Epidural Injection Question

[cogito]

Hi,

I've just joined. I'm not sure if this question is best suited for the surgical or non-surgical forum.

I have scoliosis through C4-T4 and only became symptomatic a few years ago.
The pain has been getting progressively worse and more persistent: pain around my left collar bone, radiating down the arm, numbness/tingling in outer two fingers, muscle tension in trapezius and neck sometimes locks up.

I'm using Ultram ER 200mg and 10mg hydrocodone for breakthrough.

I am considering an epidural steroid injection. I've had one before in my SI joint (due to other medical problems). I found it very very helpful.

However, I've read it is less effective in the upper spine. So, I'm wondering, before I start forking out the money, if others have found it helpful.

Also, I live in the Oklahoma City area. Any recommendations for a scoliosis specialist and/or someone to do the injection would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[amae28]

Hi, I had a few cortisone injections in my upper thoracic spine and the first time around ended up with a collapsed lung because he was injecting the muscle near my shoulder blade and underestimated the effect the rotation of my rib cage had on the position of my lungs! They really did not help even though the next times I had them done under flouroscopy, in fact, probably made the pain worse. Cortisone or "trigger point" injections are different than epidurals though in that they target the muscles rather than the nerves so maybe you would have better results, I guess it just depends on if you are having muscle-like achy pain or shooting nerve pain. good luck,

Abbie

[jrnyc]

dear cogito
am having a series of 3 epidurals now...3rd one next week...most of my pain is lower lumbar, tho i also have upper curve as well...have never heard that they are any more or less helpful for upper or lower curves...am getting some relief, tho not as much as had hoped for...think i've gotten more relief from facet block injections & nerve ablation..but will keep trying...i have been prescribed hydrocodone, oxycontin & morphine...really dont like the morphine at all!

best of luck
jess

[Rodsmom]

Jess~ Noted you have had both facet and epidural. Wanted to ask on pain. Our daughter had facet injections (4) pain was through the roof. They now want to do epidural, was the pain bad for you? Can you give me a comparison? :)

[jrnyc]

dear rodsmom
do you mean the pain during the procedures? i have a pretty good pain threshold, due partly to one & a half years tx for severe Lyme disease( which left me w/plenty of arthritis!)...the epidural injections & facet blocks & nerve ablation hurt momentarily.. the needle sticks hurt & i could feel the fluid going up my back with my last 2 epidurals (final one next week)but it is bareable for me...dont know about younger children, tho really, as a young child i used to go to doctors who caused pain, & i think nowadays doctors use anesthesia, whereas back in the day they didnt...(special place in hell for them, but i digress)....the pain doctors first inject a novacaine before they do any of the injections, including the epidurals....my pain dr waits for the novacaine to take effect, which is nice of him!(not all pain doctors do, as i know by experience..)

i will send you my e mail address if you have more questions...

best of luck
jess

[cogito]

Thanks for the responses.

I phoned a doc. that was recommended by another user on this board.
He had a cancellation next week, so (luckily?) I'm able to get an injection much sooner than I anticipated.

The nurse scheduled a slot for an injection, but I assume the doctor has to look at my MRI's and X-Rays first to see if it is actually appropriate.:confused:

[jrnyc]

they usually do the epidural under a fluroscope so they can see where everything is...my doctor looked at my Xrays but said the MRI was of no use...
i have my last (3rd) epidural july 22 next week...

jess

[nell]

reading this little thread helped me a lot as well guys thanks! I just got called back from the neurological department to make an appointment for my first epidural of cortisone. I was very unsure whether this is something that I want to do, but seeing as how there was some relief felt by you Jess, I think I might give it a try. I was wondering tho if you could explain what a nerve ablation is?
Also are the epidurals normally done in a series of three shots, how long do the shots last?

thanks!

[jrnyc]

hi Nell
sorry i didn't get back to you sooner..i just got back from 4 days at the beach in Rhode Island..it was beautiful, relaxing, just what the doctor ordered...:)

i have had 4 epidural injections...the first was at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan..it didnt hurt...just felt like pressure...but didnt help much...the 2nd and 3rd i had done in CT..they hurt like heck!! didnt help, either...the last was in Manhattan at my pain management doctor's office...he told me (indignantly) that no epidural should hurt if done correctly! it was only for a left leg sciatica (goes the entire length, from hip to ankle) that got waaay worse...he was correct..it didn't hurt at all! it was the only epidural that ever gave me pain relief!! relief lasted 2 months...it just started to get bad again...i want to have the injection repeated!

nerve ablation is when doctor burns off nerves...the nerves grow back...it is to try to stop the pain from traveling...it helped me the one time i had it done...i would definitely do it again!

my aunt had the 3 epidural treatment...but my pain management doctor in NYC, and the one in CT (that did epidural injections that hurt) don't do it that way...i don't know any that do out here...my aunt was quite elderly, so i don't know if that had anything to do with it...

take care...

jess

[Jacque's Mom]

Nell - I just had one last Friday (my second time) and I was under anesthesia. It was performed in a surgical center by my pain management doctor. The first one gave me two months of relief - was performed last November. Hopefully this will last until surgery which is the end of the year sometime - no date yet. I feel so much better right now. It blocks the pain that I have been having around my waist/hips/buttocks area. I could not sleep from the pain and with the ablation, a huge difference. The procedure was about 30 - 40 minutes. I had the ablation at L3/4 & L4/5 bilateral. If I could feel like this forever, that would be great but I know I have to have surgery and hopefully get even better results!! Good luck, LYNN

[jrnyc]

hi Lynn
did you have the nerve ablation in NYC? i have never heard of it being done under anesthesia...it really didnt hurt when i had it done!

jess

[Jacque's Mom]

Jess - I had it done in NJ. First I was in the holding area and the nurse inserted the IV and then I went into the surgical room where they put a patch on my thigh because of the electrical current, cleaned my back with the orange solution, received oxygen, then the anesthesia was administered...and that's all I remember until I was in the recovery room for about an hour and home I went. I felt nothing at all. I was a little sore that night so I put an ice pack on my back for a while and the next day I went to a wedding!

[Sandie_76]

Hi! I have both thorastic and lumbar curves but the lumbar is more prominant and is where the majority of my pain is. I've tried both corticosteriod injections and "trigger point" injections and was disappointed that neither of them helped. We all react differently, so I suppose it's a trial and error. I hope that the epidural helps you!

[rohrer01]

I had an epidural injection at the L5/S1 space. The doctor told me that the initial numbing injection would hurt. I didn't even feel it, literally AT ALL. The epidural I didn't feel either. It has worked wonderfully. I could barely walk before the injection. I noticed results within three days and got the full results in about two weeks. I think it is starting to wear off, but the pain isn't that bad compared to what it was. I think that part of the reason I didn't feel it though was because I'm numb around the sacral/lower lumbar region. No one has an explaination for it. It's just always been that way. I have a spina bifida occulta on the L5. Maybe that has something to do with it??? They did my epidural under fluoroscopy as well. It's not something to fear if you have a decent doctor.

My major pain now is in the neck/thoracic areas of my spine. I think that surgery will be the only thing that will help that, as that is where my deformity is. :(