Epidural Effectivness
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:23 pm
Hello all,
I've been lurking here for about 10 months since my back flared up on me at the beginning of the year. Here is my short story - I have a protruding disc at L5, with some smaller protrusions at L3, L4. I am 51 years old and am in otherwise good health. The good news for me is that I am virtually free of leg symptoms or neurological deficits. My pain is generally confined to the low back and varies from 0 to 3 on the "10" scale. I am in the care of an excellent physiatrist here in the SF Bay Area and have been diligently doing core work at his behest.
The not-so-good news is that I have been stuck at this level for perhaps 6 months or so. It's a nagging thing, really, as I have been reasonably athletic and fit all my life. My doctor has prescribed Celebrex to take on an "as needed" basis. He does not think, however, that taking Celebrex for a stretch of time (maybe a month or more) will do anything for me.
It seems I have some nerve irritation that does not want to go away. I finally gave in to my doctor's suggestion that I get an epidural at the nerve roots. It was not painful, but as of 8 days into it, I have not seen any improvement. My doctor believed that it would be just the thing for me and would break the cycle of irritation/inflammation. I am due to see him again in a couple of weeks and we'll see what he says about it.
I guess my basic question is, am I just expecting this healing process to go faster than it really takes? I still have access to my physical therapist, though I am no longer being treated by him. He seems to think I just need more time. Maybe he right, but it is frustrating because I am hovering between feeling recovered and feeling not-quite healed.
Does anybody else have a similar experience? Honestly I am puzzled because (fortunately) my injury was not nearly as severe as many of yours. I have heard stories of folks with much more nerve inflammation who responded quickly to epidurals, so I am really wondering about my lack of response.
Doug
I've been lurking here for about 10 months since my back flared up on me at the beginning of the year. Here is my short story - I have a protruding disc at L5, with some smaller protrusions at L3, L4. I am 51 years old and am in otherwise good health. The good news for me is that I am virtually free of leg symptoms or neurological deficits. My pain is generally confined to the low back and varies from 0 to 3 on the "10" scale. I am in the care of an excellent physiatrist here in the SF Bay Area and have been diligently doing core work at his behest.
The not-so-good news is that I have been stuck at this level for perhaps 6 months or so. It's a nagging thing, really, as I have been reasonably athletic and fit all my life. My doctor has prescribed Celebrex to take on an "as needed" basis. He does not think, however, that taking Celebrex for a stretch of time (maybe a month or more) will do anything for me.
It seems I have some nerve irritation that does not want to go away. I finally gave in to my doctor's suggestion that I get an epidural at the nerve roots. It was not painful, but as of 8 days into it, I have not seen any improvement. My doctor believed that it would be just the thing for me and would break the cycle of irritation/inflammation. I am due to see him again in a couple of weeks and we'll see what he says about it.
I guess my basic question is, am I just expecting this healing process to go faster than it really takes? I still have access to my physical therapist, though I am no longer being treated by him. He seems to think I just need more time. Maybe he right, but it is frustrating because I am hovering between feeling recovered and feeling not-quite healed.
Does anybody else have a similar experience? Honestly I am puzzled because (fortunately) my injury was not nearly as severe as many of yours. I have heard stories of folks with much more nerve inflammation who responded quickly to epidurals, so I am really wondering about my lack of response.
Doug