lower spinal injections

[guspech750]

For about 5 years now I have been in terrible pain in my lower back. The crappy part is that there is a lot of pain everyday. On and off and sometimes it will last all day and longer for a few weeks. I have Spinal Stenosis and 2 bad disks. The "cool" part (yeah right) is that the Spinal Stenosis is a condition that causes the spiner canal to begin to become more narrow and clamp and or squeez down on the nerves....ALOT. Well I have seldom used my Medications due to the fact that they really dont do much for me. Over the last 5 years I have gotten the lower lumbar injections of cortisone. I love it but I hate it. I love the fact that it gives me such a relief of pain to the point where I feel like I could get back on the ice agin and play hockey or jump on my road or mountain bike and kick some ass like old times. But the only things I dont like about it is that some times this stuff scares me. Since I can not feel any pain i am always wondering if I am doing nerve damage that I can not feel. I Also dont like the fact that the pain free living only lasts like 3 to 6 weeks for me. Sometimes I schedual a couple more shots throughout the year but again its the "am I damaging any nerves" thoughts in my head so some years I only do 1 shot and just deal with the pain everyday. Ow well enough gabbing.

I would really like to know if any members have the same or similar problems and they too have gotten lower or even upper spinal injections?

How long does the injections last for you?

Has anyone here ever tried a prescription called "Mobic" I have it but have not used it yet.

Anyone else "share my pain"? No pun inteaded.

[rayjay]

I share your pain 24/7. L 1-5 and S 1-4 are a complete mess in my back. Arthritis, bulging, torn and herniated discs. All cumulative from wearing a gunbelt & driving PD unit for 33 years. The injections no longer last more than a month for me. I have them done in a series of three over 6 weeks, 6 months apart. Diminishing effects each time. Then I fell on black ice last 24 January and FUBAR'd it big time. Deranged/sprained sacrum, out of joint 1". Took 2 1/2 months to diagnose it. I was out of work 4 1/2 months on comp. I have to wear a brace 16 hrs a day to keep it in place. I still have pain 24/7 and have been told I will be in pain the rest of my life. I have been using Mobic in combo with the usual suspects. I can't say for sure how well it works by itself. My Doc is looking into a new drug that has been found to work on upper back pain well. Waiting to hear if it will be covered by insurance or comp. I'd try the Mobic, it can't hurt. Its an anti inflamatory drug.

[GordonB]

I feel for you guys. Had both my shoulders 'scoped to stop the bone spurs from digging into the brachial nerve that runs down each arm from the neck/shoulder. Good luck with the Mobic. I can't seem to tolerate the anti-imflamatory drugs.
GordonB

[MM03MOK]

I've been living this too right now, but not as long as you, guspech. Severe spinal canal stenosis at L4-L5. I'm in the middle of my third episode in the last 2 years. Had my first cortisone epidural at L5 two weeks ago. I felt immediate relief but 5 days later I'm feeling the leg pain again. The L5 nerve pain in the leg and hip was worse than the back! Two visits to the chiropractor have helped improve and lessen the pain. I can walk upright now and am icing the back when I can. I know I have to give it time to heal. Prednisone did nothing this time around. I really have to be careful about bending and lifting. Can't pinpoint why this happened 5 weeks ago. The epidural was unbelievable!! That was worse than the leg pain, but I knew I had to get through it. I'll have to read up on Mobic.

[Krytin]

Don't use the Mobic.
It has the potential for Psychotic side effects!
I tried it for two weeks several years ago. It had no possitive effect on the pain and anyone who knows me knows I don't need any help w/psychotic events!

[chapel1]

Ive had severe neck injury back in 95 with slipped and herniatic discs in my neck. After 3 cortisone injections and 4 months of therapy I was better. Since my injury, my two little fingers on my right hand always tingle (nerve damage). I feel like the luckiest man alive. Nerve pain humbled me and made me thank heaven for everyday I have without pain meds... I hope my cortisone injections last because now my insurance excludes any back problems.

[justbob]

Joe, I"ve dealt with three crushed cartaliges (spelling?) in the lower back now for the last 15 yrs. I was lifting a small 4cyl. nissan sentra engine (partialy stripped down) into the back of my F350 untill the last 1/2" to the tailgate when WAMMO, pain that made me cry like I was a kid again! Plus dropping the engine three feet down to keep me company on the ground! Anyways I shrunk 3/4" that day (1/4" each) and have dealt with this pain ever since. Before it was because of no insurance, now that I have awesome insurance, the excuse is lifting limitations for life that no plumbing outfit will hire me with.

I'm gonna work untill I just can't anymore and I guess switch occupations I guess. For now I need the income I make for the family, when the kids move out, thats another story. I have never done the shots but often wondered how they would feel. Matter of fact I just rely on my chiropractor, my message therapist, backbrace, tylenol, and when really needed, Vicodin, tylenol, and beer.

[guspech750]

Well. It has been a couple of weeks since I got my 1st spinal injection of this year. Ohhh baby!!! Did I feel like a new man. I was pain free. I was a nice relief. But all good things dont last. A week after my injection I started to get some pain again. But the pain was a lot more managable. Then last week my back felt like it went through a meat grinder. I was in so much pain. Due to a really really hard day at work. I just put on my happy face at work and did my job. I just dealt with the pain for 2 or 3 days. But I remembered I had an Ace up my sleeve. I had my prescription medicine. Its called Mobic. I was not looking forward to taking this drug after reading about its side effects. But I thought I would take a leap of faith. So I took a 15mg pill Tuesday night and another Wedsnesday morning. OMG!! I feel like a new man again. I have a little pain but it is easily managable.

