lumbar epidural steroid injection

Welcome to the forum, FibroWolf.

Call the doctor if you are worried about anything!

I take my own ice bag with me if I think I might be getting another injection. It's a nice one with a cloth covering, not too thick. It keeps cold for several hours, doesn't freeze the skin. I use it on 15 - 20 min, then off the rest of each hour for several hours. Injections can hurt for several days or not at all, in my experience. One in the tip of the tailbone hurt for a month - but relieved sciatic pain for a long time! (These things aren't cures, but better than surgery, imo.)

The lower ones are easier for the doc to hit the right spot. The space is larger, and those injections only take a few minutes. It can be difficult in L2-L3, where I had my last one - took quite a while to get it in the small space.

I never get sedation, I don't like memory loss. The procedure doesn't hurt intolerably, which is not to say there is no pain. The skin prick for the local anesthetic hurts the worst, but it's over in a couple of seconds. The rest is just pressure, fairly hard, but nothing that'd make me want to risk not remembering the whole day - which happened to me when I was given Versed after I told them (different docs for surgery) not to, which is probably what they gave you. I'm often able to tell when the right spot is hit because the pain from the back is relieved. I like watching the screen, make sure to turn my head so I can see it. I've had lots of these, also a nerve ablation - all without sedation - and I don't regret it at all.

I was glad not to remember anything. I am in a bit more pain now from the shot. But it is a different king of pain. I will keep posted how it is when the soreness from the shot goes away. I am also told it can take up to three injections before I feel results. The disc is completely gone, in the xray it looks like L5-S1 are right against each other. The MRI shows a gap, but I am laying down for that one. The xray I was standing.

I'm thinking about getting this done.  I've had bad hip pain with sciatic-type pain in my butt.  I'm now using a cane full time and do not like it one tiny bit!  So, I am thinking about seeing a rheumatologist in the near future and going from there. 

 

I did have epidurals when I had my children but never had any problem at all with it...no pain, no nothing but relief.  Is this what these shots are like?  Like Debbie, I don't want to add more pain to the mix.  If I did, I wouldn't be able to walk. 

 

I'm glad you are getting some relief from this procedure.  Thank you for sharing, too, because, knowing how this helps, you helps the rest of us with the same issues. 

 

Sherrine 

I found the pain from the epidural shot was only there for a couple of days, on of them lasted londer but I had a huge bruise to match the soreness. I found these shots gave me almost painfree days but only lasted for a few days.

Hi I also have lower back pain with foot pain mostly inside of ankles
that doctor tells me is from the spinal stenosis I am considering a epidural , Was your foot pain from your back after visiting your foot doctor ?