Radio-frequency Ablations???

[4eversmiling]

I am 28 yrs old and i have had extreme back pain now for 2 yrs. I have been through 2 MRI's which show disc L4-L5 and L5-S1have tears in them. Also was told that i have 3 level disc disease by an Orthopedic surgeon. I have had 4 epidural injections with not much relief, then that's when i was sent to the Orthopedic surgeon, then they sent me back to another pain specialist and they told me that i have nerve damage that is causing the sharp, sudden, shooting pains. So the prvd had me do a medial branch block, which worked amazingly. However now the perm prcd is the radio-frequency ablation and i was told that the insurance CO considers this experimental and may not cover it because it normally does not work. I am trying to find out if there is anything else that i might be able to do for this pain. I am at the point i don't even want to go to work anymore. I am on Percocets but they are not working anymore the pain is getting worse. If the RFA is a good thing to do then have you had any great successes with it??

[namnam46]

I just sent you a Private Message with the information that you had requested. I sent you my E-mail if you want further details. Good luck to you. I look forward to hearing how everything goes. If it lasted one week that is absolutely fantastic!!!! You would be a definite candidate for the RFA.

[4eversmiling]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will look into the prvd that Tuckamore suggested. I am at my wits end with this pain and i just needed to see what others thought about the procedure that was being suggested. I am glad that Namnam is was a great success for you. My medial branch block actually lasted me a week. I have had such a grad week in my life in the last 2 years. I just ***** that my insurance may not pay for it and i cant afford the $1300 my DR wants to do it. Shellbell79 thank you for the look at the other side of what could happen. I will keep it posted on how things turn out. Again thanks to you all for your responses.

[namnam46]

Hi 4eversmiling,

I noticed that you are also from Arizona. I'm in the Phoenix area.

I'm new to this forum but I can tell you my experience with RFA.  I have severe arthritis and DDD and I'm on Medicare. Fortunately for me, Medicare covered it with no problem. This was the BEST thing I have ever done. I had my left side done in 3 places on March 28, 2010 and the right side in 3 places on April 8, 2010. From the time I stood up after the procedure my horrific pain was gone.  There was a VERY SMALL amount of discomfort from the procedure the next day. My pain was so severe that there were many days I had to use a walker. I normally use a cane. There have been many times around the house that I haven't even used the cane!!  My pain will never be gone in the rest of my back because of the severity of the DDD, but I'm on the Fentanyl 50 and Norco 10/325 for breakthrough pain.

I knew in my heart that after my Medial Branch Block was such a terrific success (no pain for over 24 hours) that I had to give the procedure a try. I'm so happy I did. I haven't had any relief for the worst part of my pain since 1994. I can't tell you how great it is to have pain that is now controllable. If your insurance will allow you to do this I hope you will consider it. Be sure you have the best Dr. you can find. I did and that 's one reason mine worked out so well.

Best of luck to you. If you would like anymore information about the procedure you can Private Message me. Please let us know how you're doing.

Sherry

[SHELLBELL79]

I had RF 2x and the first time it worked great for almost 3 months. The 2nd time I had it nothing happened. I was later told that it really doesn't work a 2nd time b/c the nerves grow back angry. The RF can work and not work at all. The longest relief you can get for it is 6 months. Try it, it might work! I was so happy the first time b/c it did work but, not for long. Good luck! If you have any specific questions you can PM me!

[Tuckamore]

Hi 4eversmiling,

Welcome to MedHelp's Pain Mangement Forum. I am glad you found us and took the time to post. However I am sorry to hear about your chronic lower back pain.

Dr. Jim Humphries, BS, DVM has some great information on RFA. He is a veterinarian on MedHelp and has some great personal knowledge on this procedure. You can find his comments and information at the following address: http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/index/921364

I hope this will be helpful. We all get tired of taking narcotics, especially when our condition deteriorates and they are no longer as effective as they once were. You may benefit from a longer acting opiate and use your current medication for break through pain control. I would discuss this with my prescribing physician.

I wish you the best and hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
~Tuck