Epidural shot today...questions...

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BonBon7

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Hi all! Today I had my first epidural for an l4-l5 l5-s1 herniations...my left leg hurts more now which the doc says is normal b/c the shot may irritate my nerve first before I feel better. But while he was giving me the shot I knew he was injecting the "fluid" b/c the pain radiated down my left leg which is primarly where the siatic pain is! Has anyone eles had this happen to them? Also, how many shots do you normally get?
I'm 23 and I just feel like I'm too young for all of this! Will my back only get worse with age? :(
 
Does your doctor offer any sedation with the ESI? My pain management physician gives everyone versed and demerol (in my case fentanyl since I react poorly to demerol). He does so partly becuase the injection itself can be painful and he feels the more relaxed the patient is and the less they experience during the injection - the better off they will be. He gives enough "conscious sedation" so that you are not totally out like general anesthesia but you are out of it - usually the rest of the day is a blur for me as I sleep it off.
 
Hi BonBon,

Welcome to the board.

Did you injure yourself or what was the reason you found out you have some herniations?

To answer your questions, when I had my first ESI, I was fairly miserable for the first 3 days. I had been told to stay flat on my back for at least the first 48 hours as that maximizes the shot's ability to do some good.

It is not unusual to have some weird sensations when the fluid is going in. Were you under sedation for the procedure?

ESIs are usually given in a series of three. You should not have any more than that for at leat 6 months, some say a year. If the first one does not provide any relief, they usually still want to try a second...but if neither helps, they usually won't bother with a third.

I can't really answer the question about whether your back will continue to get worse with age. There are too many unknowns -- like what caused the herniations you now have. You WILL need to always be mindful of your back from now on. You will want to try to keep your weight at a normal level, keep your central core and pelvic girdle muscles strong as they hold up the back, practice good body mechanics and posture, and avoid activities that are going to put undo stress on your back...like helping frienRAB move, etc!!!
 
I have been thru that IV nightmare too. God, it hurts, doesnt it??????????? One time I was getting an epidural in my neck so I was having the sedation. That sadist nurse tried like 4 times because I told her off. sheesh. I think there is a rule that the same nurse SHOULD NOT try a certain nuraber of times before handing the job over to another nurse. This nurse didnt even apologize. I almost decked her.
One time I had a serious sinus infection and needed an IV called a PIK LINE. Its more complicated than a regular IV. Its one that stays in for weeks at a time. Two home nurses couldnt get it in. They tried for 45 mins. and then finally they called their supervisor on the other end of Denver (about 45 mins away) and she had to drive to my house and do it. I am usually pretty tolerant, but I had to throw a fit before they called that supervisor. My arm looked pretty horrible after that nightmare. SO I HEAR YA!
 
He did give me sedation...it didn't do anything for me! I didn't feel comfortable or sleepy or not tense. I was very tense and I could have driven myself home, that's how little the sedation worked! I have a very low tolerance for pain and high tolerance for meRAB...:( in fact I'm waiting for the doc to call me back to see if I can get another pain prescription b/c no pain has left from the shot(had it monday) in fact I'd say I feel even worse. :mad: The doc gave me Ultram b/c it was after hours and he couldn't call in percocet...which is what I have been taking...and not only does it not help for pain but it gives me the runs...all week now...UGH! I wish this wasn't happening! (thanks for letting me vent:D)
 
I have had these injections before and am scheduled for one on Thursday. I remeraber that the pain would sometimes increase the first two days and then get better. I was asleep for the injection though, I think its like a light twilight. I have an iv and right before the injection I am out, but I wake up shortly afterwarRAB.

Lori
 
The thing that bothers me most about putting in the IV, it isn't the initial poke it is when they twist, turn, dig and what not to get the vein. I have a pretty good tolerance to pain, and I also have 4 tatoo's so it isn't the needle persay that bothers me.

Its when I tell them what can be done to ease in getting the IV, or blood draw ie: warm blankets or a heat pack to help draw the veins. I am just tired of going through this each and every time I go to this particular hospital and however I don't have a choice either as my PM only works at this hospital. It also works if they use a nurabing agent prior to the poke, and apparently the ultra sound. But why does it have to take them 5 tries before looking at other avenues in getting it in??? These are suposedly educated people so I would assume they 1) can listen to the patient as he/she knows their body and what works, and what doesn't. Or where you have better acess. 2) why can't they read what what is put into the patients chart? I have notes on my chart in regarRAB to this as every time I have gone to this hospital I go through this every single dang time. And you know what it plainly annoying. Ending up being poked 10 different times before they could get the IV started if unreal. This is not a hard thing to do, especially if you listen to what the patient tells ya. The hardest thing about recovering, or in having a procedure or surgery done shouldn't be the agravation in getting the IV started. If anything it should be the other way around. At least in my opinon.
 
I had 2 epidurals, 3 weeks apart. I was going to have a third one, but since I only got 5 days of relief from those 2, the Dr. decided it didnt make sense to do the 3rd. My pain seems to be more from the facet joints than the bulging disks, apparently.
 
I have seen many people who get relief. In fact last night my husband and I went to dinner with some frienRAB - the guy had awful sciatic pain, had the Epidural two weeks ago and feels 100% better. So there's always hope
 
I had my epidural shot yesterday, I was totally asleep. The doctor says "you ready to take a little nap, he then put something in the iv and I was out. I woke up back on the stretcher. Its always odd to me how you are face down on a table waiting for the injection and then you wake up on your back, in the bed you started in! My pain was horrendous yesterday, hope its better today.
 
