Say a Short Prayer for Me Please

Will do grandma T. Right now having back issues too but definitely not as bad as you. Someone today mentioned they will intro me to someone who can show me exercises and then I have also met someone who has some machine/computer that can help. Let us know how it goes.

How did it go Gradma T?

My mom just had this done and said she wished she had done it sooner!! You will be fine ! My blessing and prayers are with you :-) GL xoxox

Dear Grandma T,

Take lots of deep, relaxing breaths, close your eyes and be as still as possible during the needle insertion. It is the same technique used for delivery babies. So you can have weak, numb legs for a short while. You should not drive yourself home. You should rest the remainder of the day, b/c people can have pretty severe headaches as the fluid corrects itself.

Most people I know who opt for this procedure always have some relief, but not complete relief. The pain frequently returns, especially with you having 3 herniated discs.

I would recommend, after approval from your MD, find out if you can start a gentle or restorative yoga style class that emphasizes back health. Then stick with it for the rest of your life.... don't do anything too aggressive. You need to preserve the discs by strengthening and stretching your spine.

How did you injure the discs? Best to know so you can avoid more injuries in the future.

And most importantly, we here at Mampedia are truly honored with your insights so we pray for a speedy and healthy recovery and return to our forum. Good luck!

My sister and mom have had several epidurals for back pain and have had only good results. You will do just fine! Just take the doctor's adivce and relax, don't over do anything and you will feel great relief. Take care. It's a completely regular procedure so, please, don't fret!!

DON'T WORRY!!! It's EASY EASY EASY!! I do the selective nerve root block every few months! Same thing as what you are doing. I have MANY problems with my back - herniated discs, disc degenerative disease, arthritis in discs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, fibromyalgia, you name it I got it! SO after dealing with chronic pain since June 2003 (injury) I have done everything there is to be done, except surgery. Now I do the shots every few months. I see Dr. Achilles at Pain Consultants of Atlanta, he's great. The shot is easy, you won't feel anything as you will have sedation. Don't overdo it after getting your shot (as you won't feel pain!) though. I always overdo it after my shot cuz I feel GREAT and end up doing way too much or getting hurt again. If you have any questions contact me. Don't worry cuz you won't do yourself any good. You'll be worrying for no reason. Be sure to fast 6 hrs prior to your shot though. Then afterwards, just take it easy for a day or two. You'll feel great!!! Good luck!!!!

Ok just read all the comments -
IT IS NOTHING LIKE THE EPIDURAL YOU GET WHILE HAVING A BABY!!!
Nothing at all! That epidural targets your lower body to paralyze it, this shot targets your nerve in your back and gives it steroids to block the pain!!! Completely different. You are able to get yourself off the table afterwards & walk to recovery chair yourself!!! You may need to lean on someone just because of sedation, which is conscious sedation. You are not knocked completely out. You don't feel the injection at all. It's very easy as I said, and you lay down on pillows belly first, you can't really move.
You really are worrying yourself too too much & I'm afraid some of the answers below will worry you more! There's nothing to be worried about. Please listen to me. All of my issues are L5-S1 so I have to do this shot every few months so I can stay mobile for my 3 1/2 yr old son. Believe me, if it wasn't easy, I wouldn't be doing it! I can't stand needles, and this is a piece of cake. I have more trouble having my blood drawn than having this shot. You will get an IV started before getting in the room for the shot, this is so they can administer the "happy" drug to you - sedation - and the IV is the only thing out of the entire procedure that you will feel!!!
Please keep us posted and tell us how you did!!

