PAIN MANAGEMENT AND EPIDURAL

[DandMe]

I have 2 disc bulges in C5-6.  I'm schedule to go in for a cervical epidural next week. Has anyone had this done?  Also, my PM only wrote my script til the schedule date, does this mean she is planning to cut me off?  Will this take my pain away or atlest make it managable?  I'm ok to come off them as long as the pain is down to a 3-4, but now even on my pain meds (norco 10) it's a 8-9.  What else can be done to  help the pain?
Thanks
Mary

[DandMe]

I do believe you are right.  My pain is too much for just a bulge.  I WISH they would so surgery, I think that they will find more than the MRI showed. I just started with this new doc and I think they will try all the uninvasive stuff first b/f surgery is even considered.  I will do  the epidural, only because that is the only option they are offereing me.  Even though I'm praying this will work, deep down I don't think that will fix it.  I've had several cortison shots and trigger point injecton and PT.  I also have the same thing with my rt. leg and she wont even address that yet. All with no change.  This pain is taking over my life.Thanks for the info and support.
Mary

[Tuckamore]

Hi Again Mary,

MRI's do not always provide the complete picture. A close family member had all the tests. They showed minor disc herniation and mild nerve impingement. His pain was disabling. He could not walk.

His astute surgeon decided to go in for at least a look and ended up doing lots of repair.  I talked to the surgeon immediately following the operation. He said that the damage was unbelievable. He would not have beleived it had he not seen it. The imaging did not reveal the true condition of the structure. I don't want to add more concern. The good news is this person walked the very next day without pain. He never took another pain med either. He has had no major problems since that day.

There are success stories. I am sorry that you are having increased pain. Keep in touch. We are here to support you.

[DandMe]

I agree, I will google it.  I'm worried about the epidural.  My pain has increased tenfolds in the last few days.  My arm in now numb and a deep aching and burning in my shoulder.  I can't even get my docs to call back.  I've only been seeing  this new doc (PMP) for about 2 months.  So far, I don't have much faith in this doc yet.  I hope they prove me wrong.  Thanks for the advice.
Mary

[Ghilly]

PLEASE, before you go for an epidural, Google "adhesive arachnoiditis" and do a LOT of reading before consenting to it.  Epidural injections have recently been implicated as one of the major causes of adhesive arachnoiditis, which is 50 times worse than anything the epidural would be given to treat.  It has been discovered that somewhere in the neighborhood of 75% of the patients who have epidural injections develop arachnoiditis to SOME degree, and a percentage of those develop it to the adhesive stage, where the nerves in the spinal column fuse together into clumps, forming scar tissue that blocks the flow of cerebro-spinal fluid.  I have already completely lost the use of my right leg once, but through diligence, determination and sheer will I got it back.  The next time I might not be so lucky, and I never know when the next time might be.  It comes on with no warning.

Some of the other symptoms are burning pain in the limbs, the feeling that there are shards of broken glass stuck in the soles of your feet when you put weight on them, the inability of the body to adjust to differentiations in temperature, leaving you sweating like some kind of farm animal in the middle of winter, constant pain throughout the body, vision problems, memory problems, the list is long and varied.  

If there is another way to treat your problem besides an epidural injection, choose that way.  Avoid the epidural at all costs.

Ghilly

[DandMe]

I think you may be right. The docs do put such faith in the MRI's, I wonder if there is more going on.   If it was only slightly pressing, I shouldn't be in as much pain as I'm.  I'm going to look into a second opinion.  I am not having much fun with daily activities either.  I do have mucsle weakness , numbness, tingling and spasms too.

[RunningMom]

I would suggest getting a second opinion with another surgeon.  If it is pressing on the spinal cord for too long, it could cause permanent damage.  My disc was on the spinal cord for 6 months.   It's been horrible.  When I was out of surgery, the surgeon told me that my disc was pressing on the spinal cord more then the MRI had shown.  I don't know if the MRI was incorrect or if I further injured myself with my daily activities.  Do you have any muscle weakness?  

[DandMe]

The pain is terrible.  The bulges are only slightly pressing on the spinal cord.  The doc didn't seem to want to do surgery, but I'm willing to try anything  I've already had trigger point injections, and 4 cortisone shots, plus PT.  The majority of my pain is the deep burning pain and the headaches.   Why so much pain if it is ONLY pressing slightly on the cord.  IF only someone could cut me off at the shoulders...........I"m placing such high hopes on this upcoming procedure.

Thanks for the info
Mary

[RunningMom]

They will probably write a new script at the time of your injection, they may prescribe something stronger due to the fact that the norco isn't helping much.  I'm having another ESI tomorrow.  I've had so many injections this last year and the ESI's are the easiest to handle.  I've had injections that have increased my pain to unbearable(the last one did).  I've never had a shot help yet, but I'm in a new pain clinic and they want to try this one again.

How bad are your disc bulges?  If your disc is pressing on the spinal cord, you may want to consider surgery.  If the injections do not work, they will move on to diagnostic injections to see if your a canidate for nerve burning.  There are also trigger point injections, PT, and the tens unit to help with the pain.

Icing your neck may help.  You can also alternate heat with ice.  The heat will help if you have any muscle spasms due to the disc bulging.  Good luck.

[peekawho]

I had epidurals of the lumbar area, and I had very good results from mine, almost immediately.  
Some do, some don't.

For me personally, a new problem arose a few weeks after the last injection.  This is not typical, and should likely not affect you.

My last epidural steroid injection was the end of August, and there has been  no return of the radiculopathy and disc-related pain.  I now apparently have facet pain, but that's a different story and not something that happens to everyone.

[DandMe]

I hope that is all there is.  I recently had to detox from all my pain meds (due to being refered to PM).  The withdraw was bad, I was clean for 3 weeks before I seen the PM.  I had hoped that my pain level was all in my head.  But the 3 weeks I was off my meds were hell.  Since being back on my pain pills, I've been much more careful. Never taking my daily allowance of 4 pills per day.  I hope that if this procedure fixes the problem, coming off the meds won't be as bad.  Thanks for responding.
Mary

[Tuckamore]

Hi Mary,

I have read other posts from members that have had this procedure in the cervical area. Sorry I do not have any personal experience with this.

You PMP may be waiting to see how you will respond to the injection before he writes an additional script. Even if it is effective you may have increased pain for the first 24-36 hours. I think you may at least need something for pain control initially.

Hopefully others will post and let us know of their personal experiences. Sundays can be a bit slower than week days. Best of luck with your ESI. I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
Tuck