So tomorrow I have a lumbar spine epidural - and I'm terrified

[Andy M.]

SO has had back and neck issues for a long time and the injections have helped her a lot. Keep trying. The docs can make a big difference.

 

[dragnlaw]

A first injection sort of worked, 2nd injection nothing happened at all, wanted to go for the operation but doc convinced me to try just one more time.... and third time lucky. That was about 10 years ago. No, it was not my spine but that's not the point.
Things come in 3's so 3rd time lucky, eh?

 

[Linda0818]

Hope you guys are right. I'll try not to give up!

 

[Kathleen]

I feel fortunate in that my spine person is partnered with a nerve specialist and works in the pain center. Sadly my pain management PA left to go elsewhere...so I will have a new one. In my case, there are two areas of concern. Growing older sometimes stinks....but....I no longer have to be a wage-slave!

In all seriousness, pain is what I fear the most. And there have been times I cannot put any pressure on my legs. Even though I still have pain, the pain people have kept me mobile as we strive to identify where we need to focus.

 

[Linda0818]

I feel fortunate in that my spine person is partnered with a nerve specialist and works in the pain center. Sadly my pain management PA left to go elsewhere...so I will have a new one. In my case, there are two areas of concern. Growing older sometimes stinks....but....I no longer have to be a wage-slave!

In all seriousness, pain is what I fear the most. And there have been times I cannot put any pressure on my legs. Even though I still have pain, the pain people have kept me mobile as we strive to identify where we need to focus.

I hope they can find it. Chronic pain will wear you down real fast.

 

[dragnlaw]

Chronic Pain is Extremely debilitating! Something you never get used to.

 

[Linda0818]

Chronic Pain is Extremely debilitating! Something you never get used to.

I completely agree!

 

[caseydog]

Back to my thread to complain. The pain has returned. Today I had that old familiar jab of pain go down my right backside, enough to make me yelp in agony.

Oh well. The few days I had of being able to walk like a normal human being was nice while it lasted.

I have a followup appointment on the 20th of this month where I take in my pain log and show the doctor how my pain, day by day, gradually came back and put me in the same position I was in before I had the epidural and he's gonna tell me "We should do one more epidural" in which case I'm gonna say "Nope, I'm done, I'm not going through that torture again" and then he's gonna suggest this and suggest that and I'm gonna just sit there looking at him like he's crazy, thinking forget it, it's no use, I give up.

Yeah, I'm in a mood. A very crabby one. So forgive my blatant negativity, but it feels good to have a place to vent. And on top of being back in pain again and walking (or attempting to) like a 90 year old, I have a bad cold that doesn't want to let go.

Okay... deep breath. Blow out slowly. I should probably zip it before I get too crazy.



Thank you for listening. I'm going to bed to try and sleep, even though I can't breathe through my nose. Will be stopping by the hall closet on my way to grab the Vicks VapoRub.

So sorry to hear this. They have worked great for my mom over the years. My lower back issues are not at that point, yet. I would rate my back pain as "annoying," and only on certain days.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

So sorry to hear this. They have worked great for my mom over the years. My lower back issues are not at that point, yet. I would rate my back pain as "annoying," and only on certain days.

CD

Here's the crazy thing...

As I mentioned, a couple of days after my injection, the pain came back. Slowly got worse with each passing day. Then I snagged a nasty cold from my son, who got it from hanging out at a friends house that contained a bunch of coughing/hacking rugrats.

Well, like bad colds usually go for me, I ended up with bronchitis. My doctor prescribed me a 5-day course of prednisone, because that always helps to clear it up. Two days into taking the prednisone, my sciatic pain is gone. Poof, outta here-gone-bye bye.



What are we missing here? I mean, seriously. I go through weeks of physical therapy that didn't work (actually made it worse). Then a torturous injection that practically had me in tears. And two days into an oral steroid, I'm pain free?

Yes, I know, long term steroid use isn't recommended for several reasons. But lots of people are prescribed oral steroids for osteoarthritis, which I have, and which can also cause sciatica. Maybe a low dose? Or occasional doses? I don't know. But whatever the case, I'm sure as heck bringing this up with my pain management doctor during my followup with him next Friday.

I hope your pain doesn't get any worse. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[caseydog]

I'll see what my pain management doc suggests at my followup appointment.

I've had cortisone shots in my hips for bursitis (years ago) but I don't think a simple cortisone shot is going to help my spinal issues, which go much deeper. We shall see.

I had a cortisone shot to my left knee about five-ish years ago. It worked great. The best thing it did for me was allow me to start going for long walks with psychopoodle, which made my knee stronger.

I was not very kind to my body in my 30s. I learned how to ski. Huge mistake. I enjoyed it way too much. I also got run over by a boat on my SeaDoo. That one put me in an ambulance and in the hospital. I can honestly tell you that when football players get concussions, they genuinely suck. Twenty four stitches in your forehead isn't pretty, but the ER doc who did them was an artist. If you really get in close, and I tell you where the stitches were, you can just barely see a scar.

I'm also a cancer survivor.

To Linda and everyone else here, all I can say is a day above ground is better than a day six feet under. Do your best to stay positive, and enjoy the good things... and eat good food!

CD

 

[caseydog]

Here's the crazy thing...

As I mentioned, a couple of days after my injection, the pain came back. Slowly got worse with each passing day. Then I snagged a nasty cold from my son, who got it from hanging out at a friends house that contained a bunch of coughing/hacking rugrats.

