19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[jrnyc]

yes, nococaine and licodaine are similar...

yes, you will stay in my prayers...til you are all better...

jess

[JDM555]

Ok. Just got home!

Well, woke up at 6 AM, headed over to Stanford and checked in and blah blah. Took forever to check in, by the time I was called to go back and change, it was 8:30. I got in my robe and got poked in the arms a couple of times for an IV drip, not sure why I needed one, but whatever.

I got my blood pressure, which was high for some reason. I was 150/80. It was taken again and all around 145-150/77-82. I don't know why it was so high, but it could of been cause of the pain I was in? I was lying down on my back on the bed too.

I got reeled into the OR at around 9:00 and they rubbed my back down with something, maybe alcohol? Not sure as I couldn't see. Then I got the first numbing type of shot, guess Lidocaine. I kind of felt that, not too bad. I didn't notice when he took it out and added another syringe, but shortly after that pinch, I felt intense pressure like a fat person sat on my back for a few seconds. That went away and then he did another slight pinch and added the rest and before I knew it, I was on my way out.

All done in about 5-7 minutes. It wasn't painful at all compared to the lower back pain and spasms and surgery recovery, so you were right Jess! Lol

I did feel better right after having the shot and he even slightly massaged the spot and said it even feels like it loosened up a bit. And it did. I got pushed back to my room and I was lying down, I still wasn't sure how it would feel if I was standing and moving, but as the time went by and as I got up to change, I did definitely notice the pain was there still, but it wasn't anywhere as severe. It had a numbing feeling which helped. But the pain isn't gone.

I guess cartisone will kick in within the next few days and I hope that completely takes care of the pain and I can get some good couple of months of relief.

I got to see the x-rays as they were poking me and adding the dye to make sure they were poking the right spot. Looked pretty cool and again, wasn't painful at all. I guess I was in the hands of a good doctor and the numbing injection helped.

I will keep it updated over the next few days, hopefully with positive news.
John

[jrnyc]

good...glad it is done...
figured it would go fine!

jess

[mgs]

Likewise. I'll be watching for your updates.

I really hate it when a young guy like you gets stuck with this kind of an experience. It's one thing for a 50 year old woman like me (well, next month!) to be spending her time with this stuff, but a young man like you shouldn't have this to deal with this. I know that life's not fair, but that doesn't mean that I have to approve of that fact.

Keeping my fingers crossed, and adding my prayers.

[JDM555]

Sorry for the late response. Have been drowning in school work and have no life anymore. Gradually over the days after having the shots, I was getting more relief. It has definitely made my daily life more bearable. I am not in severe pain or anything. I can sit in a chair and not be in a lot of pain. I can still feel the pain in the specific spot that originally had the most pain.

It's not pain, maybe stiffness or discomfort. Basically, a lot better with these shots. I will start doing light cardio to see if that helps. School isn't that bad, but walking long distances does increase pain/discomfort and stiffness, but resting in a chair for a bit fixes it. All in all, pain went from 7-8/10 on a daily basis to around 2-3/10. So far, I'm glad it's brought some relief. Now the question is how long will it last.

[jrnyc]

hi John
so glad it helped!

i have had shots that did not help...sometimes they don't get the right spot, sometimes the pain is not something that can be helped with the stuff available for injection...

so i am very happy for you that it got your pain down to a 2-3 level!

i hope it lasts a long time!!
am wondering if the doc/surgeon can figure out a way to get rid of the pain...in a permanent way...?

jess

[jeneemohler]

I wish I had found your story sooner. I had epidural injections for 7 years before my surgery this January. It was a lifesaver. It enabled me to continue working. There is no doubt that I could not have worked if not for the injections.

I am NOT a fan of needles, so I was extremely nervous for my first one. But like you found out, it is nothing like the horror stories you hear from people. I have to keep in mind that the people who have scoliosis are much tougher and deal with so much pain, so we tend to handle pain differently than others. We just seem to be naturally able to deal with more pain than normal, when we live with chronic pain day after day.

I am so very glad that it seems to have helped you. I just want to let you know that once in awhile, one doesn't work as well, for some reason or another. So if you end up getting multiple injections, don't be discouraged if one doesn't seem to "take". Most of mine lasted anywhere from 4-6 months, then it would wear off. When they went to the real time xray procedure, it always worked much better. My last shot, I am happy to say, lasted just over a year before it wore off. But I had mine pre-surgery, so the problem was still there with my pinched nerves and stenosis. I don't believe I will need anymore now, because my nerves have been decompressed with the surgery. Hopefully this will be the only one YOU need. I sure hope so. Once that inflammation goes down, you may not need any more.
Good luck going forward. You are doing fine for what you have been dealing with. You are more prepared to deal with what life sometimes hands us than most people your age- I bet you are very mature in comparison!

