Re: Has Anyone had success with Epidural for pain?

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

About 10 years ago, while under the care of a pain management specialist, i received a series of injections about every 2 weeks trying to relieve pain in my lower back. I never did experience any relief. The doctor finally declared he had done all he could do for me.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

@gloriajean- No. I had my limit of three injections during August and September for neck pain due to compressed vertabrae and a bulging disc at level C5/C6. The first two were done as standard injections, the third was with a catheter, hoping to get deeper penetration. Immediately afterwards I felt a good degree of improvement, but that passed and after a day I was in pain again. I've tried other types of non-invasive treatment that either made me hurt more or didn't help. Long story short, I've been approved and am moving forward to have ACDF surgery in a few weeks. Currently I'm doing all the pre-op requirements - bloodwork, chest x-ray, spinal procedure class, PCP clearance, etc., I'm looking forward to it so I can finally have relief but not looking forward to the recovery process.

bootsanne · ‎01-21-2011

@Kachina624 My husband has spinal stenosis and severe artritus in his back. He has had 2 back injections, 1 hip injection. Zero rellief. Physical therapy, exercise, steroids, nothing has worked Doctor told him the same thing--we tried, goodbye. He's too old for surgery which doesn't usually have a high success rate.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@bootsanne wrote:
@Kachina624 My husband has spinal stenosis and severe artritus in his back. He has had 2 back injections, 1 hip injection. Zero rellief. Physical therapy, exercise, steroids, nothing has worked Doctor told him the same thing--we tried, goodbye. He's too old for surgery which doesn't usually have a high success rate.

@bootsanne. Over a period of several years, I've consulted four neurosurgeons and they all told me unless pain in the legs is the problem, surgery won't help. I've tried a riduculous number of things and nothing has helped, so I've pretty much given up and adjusted to not walking or standing much. I have a mobility scooter I can take places if I want to go badly enough to load it up.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@gloriajean- No. I had my limit of three injections during August and September for neck pain due to compressed vertabrae and a bulging disc at level C5/C6. The first two were done as standard injections, the third was with a catheter, hoping to get deeper penetration. Immediately afterwards I felt a good degree of improvement, but that passed and after a day I was in pain again. I've tried other types of non-invasive treatment that either made me hurt more or didn't help. Long story short, I've been approved and am moving forward to have ACDF surgery in a few weeks. Currently I'm doing all the pre-op requirements - bloodwork, chest x-ray, spinal procedure class, PCP clearance, etc., I'm looking forward to it so I can finally have relief but not looking forward to the recovery process.

@JeanLouiseFinch

It is not my intention to hyjack this thread. But, I did want to pass this along to you.

I was struck by 4 drunk drivers over a 12 year period and thus suffered injuries to my cervical spine. In 1994 had an anterior diskectomy with fusion at C5-6. Believe me when I tell you that the recovery process is nothing compared to other necessary ortho surgeries.

Regardless of what you've been told, make sure you have plenty of pillows and even a wedge underneath soft pillows, to build up a comfortable sleeping situation for yourself. Don't forget to prop up your arms/shoulders as well. You will be sleeping on your back, so something under your legs to keep your knees slightly bent is something you'll need to do as well.

Make sure your favorite place in the livingroom or den is made comfortable, with a side table or tables pulled right up to your chair. No straining to reach. I always made sure I had everything I needed for at least several hours on my tables. I mostly watched TV those first 2 weeks, as I was pretty drugged up. You may not experience this. However, appreciate that you have just had a fusion and respect whatever has been used as the fusion medium. I had bone from the bone bank, so was very careful in my movements and walking. My husband said I walked like a ghost, gliding over the carpet.

Within those first 2 weeks, I had moderate to severe pain in both upper extremities, hence the pain meds. What occurs during surgery is that nerves are manhandled: they're retracted with instruments, even pulled a bit by a gloved 5th finger on occasion; there may be an electric drill near nerve bundles working on ostrophytes; and, just plain manhandling of tissue and bone (removing bone) from the operative site, simply excites nerves in such a negative manner as to make them mad as heck. The outcome of this is post-op pain, the likes of which is what I experienced in my two arms and traps for 2 weeks or so. The pain and heavy NSAIDs really helped. After this interval, the nerves stopped "squealing" so much, if you get my drift.

Also, know and adhere to lifting limits, per your surgeon. It is very easy to set oneself set back by going overboard. Honestly, I went into this surgery in such bad condition, that when my 3 month post-op appt arrived, I absolutely could not believe how great my neck, arms and fingers felt. I could actually move my neck, just like a normal person - without any pain.