Well, like bad colds usually go for me, I ended up with bronchitis. My doctor prescribed me a 5-day course of prednisone, because that always helps to clear it up. Two days into taking the prednisone, my sciatic pain is gone. Poof, outta here-gone-bye bye.



What are we missing here? I mean, seriously. I go through weeks of physical therapy that didn't work (actually made it worse). Then a torturous injection that practically had me in tears. And two days into an oral steroid, I'm pain free?

Yes, I know, long term steroid use isn't recommended for several reasons. But lots of people are prescribed oral steroids for osteoarthritis, which I have, and which can also cause sciatica. Maybe a low dose? Or occasional doses? I don't know. But whatever the case, I'm sure as heck bringing this up with my pain management doctor during my followup with him next Friday.

I hope your pain doesn't get any worse. Fingers crossed for you.

Yes, prednisone does some pretty amazing stuff. I once had a shot for a severe sinus infection, and it worked great. But it is not a long-term solution, as you mentioned.

CD

 

[caseydog]

In all seriousness, pain is what I fear the most. And there have been times I cannot put any pressure on my legs. Even though I still have pain, the pain people have kept me mobile as we strive to identify where we need to focus.

My dad had dementia. He was one of the smartest people I've ever known. He was very successful and could do complex math in his head.

That is my biggest fear.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

Yes, prednisone does some pretty amazing stuff. I once had a shot for a severe sinus infection, and it worked great. But it is not a long-term solution, as you mentioned.

CD

Prednisone is gold, in my opinion. It being a very powerful anti-inflammatory, it's done wonders for me over the years for certain conditions.

Several years ago I had a really bad breakout of dyshidrotic eczema. I have never in my life felt such intense itching and pain. Blisters all over both hands. I literally had to wear cotton gloves that I bought from a pharmacy just to function in everyday life, including work. It eventually got so bad that I went to the ER. They prescribed me prednisone. Within a couple of days it started clearing up, the itching became less intense and the blisters dried up as well.

The fun part (and I know this is gonna sound gross, LOL) was once the blisters dried up, the dead skin on the palms of my hands was literally coming off in sheets. It was so satisfying peeling that off. It was like we used to do in school when we were kids, putting Elmer's glue on our hands, letting it dry, then peeling it back off again. That's what it was like.

 

[Kathleen]

My dad had dementia. He was one of the smartest people I've ever known. He was very successful and could do complex math in his head.

That is my biggest fear.

CD

My grandmother also had dementia. One day, I was dubbed "Inez" and I remained Inez until the day she died. It's a horrific disease, and one I hope to avoid. But...pain. Not being mobile, that is simply my biggest fear. Now Frank with dementia turns my blood cold.

 

[dragnlaw]

Pain vs a mental illness - apples to oranges - can't compare them can you, eh?

 

[Linda0818]

Pain vs a mental illness - apples to oranges - can't compare them can you, eh?

No, you really can't. I don't know what is scarier - being immobile due to severe pain or not recognizing my son anymore. I'd be more concerned with how it would make him feel and what he would have to go through. I mean, if I don't know who people are anymore, I suppose it won't make much difference to me personally. But it would hurt my son. I don't want him going through that.

After my husband passed away in September of 2018 (cancer, for those of you who don't know) his mom (Grandma, as everyone called her) seemed to slip into a world of her own... and never came back. We were talking about him around the Thanksgiving table that year, 2 months after his passing, and she seemed to have no idea who we were talking about. And I looked at her and said, "Grandma... we're talking about Matthew... your son."

She got a confused look on her face and said "Who???"

We all sort of looked at each other like oh boy, this is not good.

Matthew was her baby (of 5 kids) and I think maybe that was her way of dealing with his death - by completely forgetting about him. Or, rather, suppressing all memory of him. I think that's a better way to put it.

 

[taxlady]

It was pretty awful for me and my sister when my mum got bad dementia. The worst wasn't when she didn't recognize me. It wasn't when she thought I must be one of her older sisters, when I was helping her take a bath. It was when we went shopping and sat down on a bench outside. She asked where my dad was. He had passed 10 or 12 years previous and I was at a loss of what to say. She saw that in my face and said, "Oh, he died, didn't he?" It was the short while of clarity, when she was aware that she had dementia that was the worst for me and probably for her.

 

[dragnlaw]

A good friend of mine's grandmother would sometimes go into a flying rage when she entered the room. Screaming at her that she had kidnaped her baby and to give her back. Or other times tell her to hurry up she would be late for school and reminding her she had to babysit her brother when she got home. She did not have a brother but her mother did and that she babysat often. So she thought her granddaughter was her daughter.
She would not remember from one episode to the next. Nor even when she was coherent did she remember any thing untoward had happened, simply glad she'd come to visit. But the coherent times were becoming far and few between. So it was worse for her than her grandmother.

Be happy when they recognize you and don't worry too much about the lapses - they don't remember them - only you do. As long as they are happy, who are you sad for? Yourself or them?

Don't get me wrong - i'm not saying it's easy - it's tough and of course it hurts big time, after all it's your Mom/Dad - but trying to rationalize might make it a tiny bit easier.

Hugs to all of you with these issues on your plate!

 

[Linda0818]

~Hugs back to all~

 

[jennyema]

My father asked me how I knew his wife, Mary….