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Is there a difference in injections?

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Posted 12/3/2010 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
My family doctor told me the doctor wants me to have facet joint injections but I am unsure of the difference. Can anyone tell me? This is for my cervical spine, c2-c3

Thank you :D
Posted 12/3/2010 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
I am certainly no expert, but I know my injections were very different than most because of drug allergies. They were used only to determine if I was a candidate for nerve ablation (sp?) and I was. I hope this next one will be as useful as the last one was and it was in the facet joints, but was in the l4-s1 area.

Best of luck!!!

I'm sure somebody with more information will be along soon to give better information.
Posted 12/3/2010 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
That is the name that the doctor mentioned! What is ablations?
Posted 12/3/2010 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
How did the facet injections feel? Did they give you a sedative IV?
Posted 12/3/2010 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Breezy yes there are many different types of injections done by the drs. I had RF done in both my neck & back and the nerve endings are heated up and burned by radio frequency. I was given light sedation meaning I was fully awake. When these are done the dr asks questions and you need to be able to talk to him. I have also had facet joint injection in the low back which were a little painful, tons of trigger point injections and there are also Epidural Steroid Injections done in a series of three injections spread out over a period of time. I have had diagnostic blocks done to see if I was a candidate for RF, I forgot about those. It is the drs decision on whether or not he will offer light sedation on any of the procedures.

This is the ones I have done and know about, hope it helps.
Posted 12/3/2010 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you straydog :) I remember my family doctor telling me about getting the facet joint injections but she said that my PM doctor was unsure if they would work. Then she mentioned the ablation thing. Like I said in a previous post," in one ear and out the other." Oh well. I see him on Wednesday. Hopefully he has some advice and a more active plan.
Posted 12/3/2010 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
I had 3 ablations done in thoracic spine, the same day, same time, with no sedation for broken ribs that were slipping. It hurt just like the epidural lumbar injections I've had, but with the local anesthetic it was tolerable for me, and I'm pretty sensitive from fibromyalgia.

I wouldn't get in a tizzy over these injections. You're supposed to have a driver in case you get some weakness or dizziness. Just go home and follow the doc's directions about icing and resting the rest of the day.
Posted 12/4/2010 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
For me they are extremely painful, even with some IV pain meds. I am willing to do it again, however, because the pain of the procedure was gone relatively quickly and the pain relief from the procedure was long lasting. I'm not looking forward to the procedure pain again, but I am looking forward to pain relief after the nerves are "dead".

Best of luck!
Posted 12/4/2010 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
I had facet injections done a few years ago in my lower back.

They injected steroids directly into the facet joint. I had mine done in a procedure room at our local hospital and was given a moderate sedative along with local anesthetic. I have heard though some doctors only use the local, others only a mild sedative, and a few nothing at all. For me the procedure was not any worse that getting a flu shot. The only difference is instead of getting stuck once I got stuck 7 times. The way mine were done the doctor used some kind of x-ray machine to guide the injections into the correct place.
Posted 12/4/2010 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Breezy I got to thinking about when I had the RF's done and prior to actually having the procedures done, my PM dr did diagnostic blocks to make sure I was a candidate for RF. One of the blocks I can remember was the medial nerve branch blocks. I think most of the PM drs do diagnostic blocks first to see if your a candidate or not for the RF. The one for my neck was great but it did nothing for my lower back.

Good luck.
Posted 12/4/2010 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
When my family doctor read over my consult sheet that my PM doctor sent her, she said that they want to do facet injections and something about ablations. I see the PM doctor on the 8th, hopefully he will explain a few things to me. I am going to try to get what he is saying on a recording on my phone so I can better understand later.

I started my lyrica again last night and I feel like I am already noticing a difference in my pain level. I will definitely give it some time and see how it works.

Thank you for all your posts! I really love the interaction on this site!
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