Epidural?

Now my doctor wants to try an epidural, actually a series of three. I'm not sure I want to do this. I talked to my PT about it, he seems to think that if the prednisone didn't help much, the epidural isn't going to do much. I also talked to a fellow patient at the PT clinic who had the series - and said it didn't do a thing for her.

I'm not sure what else to do, the only improvement I have is the ability to turn my head so I can see to back my car up. My arms/wrists still tingle and hurt like hell, my hands actually burn. My neck still feels like it needs a good cracking, as if I had a "crick" in it.

Do I go back to my PCP and see what she says? Do I continue with the Physical/Sports/Occupational Medicine doctor? This is so depressing, I really thought things would be better by now.

Snap, my mom went through this as well. She tried the shots. The first two did not help but the third did the trick.

Awww, Snap :(
Your pain is many times worse than mine but I know your frustration well.
I doubt that your PCP knows enough about your situation except to refer you to yet another physiatrist but that may be your answer. Like playing the lottery, eventually you'll hit a winner. I'm on my fourth PT.

What does he say the point of the epidural would be? I'm assuming you've researched this avenue.

Think I mentioned before that I had some epidurals during the days when my fibromyalgia was extremely and chronically painful. They were very helpful.

Are they planning to do the epidural to calm down the symptoms while they fix the actual cause through some other method?

Feeling like you've got a "crick" should be giving them a big hint about what the next step should be.

I wish I could get you in to my clinic. We've got a spine specialist that I'd *love* for you to see. Wanna come up to Seattle for a nice long vacation in the middle of the cold and rainy season?;)

Hi knotted,

Maybe I'll take up on your offer :D My good doctor had ordered some X-rays for my back. Not sure if was going to call me or I had to make a followup appointment. So I let it go. nada from the office so I called. The office person said he'll call back to let me know what I need to do. still nothing and its been a month? I guess it wasn't serious enough for me to rush back. Still... my back is in bit of pain.

So how expensive is it going to be out of my pocket? I've riding really easy no hills and less than 10 miles. and slooowww pace. How much slower can I go? nobody knows. GRRRR....

I loved Seattle BTW. and we last visited there in Jan/Feb 2 years ago.

Smilingcat

Snap - the epidurals can be very helpful and just because the prednisone did not work, does not mean the epis won't. Part of the problem is the physical barrier between the blood that carries the meds and the nerve tissue which is encased in dural tissue. The epidural is a strong anti-inflammatory that will be applied directly to the nerve root in question. I would give it a try, IMHO. But Knott's also right, they need to find out what is causing the inflammation/nerve irritation and correct that as much as possible.

Maybe you and Smilingcat need to take a trip up to the Gorge......I'd be happy to try to figure things out for y'all. And the scenery is waaaaaaaay better here than in Seattle.:p

2nd opinion and with a spine specialist. Since this is no longer occupational health, you should be able to shop some specialists, shouldn't you?

I've heard of cosmetic surgery tourism, this may be a whole new venue for an enterprising entrpeneur ;)

Well, I think I'm going to at least postpone the epidural. Going to check out some other options, talk to my PCP.

/whine off.....for now. ;)

The epidurals did nothing for me, either. Sorry.

The only thing that worked for me was surgery. (L4-5). I had to do it twice, not because it didn't work but because I reinjured myself. The second time I was injured, I got to where I couldn't walk without severe pain. My toes burned, My right foot still drags a little because of the compression.

I've been avoiding mentioning the surgery because I didn't want to sound alarmist. However, my dad and my brother both had accidents which necessitated surgery on their c-spine within a year of each other (around 2004). (car wreck and horse wreck, respectively) They both recovered very well, and quickly, although my dad's neck is a little stiffer at 72 years of age.

Sometimes docs want to follow protocols and regimens even if it's not absolutely necessary just so they can say they did it if something ever comes up. (A doc wanted to do an amniocentesis on me with my last child just because I was 32. [?]) I feel both of my epidurals were like that, too. I don't think the doctor actually believed it would help--but we might as well try it in case it does! You may feel that way, too.

Ultimately it's a matter of how much pain you're willing to go through while you wait for the outcome. To my mind, it's very unlikely that I'll go through years and years of that kind of pain, without trying something drastic, like surgery. Some people don't get better with surgery, the docs will be quick to warn you. Some people get better eventually without surgery. When I was faced with that situation I knew I had the best surgeon in Memphis. For me it was just a matter of how long I was willing to wait, in pain, for it to clear up on its own? I didn't have that kind of time.

I'm sorry you're still going through this. If you were my family member, I'd advise you to explore the surgical option.

Karen

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Now my doctor wants to try an epidural, actually a series of three. I'm not sure I want to do this. I talked to my PT about it, he seems to think that if the prednisone didn't help much, the epidural isn't going to do much. I also talked to a fellow patient at the PT clinic who had the series - and said it didn't do a thing for her.

I'm not sure what else to do, the only improvement I have is the ability to turn my head so I can see to back my car up. My arms/wrists still tingle and hurt like hell, my hands actually burn. My neck still feels like it needs a good cracking, as if I had a "crick" in it.

Do I go back to my PCP and see what she says? Do I continue with the Physical/Sports/Occupational Medicine doctor? This is so depressing, I really thought things would be better by now.

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Regina did an anti-inflammatory (I think) epidural for shoulder and arm pain. If you PM her I'm sure she'll tell you how it's helped her.

I've nothing helpful to offer except I'm sorry the prednisone didn't clear things up. It's good you're asking around to a lot of different folks before you make any decisions.

Lunch on me one of these days! ;) (Not literally. I prefer to eat my lunch, not have it heaped on my head.)