My husband had herniated disc in his back for years. He was in pain and could barely sit up, majority of the time he wanted to lay down. We found a great chiropractor that told him give him 2 months and his back pain will be gone but there will be pain at first. The chiropractor placed him on fish oil and in the office he was put on some stretching machine that used counter weights to pull my husband from the waist down. My husband complained of pain during the first month and was like "this chiropractor isn't helping" so he went to a back specialist who told him surgery was the best option with pain meds. I begged my husband to stick with the Chiropractor for another month and he was so glad that he did because he started to feel no pain for the first time in years. He continued the treatment for 3 months and along with exercises prescribed by the Chiropractor he has been pain free, able to walk, run, sit for hours and do so many things that he hasn't been able to do before with that herniated disc. He has not had to return to the chiropractor and he has been pain free going on 20 months. It is wonderful. I'm so happy for my husband and for our kids having their dad run around with them. So maybe you can find a good chiropractor with proper certifications that can help you too. I hope and pray that you find relief soon.

I'm scheduled for the same thing next week. prayers for you and please give an update as to how it goes. I've been about to chicken out, but thanks to everyone's positive feedback I think I'll go through with it. So tired of being in pain. God Bless

I'm praying that God guides the doctor's hands and that your pain will be eliminated!

the only thing I can add to the other posts is that the risk of infection is higher in this than a "normal surgery." do what the doc tells you and you will be ok.

just thought of something else-not everydoc will knock you out. I feel mine and they hurt for about the 20min it takes to do mine. Say or do anything to get through it except move your back. Mine are very hard to do because I have so much metal in my back. My doc told me 4weeks ago when I got my last one that they are the easiest shot to do or the hardest. I'm unlucky with mine but not many people have the problems I do. I wish you all the luck. I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Dear Grandma T,
I just prayed. I got an epideral and it was awesome. I couldn't feel the needle go in or anything. I was in heaven for hours afterwards. Cheer up and look forward to it. It's great and doesn't take long before it works after the shot. Almost instant relief.

I have herniated cervical discs, so I can relate to your pain.

My mom has herniated lumbar discs, and recently underwent an epidural steroid injection, and she did get some relief. Not total, but she said about 50% relief. And she had no adverse effects, at all. And the procedure was no big deal. She's going back for another next week.

Best wishes for a successful injection. I hope you get a lot of relief.

And BTW, I had to actually laugh out loud when I read your response to my "nasty" question... you made me laugh... I, too, feel like I know some of you on here, so for that reason, I hesitated to post that question, but as you see, I posted it anyway! Thanks for the chuckle, and try not to worry too much about the injection. You'll do fine.

Oh, and let us know how you are doing after you're procedure. :)

Grandma T,

My boss and another co-worker of mine had that procedure done very recently. Both say it worked really good. My boss said this was her 2nd one. Her first was done years ago and it relieved her for quite a while. So don't worry, you will do just fine. God will be with you and he will give you the healing. I will pray for you.

God bless.

Grandma T, You are one of the ones I see on here a lot and feel I "know". Your prayer has been sent.

Take a deep breath and relax. I have gone through rounds of these epidurals, and it wasn't bad. First, you get a nice little drug that makes you all loopy doopy, and then you get the epidural. I'm not sure if you are supposed to sleep or not, but I sure did.....felt sooo good! I don't think I even saw the needle. They are very good at what they do, and the more relaxed you can be with the procedure the better.

I currently had a flair up with my herniated disc and am in PT right now, so I know what you are going through.

Good luck to you.

Hi Grandma T (that'll be my name before too much longer too), I REALLY enjoyed your spending a lot of time and answering a lot of posts on this sight. We're ALL better for your input!

I WILL say a prayer ( I DO believe it works), but I also want to say I had an epidural (I guess a different kind?), with the birth of all three of my kids. I had no complications, it worked beautifully, I had three pain free enjoyable births, and me and the babies showed no negative effects.

I will be happy and thankful too if you are healed. Will be thinking about you tomorrow. Good luck and God Bless!!

Good morning Grandma T! Wishing you the best of luck for your epidural steroid injections. I am currently recovering from cervical fusion so I have been through it as well. I wish it was a "cure" but they are more of a temporary fix. Unfortunately, the discs are pushing on the nerve roots. Keep us posted!!

