Steroid Injection Problems-Please HELP!

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Mary64

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Thank you all again for your support. Sorry it's taken me so long to post but I've just been too sick. Here's the latest...

I spent Sat & Sun in the ER, however, it was mostly a waste of time. Because my fever was under 101 they didn't consider me septic so they refused any further testing on my spine. However, they did run a basic blood test and found my white cells high although they didn't check for bacteria. They also ran my urine and found no bacteria so they ruled out kidney, UTI, etc. and gave me a couple of bags of IV which made me feel a little better and helped the nausea some.

My GP finally got back to me Mon and spent a good hour examining me yesterday morning. I've lost 12lbs since the injections and I literally look like I'm dying (I'm as white as a ghost & slightly green w/ very dark circles under my eyes). When he saw me he said "OMG Mary what the hell did they do to you?" He thinks that I have erythromycin toxicity on top of everything else. He sent me for full blood work and contacted the head of the spine ctr insisting they also see me for follow-up and by the time I got home they had an appt sched for me to come back and see Dr Pompass A at 8PM.

My oldest daughter went in to the appt w/me and Dr PA spent another hour explaining everything that could possibly be causing all of my symptoms and explaining how concerned he and the rest of the staff are in between his apologies and literally kissing my ass. He actually told me he considers me family (I gagged) and that a day hasnt gone by when he hasn't thought "I wonder how Mary is doing". As sick as I was my blood started to boil and I said "Are you kidding me? You told me to go to the ER or my gp because there was nothing more you could do for me!" and he said "that's because I was so concerned for your health!" I couldn't help myself so I said "well you have a strange way of showing it, I thought you were waiting for me to just keel over." He did go on to thoroughly explain how puncturing the nerve and/or the steroid could cause all of my symptoms and how he highly doubts I have an infection and said that he did tell me this before but because of the cultural difference (he's from India-not that it matters) I must not have understood?. He examined my spine and told me the increased pain/nurabness I'm experiencing is called a flare up from the injection and that if I get another injection it would aleviate the symptoms. I said I think it's best if we just let everything calm down before I do anything else but in my head I was thinking not on your life!

So he went into the system found that my new CBC results were in and told me everything loooked great and my blood results were more normal than his...HE JUST CAN'T HELP IT...POMPASS ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course I have no idea what the nurabers mean but I do know enough if they're marked low or high so I said sweetly "may I have a copy of that report please", which he gave me gladly. He actually held my hand and walked me to the door! Actually, my white count is in the normal range but so what on Sat it was high and they aren't all in the normal range. My neutro, lymph, eos & baso are all low and so are my hgb, hct, mch, & mcv & platelet counts and my RDW is really high. So something isn't right.

I'll give my GP until tomorrow morning to get back to me before I call and start raising some more hell. I do feel like I'm in a little better hanRAB but I still don't completely trust them. The problem is the GP made a good case w/the toxicity and the fact that the steroiRAB/nerve could also be causing all of these symptoms...I'm just still so damn confused. :(
 
Mary, yes I knew right away something happened. I had massive pain down my leg that I tried to come up off the table because it hurt so badly. I then ended up going on pain meRAB 24/7 around the clock. This happened in Sept 2007 and to be honest this nerve did not settled down for quite some time.
My healing process was quite lengthy and we will pray that yours heals quicker.

I have done alot of research on this and to be honest I have found only 2/3 other people who experienced this.

Glad to hear that temp is coming down. Good luck and please let me know how your appt goes.
 
Mary, I am sorry you are going to the ER but I am glad. Something is not right and you are experiencing the same thing that I did. Still to this day I have the nerve symptoms and burning sensation that I do going up into my spine, down my arms, and legs. I pray that you get to the bottom of this. They have actually given me a diagnosis of Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). It should be interesting to see what they say about you. I pray that this is some type of inflammation thing and you will settle down soon.

Lifting you up in prayer.
 
Mary, my heart is breaking for you. I went thru this and there is nothing like the pain you are experiencing and no one can begin to understand it unless you have been thru it yourself. I wish you lived near me because I would be there in a heart beat to stand by your side even if it was just to hold your hand.

I want you to know that they offered me another injection to and I said not in this lifetime!!

How is the pain are they keeping you medicated properly? My pain was so bad that I pray they are taking care of this for you and you are not suffering.

Please keep posting because I went thru this and I am anxious to see your outcome.

Continuing to lift you up in prayer and I hope that this nightmare enRAB soon for you.
 
