Tag Archives: back pain

My Second Steroidal Epidural Procedure!

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A Patient’s Journey to Pain Relief with OSC Orthopedic Associates

After my initial epidural procedure failed to give me as much pain relief as I was hoping for, Dr Mark McFarland recommended I try a second cortisone procedure before moving to the surgical option to remove the herniated disk.

I head into to see Dr. Raj Sureja for my second cervical epidural – cue dramatic drum rolll please :)

I found this great Youtube video by Dr Sureja explaining the process of injecting cortisone into the spine and why this helps relieve pain:

This time, I am much less anxious about what my experience will be. Knowledge is power, right? I know that I might get dizzy or feel faint, but I also know that the epidural really doesn’t hurt and that it will be over soon.

Dr. Sureja comes in and is his usual gentle and wonderful self.  He decides to do my epidural at a level below the last one, to see if this time, I get some relief from the medication.

I lay down on my stomach on the table and again, during the procedure, I being to feel faint.  I hate the fact that I just get so faint whenever I am scared or feel pain.  Dr. Sureja says it is the Vagus Nerve Reflex that causes this and that it happens to other people as well.  Luckily, this time, I recover from my faintness very quickly and my blood pressure does not drop as low.  After a short waiting period after the procedure, I am released into the care of my long-suffering in-laws, who have again volunteered to pick me up and take me home.

 Pain management specialists Dr Raj Sureja and Dr Jenny Andrus

Dr Raj Sureja with orthopedic colleague, Dr Jenny Andrus of OSC

When I arrive home, I quickly get my ice pack and head for the bed, to lay flat and to ice the injection site.  I pray that I will not get the severe headache that I got last time, so I try to lie still, watch TV and nap.  After a few hours, my husband comes home from work and fixes me dinner.  I am just fine to get up and eat at the table.  Later that evening, I do experience some leg jitters and insomnia. However, these side-effects are nothing compared to those that I experienced after the first epidural.  Hallelujah, no headache, no flushing and no other problems!    The whole experience seemed to go much more smoothly, in large part, because I wasn’t so afraid and I didn’t work myself up before I went to have the injection.  Now, the fun part begins…waiting to see if I feel better.

Next time…..Second Time is a Charm!

Pain Relief Results After a Steroidal Epidural

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A Real-Life OSC Patient Tells of Their Pain Relief Experience

My last post dealt with the yucky after-effects experience with the epidural were over (1 day max), I eagerly began waiting to see if I would feel relief.

When they put the steroid medication into  your epidural space, they use numbing medication.  This numbing medication does provide temporary pain relief, but the real relief that I am seeking can come several days to a week after the injection.

Steroid use for pain relief

Epidural Injection of Steroids for Pain Relief

For the first few days, I really did not feel that much of a difference in my pain.  After about 4 days, I started to notice that my arm did not hurt quite as much.  Then after about a week, I noticed a small improvement in my shoulder and neck pain.  This improvement however, was not the big payoff that I had hoped for or expected from the epidural.

As a matter of fact, I really did not see a huge difference in my pain level from before.  So, being a good patient, I waited for a whole month to see if things would change.  To my chagrin, they did not.  So, I went to talk to Dr. Mark McFarland, one of the spine specialists here at OSC, to tell him the epidural had not given me the relief that I sought.

Dr Mark McFarland OSC orthopedic associate

Dr Mark McFarland examines a patient's spine

Dr. McFarland listened patiently to me as I opined that I would be headed for the surgery table because that silly epidural did not work and there was no hope for me, except to be cut open and have the offending disc herniation removed.  Dr. McFarland surprised me when he suggested that I should head back for yet another epidural.

I guess he saw the surprise on my face and explained to me his rationale.

He told me that many times, the first epidural does not reduce the inflammation around the nerve as well as it might.  So, they do another epidural in a different area or even a level above or below the herniation.  Many times, this second one does the trick and relieves the patient’s pain significantly.

Hmmmm.

I guess I lived through the first one, I guess I can try again and see if it will work this time for me.  I am willing to do anything to feel better, so here goes.

Next time – My second cortisone injection epidural!

After my Cervical Epidural Injection

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What Happened After my Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection

I went home after my epidural and continued to experience light-headedness, so I went and got in bed, laid flat and watched TV.  OSC’s Dr Sureja gave me an instruction sheet  to help after the procedure, and I immediately followed the instruction to ice the injection site, so I did.

