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l5s1 back injury question about nerve blocks

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Posted 6/23/2011 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
hi i am new here and really need some support,without writing a book,i have been dealing with chronic back and tneck pain for many years,many mris,ienjections,pain meds.i havec ddd through out my neck and lower back,foraminal staenosis at c3 and c4 wifth due to facet joint osteoarthritis and spondylosis.and bone spurs.

my lower back has been out of control,i have a large herinated disc at l5s1,and a moderate circumferential bulge of the annulus fibrosis,causing a neural femoral compromise,causing a moderate degree of central canal stenosis. i have been in bed for a few days due to my painful flares.i have seen a surgeon,and said i could have the surgey,but no promises,

i waited 3 hours to see him and got 7.5 minutes of his time,i was not happy.my 2nd opinion is not for another 2 months.i cant believe how long it takes to get from point a to point b.anyway there are no pain managements in my area that take my insurance,so pcp,is taking care of me at this point.not much help besides giving me meds.

i have gotten epidurals in the past,some time it worked some not so much.has anyone tried nerve blocks for that area?and did it help with the nerve pain? plus i have fibromyalgia.my job is physical,but i love it.but i am getting to the point of early retirment,if someone cant fix me.the depression is getting worse everyday,i am at a lost here.thanks for listening.

sad

(edited for easier reading) Thanks! SE

Post Edited By Moderator (Screaming Eagle) : 6/23/2011 8:19:41 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/23/2011 9:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Marie,

I can't help with your question about nerve blocks, but I just wanted to say 'hi' and welcome you to our little group here. I hope you'll find plenty of support here :)

Laura
Posted 6/23/2011 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Marie and welcome to Healing well's chronic pain forum. I am sorry that you have to be here but very glad that you found us. You know having a place to go to and talk with others that have CP can help us feel somewhat better. Not everyone understands what CP is really like.

You asked about nerve blocks. You know any time they attempt any of the injections there really is no way of telling if they will help a person or not. Its trial and error at best. I have had nerve blocks done many times in an effort to get better control over the situation, however the blocks did very little for me.

The appt with the specialist sure was a flop. I do hope this next specialist will be someone interested in you and trying to help you. Are you by chance seeing a neurosurgeon? A neurosurgeon has more training with dealing with the nerves than an orthopedic. The ortho's specialty is with the bones and bony structure. No dr can really say that surgery will correct the problem 100%. They can fix the mechanical end of it but when nerves are involved they have to heal on their own and that takes time.Sometimes if a nerve is pinched or compressed and the person waits too long to have anything done, the nerve can become permanently damaged. Its soinds like you have some pretty big issues with your back from what you wrote about.

Please take good care of yourself and hang in there.
Posted 6/24/2011 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Marie~~

And welcome to the CP Family. This is a wonderful place for compassion and understanding. We all have different kinds of pain, intensities and prognoses but in the long run...chronic pain IS chronic pain and it just hurts!

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with poor doctors. Many seem to forget that our time is just as important as theirs. I'm of the belief that WE hire the doctors and have the right to interview them before WE take them on. It seems the other way around these days but we do still have choices...although insurance sure can limit them.

I also have problems at L5/S1, arthritis in my spine, fibromyalgia, etc. So I can understand some of what you are saying. My PCP takes care of my pain meds and I prefer it that way. He knows me like no other physician. I live in a small community and no matter what you do or who you know it's all a large family of people. So the doctor here not only knows many of the residents as patients but also as friends. I've been knows to fire specialists if they aren't up to my standards. Twice I left a short visit with a specialist who my doc referred me to and asked for a different one. Both times doc was more than considerate in helping me out. If we don't speak up about the rotten doctors out there then they will continue to treat other people poorly.