All the best to you. God Bless ~ Rebecca

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

@sfnative wrote:
@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@gloriajean- No. I had my limit of three injections during August and September for neck pain due to compressed vertabrae and a bulging disc at level C5/C6. The first two were done as standard injections, the third was with a catheter, hoping to get deeper penetration. Immediately afterwards I felt a good degree of improvement, but that passed and after a day I was in pain again. I've tried other types of non-invasive treatment that either made me hurt more or didn't help. Long story short, I've been approved and am moving forward to have ACDF surgery in a few weeks. Currently I'm doing all the pre-op requirements - bloodwork, chest x-ray, spinal procedure class, PCP clearance, etc., I'm looking forward to it so I can finally have relief but not looking forward to the recovery process.

@JeanLouiseFinch

It is not my intention to hyjack this thread. But, I did want to pass this along to you.

I was struck by 4 drunk drivers over a 12 year period and thus suffered injuries to my cervical spine. In 1994 had an anterior diskectomy with fusion at C5-6. Believe me when I tell you that the recovery process is nothing compared to other necessary ortho surgeries.

Regardless of what you've been told, make sure you have plenty of pillows and even a wedge underneath soft pillows, to build up a comfortable sleeping situation for yourself. Don't forget to prop up your arms/shoulders as well. You will be sleeping on your back, so something under your legs to keep your knees slightly bent is something you'll need to do as well.

Make sure your favorite place in the livingroom or den is made comfortable, with a side table or tables pulled right up to your chair. No straining to reach. I always made sure I had everything I needed for at least several hours on my tables. I mostly watched TV those first 2 weeks, as I was pretty drugged up. You may not experience this. However, appreciate that you have just had a fusion and respect whatever has been used as the fusion medium. I had bone from the bone bank, so was very careful in my movements and walking. My husband said I walked like a ghost, gliding over the carpet.

Within those first 2 weeks, I had moderate to severe pain in both upper extremities, hence the pain meds. What occurs during surgery is that nerves are manhandled: they're retracted with instruments, even pulled a bit by a gloved 5th finger on occasion; there may be an electric drill near nerve bundles working on ostrophytes; and, just plain manhandling of tissue and bone (removing bone) from the operative site, simply excites nerves in such a negative manner as to make them mad as heck. The outcome of this is post-op pain, the likes of which is what I experienced in my two arms and traps for 2 weeks or so. The pain and heavy NSAIDs really helped. After this interval, the nerves stopped "squealing" so much, if you get my drift.

Also, know and adhere to lifting limits, per your surgeon. It is very easy to set oneself set back by going overboard. Honestly, I went into this surgery in such bad condition, that when my 3 month post-op appt arrived, I absolutely could not believe how great my neck, arms and fingers felt. I could actually move my neck, just like a normal person - without any pain.

All the best to you. God Bless ~ Rebecca

@sfnative- I can't thank you enough, Rebecca, for taking the time to write all that out for me!. Over my lifetime, I've had the random slip and falls on ice a few times, but no real accident or injury that I can directly relate to my situation. Rather, I believe it's just degeneration. I've neve had any ortho surgery before. I've been doing a lot of reading online which can be both good and bad. The surgeon I've chosen has a stellar reputation and comes highly recommended by friends and family. At our consultation visit with him, he really put both my husband and I at ease. Granted, there's always a chance for some kind of complication but I'm very confident in his ability.

Fortunately, my husband has been given the OK to work from home as long as he needs to but we don't want to abuse that either. Hopefully by the end of week three I'll be good enough to stay alone during the day. I've been doing some shopping for various necessities that I think I'll need, even bendy straws to drink from since tilting my head back will be out of the question. I already have a leg wedge but I'm glad you mentioned the bed wedge and pillows. I have plenty of pillows (all those My Pillow TSV's - LOL) In the beginning, I plan to "live" in our family room. I have a recliner that I can sleep in and there's a shower in the bathroom. I have a feeling I'll want to move back to the bedroom at some point, though, before the collar comes off. I know the wedge & pillow system will be needful there. The way our family room is set up, I'll have a table right beside me and I actually have one of those folding desk tray things from QVC that I can have when I eat. I'm not expecting to do too much of that at first, but hoping the disphasia doesn't last too long.

For post-op pain, I'm guessing I'll be put on opiods. Honestly, that scares me. I'll stay with them for the first week, two if I have to, but I want off of them ASAP and move to something OTC. Reading about your 3 month post-op visit is very encouraging, I'm hoping I have similar results. The pain is one thing, but I've been concerned about the feeling in my fingers returning. The doc said it all depends on how damaged the nerves are. Time will tell.

One thing I'd like to ask you. I know driving is out of the question for awhile, but how long was it before you could ride as a passenger? We have an opportunity to go somewhere a couple hours away, a little over three weeks after surgery. I've read about stopping and getting out to walk around every so often but I also want to make a wise decision, if going away is even sensbile or not. My passenger seat reclines and I could pad my surroundings with pillows, maybe I could even invest in a medical support pillow to keep my head and neck stabilized.

Lastly, again, thank you so much!