I've followed this board for several years and it's helped me TREMENDOUSLY with decisions I've made regarding treatment of chronic back pain so first and foremost thank you to all. This is my first post and I think this is the first time I really don't trust what my drs are telling me.

Last Thurs I had bilatteral epidural injections to my lurabar spine-no problems w/the right injection but I almost flew off the table w/the left because of pain & pressure. The next day I had severe nausea, headache, back/leg pain, & fever of 100. The dr put me on bedrest and 2000mg of erythromycin (along w/my norm meRAB including vicodin & tylenol) and I've been taking it ever since but I still have a 100 degree fever and I'm so sick to my stomach!

Yesterday I saw the doc & had an MRI for spinal infection but the results were negative, however, he said they probably punctured a nerve during the injection. He told me to go home and stay in bed for the rest of the week. I'm still experiencng the same symptoms including the fever but I can't understand why I'd still have a fever if they're basically ruling out infection?

I've had many (20+) cortisone/epidural & botox injs in the past several yrs for pain but never to my lurabar and I've never had a reaction like this so I'm concerned to say the least. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi Pepper - Well the saga continues.

My pain mgmt doc called me yesterday and told me that I needed to get blood work done and further testing because he wouldn't trust the results of the MRI alone. So I called my GP & explained everything to his nurse-she said the dr would get right back to me. He never did. So I called my dr at the spine ctr-he returned the call at 7pm. The fever had returned to 100 by then and my antioboitic was finished so I told him that and explained that I still had the same symptoms. He became really irate, practically yelling at me! He told me that 100 is not a fever and that he didn't think what I was experiencing is related to the injection at all. He said that he would discuss it with his colleagues and get back to me. I was flabbergasted, literally. Pompass A**.

By 2pm today no one had gotten back to me. I called the GP's office again and left another message for the nurse to call me. I also called my original dr at the spine ctr, Dr L, not the one who was now treating me for the injections. I didn't give my name when I called Dr L, I just asked to speak to his nurse. By the time I was telling her the whole story I was balling like a child. She told me Dr L & most of the staff were at graduation today but she would talk to him & have him call me and she was transferring me to the office mgr. I again relayed my story to the off mgr who put me on hold got back on said she spoke to my dr, Pompass A, and I needed to go to my GP because there was nothing more they could do for me. Five minutes later Dr Pompass A calls me back and tells me *ever so sweetly* they once again reviewed my MRI and still don't see evidence of an infection but I probably have a stomach virus & should definitely follow-up with my GP and if there's anything else they can do please don't hesitate to call.

At 3pm the GP's nurse calls back and asks me to explain everything to her again, which I do in full tears again...I think I'm just so weak, tired, & sick...the tears have been flowing freely for 2 days now. I beg her to please get me in today so I can have blood work done before the weekend (they're closed on the weekend). She says she's so sorry for everythig and she'll talk to the dr and get back to me and then nothing. I've been laying on the couch waiting for the friggin phone to ring ever since.

I really don't want to go to the damn ER. Honest to God. Penn's ER is a nightmare...especially on the weekenRAB. I can't believe these drs are acting like this. Am I crazy? I've never called them for anything special or out of the ordinary. It's like they're trying to brush me under the carpet. All I keep thinking is if I do have a damn spinal infection I'm hiring a lawyer! No wonder there are so many malpractice lawsuits! I'm so angry with the way I've been treated...they're acting like I did something wrong!
 
Mary,

I know enough of the symptoms of an infection (maybe some kind of inflammatory response). Regardless of the cause of your fever, you ABSOLUTELY must see a different doc; preferably one that isn't associated with the same hospital! Having a fever (and 100 F IS a fever) for more than a week after spinal injections of any type is a major "red-flag".

This doctor is trying to cover up a mistake and a probable nosocomial (Dr., or hospital caused) infection! He sounRAB like a child who's gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then blames MOM for making the cookies ... HOW DARE he blame his patient for getting sicker after his failed and flawed treatment. The arrogant A**! AAARRRGH! .... sorry. It is very upsetting to hear, so often, that "doctors" are ignoring, or abandoning their patients when they (the docs) have made a mistake, or even when it's not a mistake, but just an unfortunate side-effect, because they're so damned afraid of being sued. Ironically, in their fear and arrogance, they create an atmosphere of distrust that often leaRAB to the very outcome they fear.