My instruction sheet also gave a list of potential side-effects and complications to watch for and what to do should those occur.  Infection, nerve damage, bleeding, and a dural puncture were all discussed as rare, but possible complications.  More commonly, the side-effects possible were dizziness, pain at the injection site, flushing, leg pain, headache, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, anxiety or irritability, weight gain.

Dr Jenny Andrus

Dr Jenny Andrus

Unfortunately, I experience several of the side-effects, starting with leg pain and heaviness.  I also experienced a lot of flushing and feeling hot.  However, armed with the knowledge that these side-effects were common and although uncomfortable, not life-threatening, I dealt with them.  I took a long hot bath as I was having leg pain and I could not sleep.  I continued to ice my neck throughout the night, on-and-off.  I started getting a headache early in the morning and by 9:00 AM, it was very bad.  I did not go in to work.

So I called the practice and Dr. Sureja’s partner, Dr. Jenny Andrus at OSC, phoned in a mild pain prescription for me.  She said to let her know if I did not get relief in a few hours.  I took the medication and quickly started to feel better.  I felt pretty much back to normal in about 24 hours after the epidural.  After that time, I did not experience any more or continued side-effects.  Dr. Sureja told me that the epidural might work well within a few days, might take a while to feel better or might not work at all.  I certainly wanted it to work and I was willing to wait a few days to see if I began to feel relief from my chronic neck and shoulder pain.

Next time….Pain Relief…YES or NO????

 

Having an MRI Test with OSC’s Open MRI

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Open MRI Scanning Technology at OSC

After my initial examination by an orthopedic associate at OSC I had my MRI, which was not unpleasant at all.  Many people become claustrophobic inside enclosed spaces, but the MRI at OSC is open in the back and on the sides (an “Open MRI”), so it certainly doesn’t not make you feel as claustrophobic as one of those “tube” MRIs might make you feel.

OSC's Open MRI accredited by ACR

Open MRI Technology at Orthopaedic & Spine Center

I checked in for my appointment and was told to change into a gown, but that I could leave on everything from the waist down.  I put my clothes into a locker.  I was then escorted into the MRI room itself.  The machine is kind of imposing-looking, but our MRI technicians are so warm and friendly, they put you right at ease.

They told me that I would be able to talk to them at any time and that if I had a problem during the MRI, that I could let them know. I was told to lie down on a table that was attached to the Open MRI itself.  They put a bolster under my legs to make me more comfortable and gave me a blanket.  They told me that the table on which I was lying would move into the actual MRI and that when inside, I would need to lie very still. All I had to do was find a position for my hands that would be comfortable and one where I could hold my position without wanting to move.  They also asked me if I would like to listen to music and even put on the kind of music I liked!

Once I was comfortable, they pushed a button and the table moved me inside of the MRI machine.  Lying face up on my back, the top of the machine was about 6 inches from my face, but the sides were open and I could feel cool air coming from behind my head, where the machine was also open.  They asked if I was okay again and then said that they would start the test.

The MRI tech left the room and went to sit in a windowed control room where they could operate the MRI and watch me at the same time.  They talked to me over a speaker that I could hear inside the MRI and said for me to cough or clear my throat and then to be still for about 10 minutes.  Soon  after, they told me I would hear some noises and that the test was beginning.  The noises I heard were not scary, but kind of funny.  One of the sets of noises I heard was kind of like a horse clip-clopping, then I heard a variety of noises, some metallic in nature, some kind of like a beat from a New Wave 80′s Band!  I love music and enjoyed listening to all of the different sounds.  It didn’t frighten me or annoy me at all…I found it to be most entertaining!

After about 10 minutes, they told me I could cough or clear my throat and then I had to be still again.  This went on for about 30 minutes and then the test was complete.  The MRI tech came into the room, pushed a button  and my table moved out from the MRI machine.  I got up, got dressed and was finished with my test in less than 1 hour.  The experience was not painful or difficult in anyway.

Having an Open MRI at OSC was convenient and easy!

Spondylolisthesis – A Fancy Name for a Common Spine Problem

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Did you know that back pain and leg pain will cause about 20% of our population to see a physician each year? Although most back pain is minor and will usually resolve on its own,  there are many different diagnoses that can cause lingering lower back pain.  About 10% of the patients that see an orthopaedic spine specialist for their back pain are diagnosed with a condition where the bones in the spine have slipped or changed position slightly.  In medical terminology, this is called spondylolisthesis.

There are several different reasons that the bones may slide or change position.  The most common is degenerative disease of the discs that cause the bones of the spine to sit more loosely on each other and allows shifting to occur.  Children may also have a failure to form a complete connection in the spine.  This lack of connection allows the bones to slip on each other.

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