OfflineToday I went in for a re-check after having a lumbar epidural steroid injection two weeks ago. I had terrible side effects after the injection until just a couple of days ago. Today the doctor strongly recommended that I never have another steroid injection. He said I'm not exactly allergic to steroids, but he would be concerned that my side effects were serious and lasted too long and would almost certainly be worse with subsequent injections. The doctor said the rest of the symptoms from the steroids would dissipate over the next 2-4 weeks and that is already starting to happen -- thank goodness!
Because I have a significant herniation at L5/S1 with increasing radiculopathy, I am being referred to a microsurgeon. Hopefully, a less invasive surgery than the anterior fusion that has been recommended by one neurosurgeon might be a possibility. I would like to avoid another major surgery as long as possible.
I hope others are having better luck with steroid injections than I did!
~kathleen
Cervical and Lumbar DDD, arthritis and mild to moderate stenosis
ACDF, C4-6, January 2008
Lumbar scoliosis, untreated
Herniated L5-S1/bulging L2, L3 and L4 since September 2006
Cervical ESI 04/07; Lumbar ESI 08/08
Doctor stopped steroid injections permanently due to side effects from 08/08 ESI
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Did the doc happen to say anything about a steroid flare?
"C"
"I tried to puree a rock...it didn't work..."
C, what is a steroid flare?
Cervical myelopathy, 15 surgeries to date, Severe OA, bilateral knee replacements, DDD, 13 MRI’s, 4 sets of spinal cortisone procedures and dozens of cortisone shots in other areas for OA. Upcoming scheduled surgeries include laminectomy and removal of synovial cyst located at left facet joint of L4-L5 (may require fusion); Right resection of A-C joint (left was done 12 years ago, by far the most painful of all my surgeries)
He didn't mention a steroid flare, but now I have to go googling to read about them. He just said that I had way too many side effects for too long and that his recommendation would be that I should never have another steroid injection. -kathleen
Cervical and Lumbar DDD, arthritis and mild to moderate stenosis
ACDF, C4-6, January 2008
Lumbar scoliosis, untreated
Herniated L5-S1/bulging L2, L3 and L4 since September 2006
Cervical ESI 04/07; Lumbar ESI 08/08
Doctor stopped steroid injections permanently due to side effects from 08/08 ESI
Is basically a real violent inflamatory reaction to the crystals in the steroids.
"I tried to puree a rock...it didn't work..."
I don't think I had a steroid flare. I just had side effects that were majorly amped up. Some of them were hot flashes every few minutes that are now down to every few hours; night and day sweats that would leave my hair and clothes dripping wet every hour or so and are now down to several times a day/night; insomnia that is still continuing; nausea that made me lose a few meals; flu-like symptoms for over a week, emotional highs and lows, dizzyness, etc. ~kathleen
Cervical and Lumbar DDD, arthritis and mild to moderate stenosis
ACDF, C4-6, January 2008
Lumbar scoliosis, untreated
Herniated L5-S1/bulging L2, L3 and L4 since September 2006
Cervical ESI 04/07; Lumbar ESI 08/08
Doctor stopped steroid injections permanently due to side effects from 08/08 ESI
Bummer about all your problems with the steroids. I certainly hope all this passes soon!
"C"
P.S. Glad it wasn't a steroid flare!
"I tried to puree a rock...it didn't work..."
Hi,
Just a quick note to say that the side effects from the ESI are nearly gone. The hot flashes and insomnia hung around the longest, but I feel almost like a human being again. The steroid injection helped my pain for a few days, but that really doesn't matter since I can't have any more steroids. ~kathleen
Cervical and Lumbar DDD, arthritis and mild to moderate stenosis
ACDF, C4-6, January 2008
Lumbar scoliosis, untreated
Herniated L5-S1/bulging L2, L3 and L4 since September 2006
Cervical ESI 04/07; Lumbar ESI 08/08
Doctor stopped steroid injections permanently due to side effects from 08/08 ESI
Kathleen,
So glad to hear you are feeling better finally! Thanks for the update.
"C"
"I tried to puree a rock...it didn't work..."