Spine Injections

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bobscuda67

bobscuda67

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On May 17 I'm going to in to have some pain meds injected at L3 and L4 both sides for the chronic pain I have. It radiates in my lower back and thru my right hip and goes down to my knee.
Of course the Dr. does not know if it will work or not or how long it will last. Since a surgery is not gonna happen, I,m trying this to get off the pain meds.
I know there's a lot of you that have the same condition and have gone thru it. Of course everybody is different but could you let me know what to expect.
You can private message me if you like so you don't have to make your medical info public.
 
I am having the same problem plus neck also. Went to surgeon Thursday. He said he makes his living doing surgeries but would not touch my lower back. He did say he would do neck if and when I wanted to. I have had nerve blocks that may have helped half the pain for maybe a month . I asked what he would do if it were him and he said chiropractor or physical therapy and he has had better results from chiropractor. I have lots of arthritis and not much can be done for it. Meds don't help me too much. Good luck and if you find a magic cure let me know, Joe
 
I literally just went through a second surgery 2 weeks ago on L4/L5, as first was a microdiscectomy that was a massive failure( permanently damaged motor nerves) ended up having a fusion now to stop the further pain that was caused. It is a long road back, and I will probably never be able to lift heavy objects again. If injections work, stick with them by all means. Sometimes they hold up, other times you may need a couple. Also check into yoga or physical therapy, hurts, but has helped a lot of people. I had no choice and regret it every day
 
3 surgeries here in total, cervical fusion(2 disks removed), and 2 microdiskectomies on the same disc in my lower back( lowest disk right above hip)The first one failed and I was damn near in a wheelchair. The second one by a different neurosurgeon got me back walking. They didn't want to remove that disk because of the condition of the ones above it. Before the lower back surgeries they tried the shot. For whatever reason I lost all feeling in my groin area for about 6 weeks. Pretty much in diapers at that point.
Only real advice I can give to someone having problems is to find a neurosurgeon who is going to send you for an Mri and/or a mylogram and leave the orthopedic doctors and chirocrackers for someone else. If you're having problems with a blown disk, pinched nerves, or such a chirocracker can do some real damage. Another thing is that if you are experiencing numbness and tingling the longer you wait the higher the chance for permanent nerve damage to set in. I waited too long.... but I do have some relief from the surgeries.

Like above, I'm done lifting stuff and done doing collision work for a living.
 
Really appreciate all the helpful advice. My wife just went thru her first series of shots. Peculiar how it went down but after the first 2 shots her back felt great but after the third most of her pain was back before we even left the hospital. But not all of it so I guess its progress. Only been a few weeks so we don't know how long it will last.
 
all this sounds like what my wife has been thru. she had surgery a week ago thursday. she had 2 discs replaced and 2 rods put in her back. she now has a 13inch incision healing in her spine and about 20 staples to the left of her belly button. she had the spinal injection, went to chiropractors and non preasure chiropractors. all i can say is good luck, i hate to thjnk of anybody going thru what she has. she went to duke and had supposedly one of the best do her surgery. shes up and around but is in lots of pain especially nerve pain but is hopefully this will releive some of her issues. she had the neck done last year with good success so best of luck to you all.
 
Been to a couple orthopedic docs...was told to live with it....all lumbar discs are toast. Told that overuse injuries are accompanied with arthritis...couple that with the fact that I have had back problems for over 15 years and there is not much hope. Last doc I spoke with...."when a surgeon looks at someone like me they should look at the big picture. All lumbar discs are done...to the point that I have psiatic pain down both legs at the same time. I am riddled with arthritis. Inoperable bone clavicle bone spur, worsening pseudo gout in my hands....doesn't make surgery a very good idea"
 
Dang, not good things to look foreward too. Arthritis in my neck and between my shoulder blades. L5 disc is amost gone. Bone on bone at times. I am retiring from the tool business in a month or so. Bouncing along in a step van (potato chip truck) over the front wheels for 28 years has taken it's toll and I started before that by falling out of a semi trailer and landing flat on my ***. I haven't been the same since. I feel for you guys.
 
I know what your going through. I have had 2 shots & nothing happened. Like you said everyone is different. Getting the shots was ok. No pain or discomfort. I even drove home my self. Havent been able to work for over 2 years. Got a lawyer & went for SS disability. With stacks & stacks of medical records & a lawyer the judge said no go. your not bad enough. What I have learned is they want you to be on your death bed before they consider it.
 
toolmanmike said:
Dang, not good things to look foreward too. Arthritis in my neck and between my shoulder blades. L5 disc is amost gone. Bone on bone at times. I am retiring from the tool business in a month or so. Bouncing along in a step van (potato chip truck) over the front wheels for 28 years has taken it's toll and I started before that by falling out of a semi trailer and landing flat on my ***. I haven't been the same since. I feel for you guys.
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Between the shoulder blades is where the worst of my Arthritis is. If you are not on them stay away from the opioids as long as possible. I wish I had...Been on em so long they only dull the pain but never make it go away.
 
Back in Time said:
Between the shoulder blades is where the worst of my Arthritis is. If you are not on them stay away from the opioids as long as possible. I wish I had...Been on em so long they only dull the pain but never make it go away.
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That's a fact. I've changed opioids and even stopped. Eventually the pussy side of me gives in to the pain and I go back on pain dope.
 