I hurt my back at work. I've been out for going on 4 weeks now. What are other options for pain relief besides pills and shots? Will I have to have physical therapy?

They say I have DDD also.
So I guess I'm not going to get better with age?
Thank You all for the advice given!
 
I had my epidural on THursday, and though the pain is still there it is definately not as bad that it has been. Still seeing the nurabness and weakness tho. This was only the first of the series so hopefully it will work. As the next step if the ESI don't work is Percutaneous Discectomy Probe and then surgery. I am really trying to be hopefull as I really don't want a major back surgery at least not yet. I have heard so many others who have had more pain in the long run than they originally did, so am a bit scared of the thought of major back surgery. Also going to school online, I need to be able to still work on my school work and be online to do it. Laying on my back doesn't seem like school and that surgery would work together. LOL
 
I too had an epidural injection on Thursday, the epidural it self was fine and I was completely knocked out. It does amaze me on how you are lying on your stomach for the procedure and somehow end up in your original bed, and on your back. LOL this always throughs me. Any ways, its too soon to tell if the epidural had done anything but as of now, I feel basically the same pain I always do. On a scale of 1-10 I would say maybe a 9ish at time a definate 10 and even 10+++ Urgh I am just so sick of dealing with this pain. I am concerned about the increase of nurabness and weakness in both my legs if I stand more than 2 min.

My only problem I had in general with the injection yesterday was the starting of the IV and people refusing to listen to you as to what works with your body and veins. After being poked 5 times, I was about to walk out and cancel the procedure. As now the anest. guy is threatning to put the IV in a foot or ankle or I would have to do the procedure without sedation. 2 weeks ago I had a discography and with that still vivid in my head I was not doing this procedure without sedation. LOL. They ended up getting the IV started in the procedure room 3 additonal pokes and didn't get it in. Though I do have to admit they did you some kind of nurabing thing so they weren't as bad. 4th try, they use an ultra sound and found the vein. Not to mention the anest. guy prior to this was saying well I can find a vein blindly and I was like a no, I don't think so. After a few arguements yeah I had the procedure, with the help of ultra sound did find a vein. Today both arms from elbow to knuckles are just covered in bruises.

There is now another notation on my chart on how to set up the IV, and also to listen to what the pateint (me) is telling the people. I will admit I don't have the most cooperating veins to begin with, as they tend to run for the hill upon seeing a needle; however, I do know what normally work. This is the only hospital I have ever gone to that I go through this aggravation with every single dang time. IV's aren't suposed to be that hard to start or get in. The worse thing about a procedure shouldn't be the IV. Sheesh.
 
I am day two from epidural shot, I had considerable pain last night, this am its too soon to tell, I still hurt but hope that it doesn't creep up to a 9 on the pain scale :(
Oh, and I can SO relate to the iv thing. I have home health sometimes because of severe migraines, now these nurses are on an "infusion team" which means they start iv's all day long, but I have NEVER had a nurse come into my house and start an iv on the first try, never. I usually get stuck 6 times and there is no nurabing meRAB then, ick. I have learned though, if the nurse misses 3 times thats it, they are calling someone else out, I assume its just not their day and I won't be a human pin cushion. ;)

Lori
 
I had my second Epidural yesterday two injections. The pain was excruiating during the injection running down my hip and leg. I am still in pain today. I had pain for several days after my first Epidural. I am scheduled in three weeks for another one not sure I can go through this any more. Has anyone had any success from having Epidurals? I am not a quitter but some times the pain can just be too much. I had pain before I started the Epidural treatments. Now the pain is worse, I told the Doctor this, he has a sense of humor and said and you expected to feel better. I said now that is funny coming from a Pain Management doctor or any doctor for that matter. I at least have not lost my sense of humor.
 
Dear Bestoldies,

Are they doing the ESIs under fluoroscopy? They really shouldn't be causing so much pain at the time of the injection. Often the patient will have pain afterward--I was usually flat onmy back for about 3 days after each one, but other than the pain caused by the injection process, it doesn't usually cause more pain in your leg, etc.

Also, if two ESIs "don't work," they usually don't proceed with a third.

I understand your feelings. I had ESIs prior to my surgery, and now 8 months after surgery, I had one more, and they were planning on doing 2 more and I told them I was not having any more. There is no research proving that ESIs actually work and they also don't know all the causes for arachnoiditis...so I've decided I am not willing to let them inject chemical junk into my spine when it isn't proven that it helps anyone. I know it hasn't helped:( me.
 
I had epidurals earlier this year. No sedation, no pain, no relief. The only thing I had was a sensation afterwarRAB sort of like I was fuzzy headed. Not dizzy or unsteady just like I wasn't there. Its really hard to explain. This sensation lasted about 1 hr. Since there was no relief from the injections, the DR. said that there was no point in having the third one. I still have back problems but thats another story.
 
Yes I am having ESIs under fluoroscopy. Believe it or not I am feeling much better today not sure what happened but it's almost like someone flipped a switch and turned off the pain. But who knows what tomorrow will bring. The doctor modified the injection this time so the outcome would be different than the first time I had it. All I know is I pray that tomorrow I will feel the way I do today, very moderate pain today not sharp and intense.
 
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