Facet injections

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pmtest

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Hello,

I had my pm monthly visit today. The pa talked about a facet injection, has anyone had one of these? If so, did it help you? I searched and found a few posts, but wanted to see if anything has changed good or bad since the injections.

Also, will I remain on my normal pain medication after this is done? I would assume I wouldnt be if it works, but in the days or weeks it may take to see if it works, will they continue me on my meRAB? I just do not want to have this done and am dying in pain with no meRAB if it doesnt work for me. It just scares me. I would love to not have to take meRAB for my pain, but I am just concerned they will not continue to give me anything after this procedure. Hope everyone is having a great day!!

A
 
I had facet joint injections and they didn't do any good. But this is only because apparently this isn't where my pain is coming from because nurabing medication was also injected. So from a diagnostic point of view it was still valuable. My doc said the person before me had their pain go to zero right after the injection so as kenwill said it varies from patient to patient depending on where the pain might be coming from.

The procedure was a breeze.
 
Thank you all for your posts'. I have some decisions to make about whether to get it done or not. There is also an issue with my insurance, my pm is now out of network and the cost of me having it there is a lot more, I mean a lot more than having it done in network. Can this procedure be done elsewhere, hospital maybe? I just hate to spend soooo much money to have my pm do it and it not even work. Honestly, if it could not be done elsewhere, I do not think I will be able to do it. When I go back next month I will discuss this with them, but I do not want it to seem as I am not doing what they recommend me to do, you know?

I know these procedures are not a sure thing but if I could get some relief to be able to do things with my small children I would be so happy. I am young and its hard on my kiRAB for me to not be able to do things with them. Its heart breaking!!!!

Hope everyone has a good night!!

A
 
With out knowing anything about your insurance provider, I think you should be able to find an in-network provider that will do the injections. The first place I had mine done was at an outpatient facility that was part of the hospital system (Emory in Atlanta). When I switched hospitals (to Peidmont in Atlanta), they sent me to a seperate PM clinic (luckily still in-network for my insurance provider).

I'm willing to bet that if you discussed the situation with your PM, they would help you find somewhere in-network and send you there along with information on the recommended procedure. If they are unwilling...then they may be in it for the wrong reasons...
 
Hey A,

We don't have the same insurance system over here but I would simply say to your PM that because he/she is out of network you cannot afford it however you would consider it with a network dr if they have someone they can refer you to.

I can only speak for myself but I have always had my blocks done in hospital, with sedation and revolving xray. I wouldn't do it otherwise - that said, my problem is in my thoracic so they won't do it without xray in case they get a lung etc (such a relaxing thought). It doesn't cost me anything once I have paid the first $250 excess for the year.

It would be very unfair for your pm to hold your inability to have something done against you if it's because of money. Not all pm drs are fair or reasonable though. Therefore, I'd probably suggest working out what you are going to say before your appointment so that there are no misunderstadings if you start to feel harrassed. I have also found that people like Executor are great to talk to regarding strategy - strategy sounRAB like such a cold word but you know what I mean. PM seems to be fraught with problems and a misunderstanding is the last thing you need.

Have a think about it and decided what makes you most comfortable. I totally understand your desire to avoid the cost for something that you've never had done before, therefore don't know if it will work. I think that your pm should understand this and respect your decision. There is also nothing wrong with saying that you would like time to think about it because you have small childeren at home etc. Good luck :)
 
Hi! I have had facet injections done several times. They have helped, but the pain relief was short lived, since I have chronic arthritis in my facet joints. My doctor went on to do RFA (radio frequency ablation) on the facet pain nerves (nerve burning). This has provided more long lasting relief-8 months or so. I have had it redone every 8 months, and have had much better pain control over the last few years. I still take medication, but I have not had to take as much as I used to. You might try the injections-they are also a way for your doctor to pinpoint exactly where most of your pain is coming from. Hope that helps! Kera4
 
My first injection worked, second didn't. I'm wondering why? They used a Florascope, so they could see where the needle was going. My Dr. wants me to go for a third? Why if the second one didn't work. Sure wish it did, the first one lasted for about three months.
 
Hey A,

I too have regular facet injections and now RFD. To be honest they helped most when I first started having them but less so with time and repeat injections. The RFD helps somewhat more. They often do RFD if the facet joint is shown to work.

I strongly doubt that they would decrease your meRAB immediately because many people have a flare of pain after a facet block. If it's a success then your meRAB can be dropped over time. May I ask what med you take? Some are easier to titrate than others eg. Fentanyl patch has larger drops so can be more difficult. The med drops should be at your request in my opinion because eventually the pain will usually come back up.

My advice would be to discuss this with your pm, I know (think) from reading your posts that she is a little unapproachable but honestly, I don't think I could go through with a facet block if I thought they were going to drop my meRAB right off. I'd also ask if they were going to use sedation, this makes the process much easier though might be more expensive, I'm not sure. If not you could ask for a script with a powerful punch of valium.

Let me know if there's anything else that I can help with. Good luck pm, you deserve some more relief.
 
Facet injections only made my problem worse, but I know others have had good results. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure it is done under twilight sleep and with an overhead Xray machine (so they get the right spot!). I understand some doctors do not use this method but personally I would not do it without this in place
 
I have had a few Facet Injections, though they never helped me. When I had the first one, the doc came to the recovery area and asked about my pain level. I told him "no change", and he responded "Oh well, guess we missed it", then continued on to the next patient...Oh Well!?! If I could've, I would've slapped him!

The next patient over, who had the same injection at the same level, reported a pain level of Zero (8 prior to injection). I had Facet Injections at two different levels over time, but never felt any relief...as usual, it seems to be very patient dependent. As my first doctor used to say, "The back is complicated, so we are really just guessing here" (*Note that I did not let him perform sugery on me!!).
 
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