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

[Linda0818]

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

Isn't that sad? Sometimes the questions asked can be bone-chilling.

For example, at my husband's service, Grandma literally asked "Where are his parents?"

My BIL took her hand and said "Mom, you are his parent. You're his mama."

Grandma's gone now, too. She fell and broke her right femur, ended up in the hospital for a while and just never made it back out. She was 91.

 

[Sweetbun]

I'm just trying to keep in mind something I heard once, long ago, that said "80% of our fears are based on things that will probably never happen."

I love that phrase! Now I'll think about it every time I'm scared of something.

 

[Linda0818]

I love that phrase! Now I'll think about it every time I'm scared of something.

Good, I'm glad it gives some comfort. I know it does for me. Because, when I think about it, all the things I've laid awake at night worrying about was a complete waste of time and energy.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Kind of unrelated to specific back shots, but still a back injury post.

My mom had a bad back injury about 10 years ago. She lifted a 75 pound bag of water salt softener and hurt her back, then went on vacation to Mexico the next day. Needless to say, she and my dad came back early, she went to the ER and got steroid injections every 6 months as well as muscle relaxers (diazepam). I found that for her, her muscle shakes and pain (her legs would almost spasm) got really bad whenever she got cold, then she would get super anxious. This would fuel more muscle shakes which would then make her more anxious. Yes my mom has anxiety.

I found that helping her calm down severely decreased her pain and especially muscle spasms. (She was always worried the shakes and back injury were going to make her incontinent, thankfully they never did) I wonder if your anxiety could be at least somewhat affecting your pain as well. I know anxiety is never good in like 99 percent of cases.

Anyway she went to physical therapy and is doing way better now (she had a big improvement about a year after the injury), though she still gets anxious from time to time.

I hope your back feels better too! Hugs!!!

 

[Linda0818]

Kind of unrelated to specific back shots, but still a back injury post.

My mom had a bad back injury about 10 years ago. She lifted a 75 pound bag of water salt softener and hurt her back, then went on vacation to Mexico the next day. Needless to say, she and my dad came back early, she went to the ER and got steroid injections every 6 months as well as muscle relaxers (diazepam). I found that for her, her muscle shakes and pain (her legs would almost spasm) got really bad whenever she got cold, then she would get super anxious. This would fuel more muscle shakes which would then make her more anxious. Yes my mom has anxiety.

I found that helping her calm down severely decreased her pain and especially muscle spasms. (She was always worried the shakes and back injury were going to make her incontinent, thankfully they never did) I wonder if your anxiety could be at least somewhat affecting your pain as well. I know anxiety is never good in like 99 percent of cases.

Anyway she went to physical therapy and is doing way better now (she had a big improvement about a year after the injury), though she still gets anxious from time to time.

I hope your back feels better too! Hugs!!!

Thank you so much and thanks for sharing your story. Yes, I have anxiety. It can be debilitating. When I start suffering symptoms of something (pretty much anything) my anxiety kicks into full gear and just makes everything worse. The pain is, obviously, physically debilitating and the anxiety is mentally debilitating. And, unfortunately, the two can feed off of each other.

I'm still going through treatments to see what will help with the sciatic nerve pain. I've had an epidural injection, 'blocker' injections and the next step is what they're calling a "nerve study" where they stick needles into my leg (my right leg, since the right side of my body is where the pain is) to try and 'pinpoint' exactly where the pain is coming from. Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. I don't even know anymore. I do know that I'm tired of being poked and prodded.

So far nothing is helping and my pain management doc told me we're running out of options. So I'm kind of losing hope at this point that anything can be done.

 

[caseydog]

Thank you so much and thanks for sharing your story. Yes, I have anxiety. It can be debilitating. When I start suffering symptoms of something (pretty much anything) my anxiety kicks into full gear and just makes everything worse. The pain is, obviously, physically debilitating and the anxiety is mentally debilitating. And, unfortunately, the two can feed off of each other.

I'm still going through treatments to see what will help with the sciatic nerve pain. I've had an epidural injection, 'blocker' injections and the next step is what they're calling a "nerve study" where they stick needles into my leg (my right leg, since the right side of my body is where the pain is) to try and 'pinpoint' exactly where the pain is coming from. Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. I don't even know anymore. I do know that I'm tired of being poked and prodded.

So far nothing is helping and my pain management doc told me we're running out of options. So I'm kind of losing hope at this point that anything can be done.

I have anxiety issues. It has absolutely nothing to do with what's going on in my life. It is some kind of neurotransmitter thing in my brain that I don't understand well enough to explain. Basically, I naturally experience anxiety for no reason. I take a low dose of paroxetine (Paxil) daily, but on the rare occasion I have an anxiety attack, usually between 2AM and 5AM -- I wake up with them -- I take 1mg of Lorazapan (Ativan) and within fifteen minutes, I am fine. That is the lowest dose you can take, so there really aren't any side effects. I rarely take one. 30 tablets can last me 9 months to a year. Ask your doctor about it.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

I have anxiety issues. It has absolutely nothing to do with what's going on in my life. It is some kind of neurotransmitter thing in my brain that I don't understand well enough to explain. Basically, I naturally experience anxiety for no reason. I take a low dose of paroxetine (Paxil) daily, but on the rare occasion I have an anxiety attack, usually between 2AM and 5AM -- I wake up with them -- I take 1mg of Lorazapan (Ativan) and within fifteen minutes, I am fine. That is the lowest dose you can take, so there really aren't any side effects. I rarely take one. 30 tablets can last me 9 months to a year. Ask your doctor about it.

CD

Got me a bottle of Lorazepam in my cupboard as we speak. I also carry some in my purse, as I never leave home without it. It's been a lifesaver for me because I have horrible side effects with the SSRI's, etc. And yep, it works. I don't think I would have made it through the last several years without it.

I'm prescribed 1mg tablets, but most of the time I break them in half and just take 0.5mg and, most of the time, it's enough to straighten out my brain.

Anxiety/panic attacks are no joke. It's a horrible feeling and I've had them so bad in the past (they're much better now) that I honestly didn't think I would live to see the next half hour of my life.