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Yep, the arthritis in my lower back and the spinal stenosis make me miserable and a poor candidate for surgery. Around here they only do the easy surgeries so I got the name of a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinc so I might go there.
I've been on opioids for two years now and recently increased the dosage. I take 75mg of Nycenta every 4 hours and Gralese to try and calm my nerves. Not a lot compared to some people but the stuff makes me dizzy and hard to focus.
I here ya on how hard it is to get a disability from SS. Here in Michigan it's really hard.
Yet I'm still working but I don't how much longer I can. I've been hiding it and long as I can but I think my employer will force me out as they can't have me stumbling around and getting hurt. Then I lose my health insurance right when I need it most.
Life sucks.
 
bobscuda67 said:
Yep, the arthritis in my lower back and the spinal stenosis make me miserable and a poor candidate for surgery. Around here they only do the easy surgeries so I got the name of a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinc so I might go there.
I've been on opioids for two years now and recently increased the dosage. I take 75mg of Nycenta every 4 hours and Gralese to try and calm my nerves. Not a lot compared to some people but the stuff makes me dizzy and hard to focus.
I here ya on how hard it is to get a disability from SS. Here in Michigan it's really hard.
Yet I'm still working but I don't how much longer I can. I've been hiding it and long as I can but I think my employer will force me out as they can't have me stumbling around and getting hurt. Then I lose my health insurance right when I need it most.
Life sucks.
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I have been out of work for over a year now and have taken so many different drugs it is ridiculous.I was up to 2400 mg of Motrin along with Valium,Vicodin and neurontin all at the same time. It tore my stomach up to the point of bleeding.I ended up going off all nsaids due to this. Whatever you do, get 2nd and 3rd opinions from very reputable neurosurgeons, even if you have to pay for the visits. I ended up getting cat scans, 2 MRI, X-rays , and an EMG study to finally get recommended for the fusion surgery. As I stated before, stay away from the crackers, but there has been much luck with physical therapy and yoga/ with a doctors approval of course. I am actually glad I recently had this surgery, as it has totally relieved all the left sided pain my first surgeon caused, and I actually should be able to get some of my life back ( still have right side nerve damage) and now I am still taking oxy and Valium along with lyrica, but cutting back slowly. Sorry about the ramble
 
shots can help, but they are not a long term solution. my first one lasted 2 weeks, doc said I needed another one, the second shot didn't do anything. Before surgery, please try physical therapy, it really can help.
 
I my self have tried physical therapy, shots, steroid pills, back braces, you name it they had me try it. They gave me a lot of excuses why they wouldn't do surgery & ive heard & seen surgery horror stories.
 
Ive had a MRI and have spinal stanosis and they want to do injections.most people I talk to say the injections help with the first one but it don't last long.I've been home for 2 months and this last week I am feeling a bunch better.I also have muscle Atrophy from trucking.sometimes I don't get out of the seat for 8 to 9 hrs.They say Ginger helps with arthritis. Has anyone tried it?
 
Okay this one is near and dear to my heart. DO NOT have anything done to your L4/L5 until they have ruled out your SI joint as the cause of pain. In 2004 I was told my intermittent back/buttock/groin/leg pain was due to bulging discs in L4/L5. I was told it didn't look too bad, and that physical therapy should be able to correct it. Fast forward year and YEARS of pain, frustration, and generally feeling like a piece of **** when I couldn't keep up with my peers(I'm in Army special operations) and I found the problem and solution on my own. It was instability in my SI joint all along. That is the joint that connects your pelvis to your sacrum. It's basically an expansion joint and not really meant to move. The pain literally brought me to my knees. Diagnosing it is very simple, they put that lidocaine injection directly into the joint, and if you have immediate relief, that's it. The only correction for it is to stabilize it via surgery. I'm two weeks post surgery now and can actually bend over to spit after brushing my teeth without buckling in pain. A large portion of patients that get a lower back fusion also end up needing an SI Joint fusion as well. Please brother, ask your doctor about it and request an SI joint injection BEFORE the spine injection just to rule it out. I'm happy to be off the pain roller coaster and I'm sure you will be too..Here is a pic of my 3 titanium pins they used.

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I have herniated discs in my neck. C3, and between my shoulders t6&t7. I have numbness in my arms, legs, and my head when I sleep. I have to take a percocet and amitriptyline to sleep. On top of this, I have the pain also. And migraines. Tried chiropractic. I think it's what turned my migraines and back pain into the numbness. I go to a pain management doctor, and get the nerve blocker shots in my neck. They work for several months. Doesn't help the t6 and 7 to get injections in that area, but the neck shots seem to help the mid back . I've heard too many horror stories about surgery, so I avoid going to the neurosurgeon. I'm not as bad as some of you, but I say try injections before considering surgery.
 
Just know that injections are only a treatment for your symptoms. If surgery is an option, the older you get, the harder it will be to recover
 
Oh yea I've had therapy. Tried traction on my back and neck, water therapy, been to three neurosurgeons. I've just been taking the drugs to get thru the day so I wanted to try something different.
 
I have been on Percocet, Tramadol, and mobic daily for several years. I was just treating the symptom. Until I got cut, I truly hadn't realized how low my quality of life had slipped. There are horror stories from surgeries, but many of those are from "old school" procedures and people flat out not following up with physical therapy or instructions from the doc. Expectation management is a real thing, it's your life, I only know mine was shitty, and now I feel like this huge burden is lifted from my shoulders. Two days after the surgery I actually had this crazy lucid dream where I just put on gym clothes and went and did deadlifts and squats!
 
My only other comment is this, when the front end of your car is worn out, and your tires are cupped and worn uneven, putting new tires on will only "fix" the issue for so long..
 
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