I hope your appointment goes well.

I have never had any kind of injections like these, so I really can't comment on that part.

I was wondering how you are doing with the Oxycontin? If I'm reading your signature line correctly, this is a new medication for you? I hope it is working well and providing you good relief.

Take good care,

Tammy

The main difference between the two procedures is just that the fact block has one more step to it. A numbing agent will be added to the steroid medication. You will be asked to keep a record of your pain, or relief from pain. The idea is that the doctor puts in the numbing agent at a particular segment. Instead of going home and resting, you will be asked to go about daily activities, walk and do what normally causes your pain. If you come away from the appointment with little or no pain, and it remains that way while you are more active, they assume that they have found the pain generator (or one of them as may be the case!). The numbing agent lasts for a number of hours and then gradually fades away and the pain returns. Make note of when that happens.

If you are numbed up and you continue to have pain when doing the movements that normally cause "your" pain, then they know that the facet they injected is not the pain generator.

As far as the process, you would not notice a difference between the two procedures.

Hope this helps...and I hope the new doc will be able to help you.

Gwennie

Sounds like you will do well since you have had lots of other injections, hope this one takes away your pain.

If Gwennie is reading this maybe she can help answer this or someone else, I had a nerve root block injection yesterday and I have had other injections and I always seem worse for the first day or so before I feel relief, you may have found this true also charry, however my shot yesterday left me pain free without the initial pain but he only used the lidocain, no steroid (he was experimenting on me) so can I assume, and others too, that its the steroid that acts as an irritant when you first get one of these injections??

Reading this post made me think of how different the two shots felt, they usually make me worse before I feel better, but this was different!! (interesting).

Charry good luck, I hope you don't get any pain, just elief, take care,

Sandra

I imagine it is because yesterday you only had the numbing agent. You felt numb afterward and you did not have the steroid medication.

It may be that the steroid part of the injection is irritating to the nerve or to other soft tissue. You may have some internal swelling around the injection site which further compresses the nerve, thus resulting in more pain.

I've had all kinds of injections and nerve blocks this past year as we tried to figure out what was causing the S1 radiculopathy. Part way through, I switched doctors that administer the injections. Interestingly, the results I am getting from the new doctor are much, much more intense, and so are the results.

I hardly had any reaction when I had ESIs or nerve blocks with doctor #1. I have had varying reactions with doctor #2, but I have always had a response, feeling somewhat better for a bit. The procedure itself causes more pain when doctor #2 does it. Perhaps his placement is just more accurate? He definitely hits the bulls-eye so to speak...I know because I am wide awake!!

Perhaps this reaction to the steroid may tie in with the reaction you had with the myelogram. You may just be very sensitive to some ingredient that is used in preparing the dye or the steroid. Maybe there is a common ingredient? I believe there is an ingredient that is used to make the liquid flow better...I'm just speculating...I really don't know.

Why don't you ask your doctor next time if there is any relationship? Does your surgeon do your injections?

I'm even ready as it's been a year since I've had any injections I'll go for more.. Tammy I just started Oxycontin 120mg 3x40mg day and the first two days I only had 80mg and it made me sleepy. Some improvement with this pain medication as well as trying voltaren as an anti-inflammatory. I can't wait for my appointment on Monday and maybe get some relief from this PM Dr. I was hoping for some miracle to get better to go back to work February 12th but don't think it's going to happen. I emailed my Boss and she said a lot of changes at work and 3 of my coworkers are retiring. I wish I could help them out and get back there even for light duty but there's no such thing there. I can't work taking narcotics and there's no position as Receptionist or anything although that would be something I would consider doing even at a Doctor's office. Sandra I hope you get lasting relief with your ESI, reading your post gave me a little hope that I should get more ESI's. Take care and thanks for the support. Charry