[jrnyc]

hey John
the first epidural i had, the one done at Columbia in Manhattan, felt like that kind of pressure...like a truck was on my back...but it wasn't painful...sounds kinda like what happened with your shot

they usually use a fluoroscope while doing such injections...
my pain doc in NYC uses fluroscope every time he injects anything into my lumbar area...he doesn't need a visual when he does the botox in thoracic area...

i hope you get the relief you need...
just take it slow in the gym...OK?

jess

[JDM555]

hi John
so glad it helped!

i have had shots that did not help...sometimes they don't get the right spot, sometimes the pain is not something that can be helped with the stuff available for injection...

so i am very happy for you that it got your pain down to a 2-3 level!

i hope it lasts a long time!!
am wondering if the doc/surgeon can figure out a way to get rid of the pain...in a permanent way...?

jess

I hope it lasts a long time too. I hope the muscle just needed to relax and I won't even have a need for shots anymore.
John

I wish I had found your story sooner. I had epidural injections for 7 years before my surgery this January. It was a lifesaver. It enabled me to continue working. There is no doubt that I could not have worked if not for the injections.

I am NOT a fan of needles, so I was extremely nervous for my first one. But like you found out, it is nothing like the horror stories you hear from people. I have to keep in mind that the people who have scoliosis are much tougher and deal with so much pain, so we tend to handle pain differently than others. We just seem to be naturally able to deal with more pain than normal, when we live with chronic pain day after day.

I am so very glad that it seems to have helped you. I just want to let you know that once in awhile, one doesn't work as well, for some reason or another. So if you end up getting multiple injections, don't be discouraged if one doesn't seem to "take". Most of mine lasted anywhere from 4-6 months, then it would wear off. When they went to the real time xray procedure, it always worked much better. My last shot, I am happy to say, lasted just over a year before it wore off. But I had mine pre-surgery, so the problem was still there with my pinched nerves and stenosis. I don't believe I will need anymore now, because my nerves have been decompressed with the surgery. Hopefully this will be the only one YOU need. I sure hope so. Once that inflammation goes down, you may not need any more.
Good luck going forward. You are doing fine for what you have been dealing with. You are more prepared to deal with what life sometimes hands us than most people your age- I bet you are very mature in comparison!

Haha, Yeh. Tell me about it. This isn't the only medical/health problem I have, so it's been a bumpy road. I should still be grateful though, at least the pain is a lot better than before surgery. Thanks for the kind words. I hope this shot takes care of my pulled muscle and it heals over the next few weeks/months so I can return to my daily activities.
John

hey John
the first epidural i had, the one done at Columbia in Manhattan, felt like that kind of pressure...like a truck was on my back...but it wasn't painful...sounds kinda like what happened with your shot

they usually use a fluoroscope while doing such injections...
my pain doc in NYC uses fluroscope every time he injects anything into my lumbar area...he doesn't need a visual when he does the botox in thoracic area...

i hope you get the relief you need...
just take it slow in the gym...OK?

jess

Yeah, I noticed my doctor using a fluoroscope when doing my injection and I told him exactly where I had the pain. Thanks for all the kind words Jess. Appreciate it. And yes of course, I'll be doing light cardio and no sort of bending or weight lifting. I just want to exercise to get somewhat back in shape. I will start swimming soon too, that should help a lot.
John

[jrnyc]

so glad for you that you will be able to get back into the gym...so important to you...
and yes, swimming is a great... and gentler.... work out!

let us know how it goes...
hope you reach the point where your back is the last thing on your mind!

jess

[JDM555]

I didn't even get a chance to go to the gym. But the past few days, I definitely felt the pain coming back a bit. I don't know if I did something or if the cortisone is wearing off, but I'm getting some of the sensitivity and pain in the lower right point where I got the shot. I haven't been sleeping well the past few weeks either, I always wake up insanely tired and I'm always out of energy. In class or driving or even sitting anywhere, I feel like I'm just sleep walking or so tired I can't concentrate. I'm kind of worried because if rest didn't work, then now cortisone didn't work, then I don't know what my other options are. That with the stress of college is just driving me insane.

[mgs]

This is so not the news we wanted you to have for us. I wish I could give some advice that would be helpful, but I don't have any experience with pain management other than the oral narcotics.
But, I do know how hard it is to get through the day when you are in pain (even when it's not always intense. . .even a lower grade pain that is chronic wears you out emotionally and physically.) And, hearing how hard my kids have worked during their college years (3 have now graduated, 1 is in college and 1 will be next year), I understand how hard that stress is on a pain-free body.
John, every day you are fighting a heroic battle.

[JDM555]

This is so not the news we wanted you to have for us. I wish I could give some advice that would be helpful, but I don't have any experience with pain management other than the oral narcotics.
But, I do know how hard it is to get through the day when you are in pain (even when it's not always intense. . .even a lower grade pain that is chronic wears you out emotionally and physically.) And, hearing how hard my kids have worked during their college years (3 have now graduated, 1 is in college and 1 will be next year), I understand how hard that stress is on a pain-free body.
John, every day you are fighting a heroic battle.

Yeah, it's not good. The pain isn't unbearable like before, but I can feel the spot again. Slowly getting worse. I'm going to talk to doctor and maybe my next option is botox. And if that doesn't work, then I...just don't know what will.

And yes, college is a nightmare. Full time from M-F morning to afternoon, and 2 hour round trip to get from home to campus and campus to home. So I'm exhausted everyday. Hopefully it gets better.

[mgs]

I hope, and I hope so much, that a good answer, and relief, is right around the corner. Let us know how soon you can try Botox. My heart goes out to you.

[loves to skate]

John, Usually they will suggest a second cortisone shot and even a third before the try something else. Good luck. It isn't much fun to be in pain all of the time.
Sally