chronic pain

polly479: It looks like several of us went through the steroid injections, mine was in my tailbone area. I've had it done 3 times and the last time was the worse!!!!! See I'm also a diabetic and have other health issues and the steroids they gave to me was making me go out of my mind. The Dr.s new that I was a diabetic and told me the side effects of the steroids would disappear in a few days, I was still haveing problems a month later. It was as tough the steroids had erased my memory and my thought pattern. I stayed depressed cause I just couldn't get my brain to work like I thought it should. So, now I REFUSE to have any more injections no matter what, I will try other forms of relief of lower back pain and leg pain. Please be careful with takeing steroid injections!!!!!! "Shoulders" Cynthia

I, too, went through several rounds of those injections. Like everyone else, they failed to provide more than a few hours or maybe (if I was REAL lucky) a few days of minor relief. My specialist & I both finally agreed there was no point in putting me through any more of that since they weren't doing me any good. (Do ya think?) About 1 1/2 yrs. later, I had back surgery where they cut me front & back (anterior & posterior). L4 & S1 were out of slipped out of place and disintegrating. There was also leakage. They then told me that was why the injections hadn't worked. I felt sooo much better afterwards. It would've been successful if I didn't have to arrive home from the hospital to a dirty house that I ended up having to clean instead of taking it easy like I was suppose to. Now, the next 2 disks are showing signs of doing the same thing. Will I have surgery again? If I can get a really good Dr. again. I'm in a different state & w/ a new bf!! It can work!

You are all a lot braver than I am! I don't think I'd ever be able to take injection therapy or have any spinal surgeries.

bravery has nothing to do with it. it is how intense and overwhelming the pain has become that you will try anything to make it even a little bit less.

I've had different types of lumbar epidural steroid injections from different doctors, as well as nerve block injections. None provide more than temporary relief, if they work at all. They are NOT designed for long-term relief, just to help you heal an injury or to get through PT. IMHO, so-called "pain centers" that offer nothing more than epidurals are just a scam. The only therapy that gave me any relief at all from chronic back pain was warm-water physical therapy in a special therapy pool.

KayS: How did your Nerve block work? Did you get any relief? Mine was a wash. I still felt the pain in my leg and on top of that, I was so sore from the injection that I couldn't stand it. I decided never to have another nerve block done. "Shoulders" Cynthia

My "nerve block" was a total of 5 injections targeting the facet joints. Completely useless. Since then, a new doctor finally determined that one source of my pain is the L4 nerve root. For whatever that's worth …

There was however a man at the hosp. where I took my mother-in-law for her cataract surgeries , that said his wife had also tried the injections, etc. etc. & got about the same results we all have had BUT he said her dr. had tried putting an implant for her back pain, that was connected to wires running up both sides of her spine & she could control the level of pain relief she NEDED from an outside controller & he said that that thing was FINALLY, after YEARS of trying everything else, giving her the pain relief she had been seeking.Hope this may be helpful to you, SORRY I don't remember what the man called it, but your dr. should know about it from my description (it was something like a tens unit)

Alas, TENS units aren't covered by any insurance providers that I've ever had (Coventry, Aetna, BCBS, etc.) But those are external units, only. Implanted stimulators are very different from TENS.

Also, my mother-in-law had the injjections in her spine & had ONLY minor pain relief for a very brief time, also one of the brothers at our Church, had about the same results as she did. NOT worth the time, trouble & money, our opinions.

I had the injections in my hips 1st because I had NO cartiledge between the bones( very painful, rubbing bone on bone, in both hips ) & in the right hip the injection helped the pain for a few days,( MAYBE a week at the MOST) but the same injections did not help the left hip for more than 24 hours & BECAUSE of these experiences I have decided NOT to have the injections in my spine to TRY to help relieve that pain- too much money, time & trouble to be worth what LITTLE pain relief I got.