So sorry to hear about your pain Grandma T - I had an epidural for my c-section, don't know if it's the same kind either but I don't even remember it and after I got it my daughter's birth was easy peasy! Good luck to you - prayers are on the way.

My step-dad, 67, just had success the epidural he received three days ago. He's able to walk where he was not able to walk for two months. Just wanted to let you know that I deal with pain management. We know physical pain can be worsened by psychic pain/emotions. Prior to minimally invasive procedure, if you can try some deep breathing, visualization, surrounding yourself with love from God, family and friends. Too, healing is not always physical healing, right? Best to you!
Jen

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My mom is going through this right same exact thing right now with the cervical herniated discs. It's so bad, she is on fmla leave from her work and can barely even function at home. She did months of treatment from physical therapy, traction, pain meds (which do absolutely nothing) and had the epidural shots about a month ago. She said the actual shot wasn't too bad at all, because you are all numb and out under. The first shot helped the pain for about a day, so she got another about 2 weeks later. It didn't work at all. The Dr.s said that is pretty rare for the epidural injections not to work. So, she will be having the surgery soon by a neurosurgeon. She was initially nervous but has talked to several people who have had this surgery and they all felt no pain almost immediately the surgical recovery time is only a few weeks, so she has been given emotional relief from that knowledge. Just know that there will be an end to all this pain soon, and if the injections don't work, the surgery will, or depending on your case, compression therapy by a reputable chiropractor will!!! Just have someone who can take you to and from the appointment and take care of you that day, because you may be a little drugged up. You're in my prayers :)

First of all, CALM DOWN!! You really shouldn't worry. I've had a couple of these and it went fine everytime! It's not a guarantee to stop pain, so I hope it works for you. Everybody's different, so some people tell me it helped and others said it didn't. For me, it didn't help with my back pain, but it did make the pain traveling down my leg go away, which was a relief. Just don't go in to it with so many expectations & stay calm! Once you have it done, you're going to wonder why you were so worked up. I would recommend looking into spinal decompression. You're dr. or pt won't tell you about because they don't recognize it. They have facilities throughout that offer it. It's typically advertised as an alternative to back surgery. It's expensive but it really does work if you follow the prgram. Remember also to watch what you eat because the injection is a steroid which causes you to gain weight. So try to watch your intake because you wont be able to exercise til 2 wks after. Take care & God Bless you

I am willing you strength and prayers. God already knows what you need so stay strong. I am sorry you are going through this.

Cherie

I'm sending you prayers and blessings. May the good Lord help ease your fears through this.

M.

I will absolutely say a prayer for you, and I'm sure lots of us reading your post will too. Try not to stress too much about the procedure, because it's more common than you might think for back pain. I know two women, one in her 80's and one in her 40's, who've had it done with no problems at all. They also got some relief from chronic back pain and could get back to their lives again. That's the thing about chronic pain - it takes over your life and makes it so hard to think about anything else! Try to think about how much better you'll feel afterwards, and remember we're keeping you in our prayers!

My prayers go out to you. Good luck!!

Hope everything goes well and you are pain free... or pretty darn close! ((hugs))

I'm not sure if it's the same kind of epidural you get when you have a c-section but if it is the scariest part is the needle going in. If your dr. will allow it bring a photo or something you can focus your attention on while they do the stick. I had two sections and the 1st one was so quick that I didn't have time to be scared (my son was in trouble) and the 2nd was planned. The planned one was worse because I was so scared to get that shot again. I brought a picture of my son with me and a copy of my ultrasound picture of my daughter and focused on them the whole time. It helped a lot to have something to remind me that I was doing it for a good reason. Is there something you really enjoy doing that you miss now? Say walking in the wood? Picture yourself being able to do what you want because of this procedure and go there in your mind. (eg. see yourself in the woods, smell it, feel the cool air) Focus. Breathe and try to relax and it will be over before you realize. Best of luck!

I'm sorry to hear about your pain! I hope everything goes well & it relieves your pain! Do let us know, when you can, how you are doing.