Enough! The first thing you need to do is get better! Find another physician, fast! Then, though I'm not the litigious type, get yourself a lawyer (at least a consultation)! You can no longer trust these jerks to do the right thing and you absolutely need to at least talk to someone to protect yourself and your rights. These fools ARE trying to sweep you under a rug! PLEASE, PLEASE don't let them get their hanRAB on you again! IF you end up with even a low-grade infection in your cerebro-spinal fluid it could move to your brain.

If this is an infection, you could end up with convulsions, paralysis, or death. Even if this is ONLY an inflammatory response of some kind it is still potentially VERY dangerous if it goes on too long. Inflammation is part of your immune response and chronic [long-lasting] inflammation can lead to ones body launching an attack on some of its own tissues. A response of this type must be quelled (calmed down). I DON'T want to scare you, but Marywoo was right, THIS IS YOUR SPINE we're talking about. More to the point, it's your central nervous system! Don't wait, or hesitate, or give these guys another chance ... seek EXPERT advice NOW! The ER is an okay place to start, but you need to find a specialist. They need to discover the cause of this fever.

Please get another opinion ASAP. Don't let this arrogant, pig-headed, egomaniacal fool rule, ruin, or take your life. My thoughts are with you and my best wishes for good help and health, and, Mary, you sound like a really sweet person, I believe the world is probably a better place with you in it ... take control of your health and keep it that way.

Kindest regarRAB, Kevin
 
Thinking of you and I am praying that you are in the hospital receiving the care that you need to get down to the bottom of your fever.
 
Thanks Pepper - Your understanding and advice has already helped me so much. I really do appreciate it! And please keep those prayers coming...I never underestimate the power of prayer!

The pain is so horrible: 9-10 if I walk but 7-8 when I'm laying down (which is 90% of my time). I take topomax & cyrabalta daily and have for yrs now but I'm taking vicodin/tylenol, lidoderm patch, & flexeril at night. Together they make it semi-tollerable. I try to just keep my mind off of all of it. Thank God for Direct tv.

My family & frienRAB have been WONDERFUL! Everyone's been taking good care of me and/or calling to see how I am so I am very blessed to have exceptional support. Even my therapist called today and gave me a "session" over the phone. It's funny though, the people in my life don't have the same understanding of what I'm going through than the people on this board have. I guess you have to be in the same boat to really understand.
 
Absolutely, you have to live thru it to understand. My pain remained high for quite some time. My biggest recommendation is that if your meRAB are not covering let them know so they can give you something else a little stronger or adjust your medication dosage. Don't sit there hurting there are to many medications available to make you comfortable. ((Hugs)))
 
As I read your post, it sounded so familiar to me and I hate to say that it does sound like a nerve was hit. This is extremely painful and will continue to be painful for some time.

What concerns me is that temp? Have you had prior surgery? Do you have hardware?

I strongly recommend that you go to another doctor ASAP or the ER. It sounRAB like you have an infection in the spinal column and this is something that neeRAB to be treated aggressively in my opinion. If I am reading your post correctly, you have had a fever for almost one week despite being on a high dose of antibiotics?

Please see you family doctor, another spinal doctor or go to the ER. I would not let this go much longer. I don't mean to scare you.

Take care, I am praying for you, and please keep us posted. I care.
 
When I had an epidural, I felt terrible for several weeks. I was drenched in sweat and felt really funny. I can't remeraber all the symptoms. Oh my face was really red. I went to my dr and everything tested out ok but my sugar was high for me. I looked on the internet about side effects and read the steroiRAB can raise the sugar levels. I wonder how high it was right after the epidural.
 
FINALLY SOME MEDICAL HELP!!!!

I made an educated decision today and called the chairman of the dept I work for, Dr B, who happens to be a neuroradiologist. I've been holding off on this because I've been afraid that if I pull him in and I happen to have an unrelated issue like a stomach virus I'm going to look ridiculous. But my symptoms have gotten worse. My fever shoots to 100+ whenever I get up and walk and now my neck is aching & my spine hurts to the touch so I thought his input can only help.

Dr B listened patiently as I recapped the whole story up until today-including my GP's office calling and telling me that he thinks I should let the drs at the spine ctr continue to take care of my treatment from here (God help me). Dr B told me he looked at my bloodwork and I have all the signs of a spinal infection and he's concerned that it may be in the hardware in my neck. He said I should absolutely NOT go back to the drs in the spine ctr or my GP and that I need different drs with fresh eyes examining me. He said the MRI they took was basically worthless because it only imaged my lurabar and was so soon after the injection there's a very good possibility it wouldn't pick up an infection.