Stand up and speak up...politely of course, because no one else will do it for us.
Chutz
Posted 6/24/2011 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
thank you for the feed back,it is nice to talk to others who go through cp everyday,you learn to live with it but you never accept it,no matter how hard i try.when i get my bad flares i tend to lose it,being in bed for days really pushes my buttons.i dont want to feel it anymore,think about it anymore,or live it.i am not that old,but i feel old.i am missing out on life.i have another opinion with a nuerosurgon in 2 months.as much as i dont want surgey,it might be my only option at this point,ive been dealing with this for years,and it is getting worse.since i have fibro,i know it will take me longer to heal.as far as doctors goes that is another story,i am still trying to find the doctors who went into this field to help people,they are out there but very hard to find.again thankyou for the support.
Posted 6/24/2011 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Marie you know I hear you when you say you are tired off living with CP, not wanting to accept it and all and I totally understand where you are at. But, what I am getting ready to say next is something for you to chew on a little. Learning to accept CP and what it has done to you is truly the only way to get a grip on it. it took me a long time to come to this realization. That it was going to be a part of my life every day, it ruined my working years at the age of 49, I had to throw in the towel because crohns disease reared its ugly head and between the two I was fighting a losing battle for a very long time. I went thru various different surgeries for different medical problems in two years 6 surgeries that was too much. I was drowning in depression. Finally went on medication and sought the care of a wonderful psychologist. Between the depression and grieving for my old life it was nearly too much to handle but I made it. Its kind of like what we make of it. I have always been in control of me but with this stuff I had no control.

I had to make a choice of either letting all of these medical conditions destroy me or fight back and take control the best I could. I accepted the fact I have to do things differently than before, I still have a brain in my head although some days its mush, but thats ok, its still there. I had to totally regroup my life to survive. Acceptance was a very bitter pill to swallow. I still have my days when I sometimes say why me, but I try not to linger there long. I am still the same crazy person as before, I just do things a lot different now.

So, don't give up on things, you can make it. If you need some professional help to get you there, by all means go for it. I just wish I had the means to continue seeing my psychologist but that is not in the cards right now. You have a lot of life left to live and a lot to give and you can move on and get past all of this. Not many people could survive what CP people do to live a half way normal life, it is not for the weak and you will find we are the strongest people around, we sometimes forget that.

Take care of yourself and keep coming here and speaking out.
Posted 6/24/2011 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
straydog,first i want to say i am sorry for your pain,and everything you have went through,i cried as i read your post,but you are so right,and you are giving back to others for your kindness and understanding and support to complete strangers.and you made me feel better.lol sometimes you need to hear it from someone else,when you are in the moment it is hard to see past that,so thankyou stray dog.i wish antidepressants worked for me,i am allergic to them,i have tried them all,doctors like to give them for everything these days.i am in therapy,but i really dont connect with her,and i dont know how to tell her that,i dont want to hurt her feelings,so i am looking to go some where else.she is nice but i dont think she really gets it.maybe im crazy and she does,but i just dont feel the connection.i have never been in therapy before.so this is new to me.i find it easier to talk to people who go through it.thanks again stray dog for reminding me there is life after pain lol.i will have to keep working on it.you take care.
Posted 6/24/2011 11:55 PM (GMT 0)

Chutz said...
Hi Marie~~

And welcome to the CP Family. This is a wonderful place for compassion and understanding. We all have different kinds of pain, intensities and prognoses but in the long run...chronic pain IS chronic pain and it just hurts!

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with poor doctors. Many seem to forget that our time is just as important as theirs. I'm of the belief that WE hire the doctors and have the right to interview them before WE take them on. It seems the other way around these days but we do still have choices...although insurance sure can limit them.

I also have problems at L5/S1, arthritis in my spine, fibromyalgia, etc. So I can understand some of what you are saying. My PCP takes care of my pain meds and I prefer it that way. He knows me like no other physician. I live in a small community and no matter what you do or who you know it's all a large family of people. So the doctor here not only knows many of the residents as patients but also as friends. I've been knows to fire specialists if they aren't up to my standards. Twice I left a short visit with a specialist who my doc referred me to and asked for a different one. Both times doc was more than considerate in helping me out. If we don't speak up about the rotten doctors out there then they will continue to treat other people poorly.

Stand up and speak up...politely of course, because no one else will do it for us.
Chutz

its really sad what some doctors put us through,they cause more stress than the pain does.i have had my share,and at this point in my life i wont settle for less.good for you for speaking up,everyone deserves good care.i always say the best medicine you can give anyone is understanding and compassion,which this world lacks.
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