*hugs*

In addition to a prayer, I wanted to let you know that epidurals are routine treatment for herniated disks. Most spine specialists and anethesiologists do many of them per day and are quite experienced at it. I used to work for a spine surgeon so I know this to be true. It is very similar to and epidural for childbirth, it's just the medication is put in a different place in the spinal canal. It really won't hurt - maybe just some discomfort or "weird"feeling. I do hope it helps you. I will pray that it does.

I am exactly where you are at pain wise. I was told I had two bulging discs thru the last five years. Moving in the middle of the night was painful and I never really got a full nights sleep. Being in sitting or standing for long periods of time was a strain on my back. In May/June I started getting a burning pain in my left hip, slowly as the week progess I would feel that pain going down my left leg as each day went by until it reached my foot. Then one morning I work up and could barely lift my left leg to put it in my pants. My doctor referred me to a spine specialist who gave me two injections 3wks from each other. I was scared as Hell! I didn't even have epidurals when giving birth to my three kids because I couldn't fathom the thought of something going into my back without complications. But each time I went in, it was over before I new it. It did take some of the pain away but not all and I was still in a considerable amout of pain so my doctor sent me to a surgeon who told me I have 4 bad disc in my back not 2. I'm not going to lie it is depressing and scary to think was the future holds. And the pain meds suck!!! But there are some out there that are non narcotic that maybe able to get you thru each day. I did what you did asked around to see if anyone has had the same experience and you would be surprise how many people have had them. I hope everything goes well for you!

Good Luck to you, Grandma T.

Lucy B.

Sending positive thoughts your way. I had an epidural for 3 out 4 childbirths. It is a wonder drug! They need to bottle the stuff and sell it over the counter!
Best of luck. Hope the pain ends or at least ceases to a minimum.

i was in the same position after a failed surgery and further injury - i had the procedure done a few times. it's not too bad and can definitely deliver some relief. tell them that you are really nervous and they can give you something to help calm down during the procedure too - good luck. i hope you find some relief. i know how awful it is to live in pain.

When I had my baby I wasn't sure if I was going to get the epidural or not but they came in and told me the epidural guy was leaving for the night and my pain was so bad I said, "bring him back, I am ready!" anyway, I did not look, I closed my eyes and said a prayer and sat perfectly still. That is what you need to do. I didn't want to look at it and I did not move. I worked fine and I actually had to wait until it wore off to have the baby. Here is your prayer: Dear Lord, please bless the person administering the epidural. Please make them be an expert at their job and make sure they place it in the perfect spot for my condition. Please help me keep still and not move and please let this treatment be ther right one for my condition. I pray in faith that you will guide me through this and take the nervousness away. Amen. God Bless and good luck!!

I will say a prayer for you ~ I too was very afraid when I had to get an epidural during the delivery of my 3rd child. I was dead set against having them, but my blood pressure spiked, and my doctor pretty much insisted that I have one. It was not at all what I thought it would be. Recently I saw a show on the Dr.'s that showed how they actually do the epidural, and it was very interesting. I had heard all of these horror stories about the needle as well, but I have to say, you will not feel anything - they numb you up before hand. Just try to relax and not worry. I am sure that you will be in good hands. They perform this procedure on a regular basis!
Sending Prayers ~ Janine

I have you in my prayers. Relax.
Some of the ball player sand indidviduals I have met are using this magnetic topper on their bed and they swear it has helped their herniated disks and more.

If you want more info let me know and I will give you more.

Good luck.

N. Marie

Will be praying for you. I am sure this is different but I have had two for when I delivered my kids via c-section, I was scared but honestly it wasn't bad. Take care and I pray this gives you the relief you need.

Praying for you! Hoping the pain goes away for you!

Hi Grandma T,
I will pray for you! My mother in law had many epidurals due to severe pain in her back and hips. (She finally had hip replacement and wish she'd done it sooner.) She was fine each time and was relieved of the pain. Blessings to you!