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@sfnative wrote:
@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@gloriajean- No. I had my limit of three injections during August and September for neck pain due to compressed vertabrae and a bulging disc at level C5/C6. The first two were done as standard injections, the third was with a catheter, hoping to get deeper penetration. Immediately afterwards I felt a good degree of improvement, but that passed and after a day I was in pain again. I've tried other types of non-invasive treatment that either made me hurt more or didn't help. Long story short, I've been approved and am moving forward to have ACDF surgery in a few weeks. Currently I'm doing all the pre-op requirements - bloodwork, chest x-ray, spinal procedure class, PCP clearance, etc., I'm looking forward to it so I can finally have relief but not looking forward to the recovery process.

@JeanLouiseFinch

It is not my intention to hyjack this thread. But, I did want to pass this along to you.

I was struck by 4 drunk drivers over a 12 year period and thus suffered injuries to my cervical spine. In 1994 had an anterior diskectomy with fusion at C5-6. Believe me when I tell you that the recovery process is nothing compared to other necessary ortho surgeries.

All the best to you. God Bless ~ Rebecca
@sfnative- I can't thank you enough, Rebecca, for taking the time to write all that out for me!. Over my lifetime, I've had the random slip and falls on ice a few times, but no real accident or injury that I can directly relate to my situation. Rather, I believe it's just degeneration. I've neve had any ortho surgery before. I've been doing a lot of reading online which can be both good and bad. The surgeon I've chosen has a stellar reputation and comes highly recommended by friends and family. At our consultation visit with him, he really put both my husband and I at ease. Granted, there's always a chance for some kind of complication but I'm very confident in his ability.

Fortunately, my husband has been given the OK to work from home as long as he needs to but we don't want to abuse that either. Hopefully by the end of week three I'll be good enough to stay alone during the day. I've been doing some shopping for various necessities that I think I'll need, even bendy straws to drink from since tilting my head back will be out of the question. I already have a leg wedge but I'm glad you mentioned the bed wedge and pillows. I have plenty of pillows (all those My Pillow TSV's - LOL) In the beginning, I plan to "live" in our family room. I have a recliner that I can sleep in and there's a shower in the bathroom. I have a feeling I'll want to move back to the bedroom at some point, though, before the collar comes off. I know the wedge & pillow system will be needful there. The way our family room is set up, I'll have a table right beside me and I actually have one of those folding desk tray things from QVC that I can have when I eat. I'm not expecting to do too much of that at first, but hoping the disphasia doesn't last too long.

For post-op pain, I'm guessing I'll be put on opiods. Honestly, that scares me. I'll stay with them for the first week, two if I have to, but I want off of them ASAP and move to something OTC. Reading about your 3 month post-op visit is very encouraging, I'm hoping I have similar results. The pain is one thing, but I've been concerned about the feeling in my fingers returning. The doc said it all depends on how damaged the nerves are. Time will tell.

One thing I'd like to ask you. I know driving is out of the question for awhile, but how long was it before you could ride as a passenger? We have an opportunity to go somewhere a couple hours away, a little over three weeks after surgery. I've read about stopping and getting out to walk around every so often but I also want to make a wise decision, if going away is even sensbile or not. My passenger seat reclines and I could pad my surroundings with pillows, maybe I could even invest in a medical support pillow to keep my head and neck stabilized.

Lastly, again, thank you so much!

@JeanLouiseFinch

I'll be frank: 3 weeks out is not only pushing it, its prohibitive. My restriction was thus: at 8 weeks I could be a passenger for short city trips ONLY; then came my 3 month post-op appt at which point my surgeon indicated I could return to work and drive, but no long distances and was still limited to a 10lb lifting restriction.

The issue with being a passenger or driving is this. Keep in mind that you have a fusion medium between 2 disks in your neck. Patency must be maintained at all times. If this becomes dislodged, one could become paralyzed. During travel in any motor vehicle, there is foward, backward and side-to-side movement, all of which the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your body must make adjustment. Adjustment is made by conraction of muscle groups, including the neck muscles and muscle groups near your neck. Remember: you will have an anterior incision. Though this is not very important regarding transportation, the retraction of tissue and all that was accomplished internally should be respected with the uttmost care.

Getting out and walking around, frankly, will not compensate for possible internal set-backs due to your body's reaction to the intrinsics of riding in an autobile. If it were me, I wouldn't go anywhere near a car

gloriajean · ‎03-10-2010

I'm so sorry to read about all you went thru and still are, Rebecca! Oh My Gosh! I certainly promise to pray for you.

My husband's PT this morning was very pleased with his strength coming back and his improvement from his sciatic nerve. That happened on Labor day weekend, a long time to be in such severe pain.

My daughter had her 3rd Epidural hopefully in the right spot this time, and still in pain, hopefully gradually it will go away! Her back is still swollen yet from the Epidural, but hopefully she will get better.

MarieIG · ‎03-10-2010

My son had three epidurals for herniated discs when he was very young. The relief was very short lived. He ended up with a micro discectomy from an EXCELLENT spinal surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC which did give him relief.

Do the math.