Hi, I wish I had seen this article before having a large needle shoved in may back. I have severe nerve damage as a result of an ESI. I have severe weakness in my left leg and foot, pain that sometimes gets to the screaming level, can't stand to sit, stand, or walk. I am on two seizure medications (2x daily) and a muscle relaxer (2 x daily) and recently had a dual episode of what the drs believe are seizures as a result of the medicaions. The doctor that performed this procedure I have been off work for three months and am being told that there is not much chance of me going back any time soon. I am looking at loosing a successfull of 11 years, good salary, and insurance. So anyone thinking of this should think twice. They are not as safe as doctors make them appear.
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More than 15 years ago I was going to a chronic pain clinic( the first one in my town) I had to try epidurale to stay in the program. I had 2 and I freaked out. Knowing that complications are rare event I gave in to it. I would have prefer not but the program was good and I wanted to stay in. I had a fear that if I was under the effect of the medication there would be a fire...I would not be able to walk out of there!! Mine were with regional anesthetic medication and steroids and it was on the top floor.!!.. I don't know why I developed that fear. I worked at that hospital and knew their emergency procedures for a fire evacuation. Why did that fear came to me ? After the second one I told them that if they want to "fire" me, I will walk out... I was never comfortable with epidural to start. I had one for my first baby and hated it, had pain in my back for a long long time . For the therapeutic effect it did nothing to me other then scare me and give me pain out of my 'schedule'. The tx was for what they call the
"Gate control theory for chronic pain"or something like that, My pain was from getting up to 10am. and 3-4pm to 12. They had me there at a time I was not in pain, out of my pain schedule....I surely got more pain from the epi.
My advice if you have to have one, make sure that the anesthesiologist is a very well experienced one in epidurales and has many in his book.
Epidurales are a fantastic procedure in many cases where general anesthesia is too risky .
these are only my thoughts and experience with epidural spinal injection for back pain. Everybody is different and I am not a doctor to tell people otherwise.
Hugs Marie
Thanks for sharing your experience. Wow, I have never heard of people being forced to have epidurals just to stay in a program. I wonder how they justify that one. Sounds like a good money maker to me because not everyone is a candidate for an epidural. They work best on those with true radiculitis (pain down the leg from nerve root irritation).
Thankfully those complications are rare because the epidurals really are wonderous if only for a temporary period of time.
Smiles.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD