so severe that the physician had a hard time pushing the needle though......I felt like punching his lights out. When I got up from the table he looks at me and asks ""Why are you crying?"". What a jerk! I never went back. This was done in his office. And it did no good for my back pain.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

TootyJane — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 01:48:34 GMT

I have arthritis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) and herniated discs in my lower back and also my neck. I have lumbar (back) and cervical (neck) epidurals every 6 months or so for the past 6-7 years. I have never been put to sleep when having this procedure done. The first time I had sedation and needed someone to drive me home. It wasn't too bad and ever since I have opted for no sedation. After I have injection, they have me wait 15-20 minutes and then I drive myself to work or home. HTH

Re: Lumbar Epidural

jewelfool — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 17:47:27 GMT

Thank you for your responses! I just want to know what to expect and what to advise her what to expect. She's adamant about not going to the hospital and being put to sleep. She has been told they may or may not help. Surgery right now for her is the last option because it has not been a year yet since her lower lumbar surgery. Bless her heart..I just want to do what's best for her in my opinion, regardless of cost but she's very concerned with money and she doesn't really want to be put to sleep even light sedation.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

tototwo — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 17:53:56 GMT

Well, this is all too scary. I was recently diagnosed with bulging disc and pinched nerves in my lower back and my primary doctor referred me to an orthopedic doctor who wants to give me spinal epidurals. I was told it was painless and would "cure" me. Apparently, somebody is lying!

Does anyone have anything good to say about this treatment?

Re: Lumbar Epidural

hckynut — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 18:18:19 GMT

On 2/25/2014 tototwo said:
Well, this is all too scary. I was recently diagnosed with bulging disc and pinched nerves in my lower back and my primary doctor referred me to an orthopedic doctor who wants to give me spinal epidurals. I was told it was painless and would "cure" me. Apparently, somebody is lying!

Does anyone have anything good to say about this treatment?

I will say 1 other thing to add to my other reply. Said that I had several, which is exactly 5 of them over a few years. One thing they were not, was painful to me.

Thought maybe this might help some that may be looking at having this done. As I said, for some they work for long periods of time.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

TootyJane — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 23:54:19 GMT

Let me say this about pain. It ALL depends on the “touch” your doctor has. I have been having lumber epidural injections for a good part of the last 10 years. Fortunately, I have found a pain management doctor that has a great “touch.” The only thing that “hurts” is the sting/pinch when he administers the Lidocaine. HTH

Re: Lumbar Epidural

ivey — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 01:11:58 GMT

I have had several lumbar epidurals through the years. Sedation isn't needed because it's done pretty quickly and doesn't really hurt.

The pain is a twinge/sting as the doctor finds the placement for injection. Then I could feel a funny feeling as it went down my leg--but I wanted that because I knew they had found the area for the sciatic nerve. You may want to walk closely with your mom for a while because your legs feel a little wobbly. I will say the longest these shots have ever lasted was 3 weeks. However, some people--it takes care of the problem for years. Hope that works for your mom.

The epidural itself maybe took 2-3 minutes, so no reason for sedation unless she has some underlying problems.

And I've always had it done at the pain management clinic.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

MalteseMomma — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:05:22 GMT

On 2/24/2014 jewelfool said:
This is for "back trouble" and nerve pain that runs down into her leg. These are different than the epidurals you have to give birth. It is a combination of corticosteroids and a numbing agent like Lidocaine or something like that to hopefully relieve her back and leg pain. She had back surgery last June on her lower back. She's fully recovered from that but now has degeneration in her upper back. My mother is 82. Sorry I didn't give enough information.

By the way, my daughter had an epidural for childbirth and never will again. They hit the spinal wall or whatever it is and she had a "spinal headache" that kept her flat of her back for over a week. She finally had to go back to the ER and have a spinal patch done to relieve the leaking from the injection.

If your mom is getting it for back problems and she is on in age ,I think it best she be relaxed and lightly if not fully asleep when she gets it. She was brave to have back surgery. I have problems your mom has ,though not constant and I don't need surgery, Thank God , but I don't think I would get it if I did. I'm a scaredy cat.I will keep her in my prayers.

When you get the eppi for childbirth you have to lay flat for 24 hrs after you get it or you will get that headache your daughter got.They told me that over 50 yrs ago when my son was born and I had one. I'm sorry that happened to your daughter.

Re: Lumbar Epidural

Danielle46 — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:14:09 GMT

I have herniated disc in the lumbar spine and had an Epidural several years ago to help with pain relief. I would have GLADLY let them put me to sleep!!!! Believe me, its not pain free and you have to stay completely still. I suspect they feel you mom might move around due to discomfort. I had mine done in the hospital. Did not go back for another!!!!

Re: Lumbar Epidural

chrystaltree — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:16:10 GMT

On 2/25/2014 tototwo said:
Well, this is all too scary. I was recently diagnosed with bulging disc and pinched nerves in my lower back and my primary doctor referred me to an orthopedic doctor who wants to give me spinal epidurals. I was told it was painless and would "cure" me. Apparently, somebody is lying!

Does anyone have anything good to say about this treatment?

There is a little discomfort, it's over instantly. Epidural injections are for pain control. Effectiveness depends on the patient. The epidural does not cure anything. Ultimately the reason for the pain must be addressed.