Dr B also said we can try to get you in the ER but you're going to run into the same problem because of the septic/fever issue and then he said "which is completely ridiculous". "However, if you fever goes higher come to the ER immediately." Then he asked me who performed my original ACDF surgery and I told him Dr M, literally one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. He told me I need to see Dr M 1st thing Mon AM and that if I can't get an appt to call him and he'll get Dr M to see me. Tears were literally streaming down my face. I felt like screaming finally somebody is hearing me! He said "Mary, I wish you had called me earlier in the week, you shouldn't have gone on this long suffering with this. Unfortunately, you're going to have to suffer through the weekend but hopefully we'll get you some relief on Monday."

I wish I had called him too but it's kind of awkward to call your boss for help when your drs are telling you that nothing's wrong with you and it's basically all in your head! As much as I don't want this to be a infection, I feel almost justified having someone of Dr B's calliber agreeing with me and telling me not to go back to any of my drs. At least I know I'm not crazy!:dizzy:
 
Mary just wanted to let you know iam thinking of you and praying for your recovery,i understand how scared you probably are but we are all pulling for you here and looking forward to hearing from you when all is calmed down so sorry you have to go through this marywoo
 
Thanks so much for your response. I really appreciate your candor. I did have a cervical disc fusion w/plate & screws in 2005 & shoulder acromioplasty in 2006 (no metal w/that). I've been treating w/various drs (rehab, ortho, neuro, surgery, gp, pain mgmt) in the same health system for the past 4 yrs for injuries related to a bad accident so my care is easily tracked amognst them.

The injection I received was through the spine center and after the MRI results yesterday they really played down my symptoms-even suggesting I have an unrelated virus??? I took my temperature a little while ago and it's still at 100-it does fluctuate at times between 99.5 & 100.5 and I've been on the antibiotic now for 4 full days.

Thanks again for your help. You're not scaring me, something inside just doesn't feel right. I work & treat at the Univ of PA so I'm treating with some of the best drs around but my gut is telling me something's really wrong. I just don't know when I should push the panic button and go to the ER or what other dr to even contact.
 
Mary64, iam so sorry for the nightmare your drs are putting you through,i cant understand how callous these people are.getting shots in youe spine is know day at the beach,and i cant beleave how people expect us to not be scared to death when were not getting the pain relief that they the pompous asses are promising.(by the way i love that dr.pompous ass)its the first giggle ive had since having facet shots,and feeling like crap ever since.you definately should have been heard when you were not feeling good i mean its your SPINE.id like to poke dr pompous ass in the spine a couple of times and see if hed change his tune.i bet he would.ive learned you cannot count on these guys,iam sure there are some good ones even great ones,but i havent seen any evidence of them.please be carefull with yourself if you need to go to er go,ive been walking around with an icepack tied to my neck since last tuesday,when i got facet shots,and if i got relief someone forgot to tell my sine.i hope you feel better mary i know this sucks.i swear i never use to be this cranky forgive me. mary
 
Mary, this happened with me almost a year ago with my nerve being hit. Fortunately I did not have the temperature but the pain was horiffic and I don't wish that on my worst enemy.

The headache would lead me to believe you have leak but the high temperature is another ball game. I say listen to your gut instinct; it normally is correct. Better to be safe then sorry. We are talking about your spine for goodness sake.
 
Mary,
I've been following your posts and I hope you are receiving the care that you need. Please update us when you can. We are praying for you.

Deb
 
Pepper - Thanks again. You're right. I think I'm just so used to dealing with the pain I have a way of brushing it off. I put a call into my pain mgmt doc today (he's not the one who gave me this injection but he is the one I trust 100%). I'm gonna discuss all of this w/him hopefully tomorrow.

I do feel a little better today - the headache is at bay, I was able to eat a little and the fever's stayed down to 99.5. My legs & hanRAB are still shaky & the pain is still aching & shooting down my legs but I've been using some self hypnosis to try & block it.

When your nerve was hit did you know it right away? Was it punctured? How long did it take to resolve? Were you able to begin PT? Did you opt for more injections? Sorry to pick your brain but you're the first person I've met who's been in the same boat :angel:.

Thank you so much again...you've really helped!
 
I finally slept a few hours last night ALLELUIA! Unfortunately, I still don't feel well but at least my head's a little less fuzzy.

Thanks for all of your kind worRAB & support. I'm now having a burning sensation going up & down my spine and some nurabness in my hanRAB as well as my feet so I've decided to go to the ER. The best they can tell me is everything is OK and I have a stomach virus;)

Hopefully I'll be back tonight.

Thanks again,
Mary
 
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