Unfortunately, sometimes it just doesn't work. The dose pak did nothing for me. My doctor tried a larger dose over a two week period and that did help some.

Have they suggested steriod injections yet? They are usually in a series of three.

Patience is crucial with this; they will just keep trying other things until something works.

Hang in there, I know how frustrating this can be.

Maryanne

be unbearable is there another doc that you could see earlier? Don't count the medrol dose pack out yet. It has always been a few days after I stop taking them before I noticed a difference. If there just is no other option you could go to the ER. They may be able to give you something to get you through until your appt. if the pain is not tolerable.

It may be worth your time to call back and see if you can get a regular office visit, rather than waiting on the procedure date.

I know with my doctor, I can usually get in for an office visit pretty quickly, but he always has a long waiting period when scheduling procedures because he only does them 1-2 days per week and since they take longer to complete, he sees fewer patients on those days.

I've had the dose packs a few times. 6-5-4-3-2-1. By the 3rd day I have felt the difference. Once I took a full dose and nothing happened. My surgeon told me I was past dose packs and didn't want to do more. There are long effects to Prednisone, especically in women. So don't be too quick to take more of them.

Waiting until late December to get an ESI is bogus. Call the doc and start pushing that the dose pack did nothing. Be prepared to take a cancellation of another patient on a moments notice. You might get in. Or get him to refer you to a PM clinic. They do this all day long.

If it's just a temporary injury then hopefully an ESI shot and some PT and you'll be good to go.

Be very careful with how much prednisone/medrol/cortisone/kenalog type of medications you take and how often. I was very recently diagnosed with avascular necrosis, which is believed to come from having too much prednisone/cortisone type of medication too often. It causes the bones in your joints to loose their blood supply and then the bone dies. Hip replacement,or other surgery to remove the bone, replace the joint or do a bone graft to treat the blood supply loss is the common course of treatment for this.
I had never heard of it before, but now have it in my wrist and possibly my hips as well. I am waiting for the MRI to be done to determine what type of surgery I will need to try to re establish the blood supply or if they will need to remove that row of bones in my wrist to treat this.
Sandi