Why do I still have pain after a lumbar epidural?

Sorry to read that you are still suffering with pain. The epidurals are usually given in a series of 3. If a person gets no relief with the 2nd one many do not bother with a 3rd one. It's rare for someone to get relief with the first one.

If you are looking at any type of surgery get a 2nd opinion with the best neurosurgeon you can find in your area.

Take care.

I completely understand what you are saying about nerve pain. My husband had a laminectomy nearly 3 years ago & has done very well. He has extensive spinal issues, however, based on his myelogram & symptoms the neurosurgeon knew exactly what level to work on. He has a pacemaker so he can't have MRI's. Any other dr would have done a fusion & he has to many other health issues to warrant such an invasive surgery.

Please do yourself a favor & get a consult with a good neurosurgeon, you deserve the best care.

No, he did not have epidurals, epidurals are like putting a band aide on the problem when dealing with nerve issues. However, with that being said some insurance companies require them prior to approving surgery.

His surgery was suppose to last 45 minutes, it ended up being almost 2 hours. I was kept informed, however, when the dr came out to talk to me he said it was far worse than what the myelogram & Ct Scan showed. He had so much scar tissue wrapped around the nerves. He told us before surgery that when he woke up from surgery his leg pain would be better. I was somewhat skeptical but he was absolutely right.

You spoke again about looking for another orthopedic, I am trying to sound pushy about seeing a neurosurgeon but when it comes to dealing with nerves a neurosurgeon has far more expertise over an ortho. They specialize in dealing with nerves, orthopedics are for bony issues. Think of it this way, neurosurgeons do brain surgeries & that is such a delicate surgery.

did he have to stay overnight in the hospital? how was his recovery time? thank you!

Thank you! very helpful. I also saw now there is a laser discectomy procedure. Will check that out.
I am a senior too - I just want to be able to walk, I normally walk 4 miles a day

Yes. Herniated dish protrudes 9mm

With a disk that size you would not be a good candidate for a micro surgery. I suspect there is a lot of fibrous tissue wrapped around the nerves. The surgeon needs to have enough room to effectively remove as much tissue as possible. If you are in good physical shape & it sounds like you are, an open surgery is your best option. Walking is a key element part of recovery. My husband's surgery was at L4, his scar is 2 inches long. You don't want to take short cuts thinking you will have a faster recovery & success.

My third one worked very well but over the years they stopped working
I'm going to try another this week

Yes I found my second epidural was just a band aid for my surgery, which was done May 2. Pain immediately left, odd cause you cant bend/twist/or lift for six weeks and wear this big brace - oh well beats sciatica pain!

Also had a dry trigger point injection for shoulder blade spasms that seemed to work but now feels very sore.
The spasms are gone but now it's feels like I was stabbed so maybe that will heal up

He talked about the SCS trial. I need to think about that

Glen