So if anyone was interested in the prescription for Mobic. I would recommend it and see if it hepls with your life sucking in mobility source of pain. So far I have had 2 pills in the last 3 days and I feel great. Maybe its a combo of the 2 Mobic pills and the injections. But I feel almost pain free most of the time:) So far so good:) I am happy:)

[rayjay]

Glad to hear it worked for you. I have it, but it doesn't seem to work for me. Hydro & Oxy's do, for now. Waiting to hear from my Doc on a new pain med that may work.

[MM03MOK]

I'll have to remember Mobic when I talk to my doctor. PT starts next week and she prescribed LidoDerm patches yesterday. The leg pain from the L5 nerve is actually worse than the back pain by far!

[rayjay]

I'll have to remember Mobic when I talk to my doctor. PT starts next week and she prescribed LidoDerm patches yesterday. The leg pain from the L5 nerve is actually worse than the back pain by far!

Hope your insurance covers the patches. I wore them for a weekend and they really helped get me through a rough period back in June.

[MM03MOK]

Hope your insurance covers the patches. I wore them for a weekend and they really helped get me through a rough period back in June.
Insurance does cover it - $40 for the box of 30.

[rayjay]

Insurance does cover it - $40 for the box of 30.

Hmm, may not be the same patches I used then. Doc was concerned that due to the price comp wouldn't pony up the cash.

[MM03MOK]

Hmm, may not be the same patches I used then. Doc was concerned that due to the price comp wouldn't pony up the cash.
Lidoderm Lidocaine Patch 5%, Edno Pharmaceuticals. Looks like the full price is around $250.

[guspech750]

I thought of asking my doctor about those patches but I always foreget about them. What kinds are there? What do you use for you back pain issues?

[MM03MOK]

I thought of asking my doctor about those patches but I always foreget about them. What kinds are there? What do you use for you back pain issues?


Lidoderm Lidocaine Patch 5%, Edno Pharmaceuticals. Looks like the full price is around $250.
^^^ the kind I got. I put a patch on the lower spine and above my ankle, where the worst nerve pain is. Back pain has been fairly minimal so that patch doesn't feel any different. With the leg patch, I feel a little numbing. I'm also icing the lower back when I remember.

I haven't gotten into the wholistic point of view but many swear by it. Eating the right foods, acupuncture, etc. A friend told me this week about the anti-inflamatory diet. At first glance it's fruits, veggies, no wheat, no saturated fats. Pineapple is supposed to be a good anti-inflammatory food.

[Hack Goby]

I'm about to join the ranks.About once a year I have severe shooting pain on my lower back usually from working around the yard but it would go away after a week or so,The last time it happened I was just sitting in my chair and it hurt so bad that I had to use a walker for four days and ruined John and I `s Thunderbolt reunion at Norwalk.I'm going in for a MRI Tuesday and depending on the results physical therapy after.Reading this as made me a little nervous on what they might find but I have to do it.

[rayjay]

Bunny, IIRC, those were the patches I used. That price isn't bad considering what pharmaceuticals cost these days. I was in shock when I saw the actual price of Tricor. :shake: The Doc had enough samples on hand for me to use that weekend and they worked, so I did not need a script for more. I was pretty skeptical that a topically applied product would reach my joint pain/inflamation, but it did.
Hoping everyone here feels better soon. There is nothing worse than chronic back pain. I have a full understanding now as to why someone would take their own life over pain...

[MM03MOK]

Good luck with the MRI, Paul. I have a second cortisone injection scheduled for Aug. 21. UG!! Another chiropractor visit today and PT starts tomorrow. Not the way I wanted to spend my summer!

[Matt In Detroit]

My father and i both have bad back pain and have had good luck relieving our back pain by hanging upside down a few times a day on an inversion table. I wouldnt live without it now. Try it.

[guspech750]

So far so good with my cortisone injection and only 2 Mobic pills and I still feel really good. I am surprised at how long I have felt good. Usually after an injection I start feeling like my back went through a meat grinder after a week. But the combo of the injection and 2 Mobic pills and I have felt really good for 3 or 4 weeks now.

Mesa a happy guya!!

[Aren Jay]

Accupuncture!

Cured 20 years of neck pain in 2 months.

Losing weight also helps.

[justbob]

Had an MRI done last week and they came up with Herniated/torn L5 cutting into S1. They put me on steroid tablets for now plus Naproxen (<wortheless), pain has went from crippled on the couch to not so bad, and now my butt and calves feel like I was wacked with a bat 4 or 9 times. I did some research on the roids, but the pain described was mostly from the injection shots, not the tablets?? It will be a couple weeks before I can get my appointment with the specialist. For now, i'll keep up on what they gave me, ice pack it, and try to keep mobile.

[rayjay]

Had an MRI done last week and they came up with Herniated/torn L5 cutting into S1. They put me on steroid tablets for now plus Naproxen (<wortheless), pain has went from crippled on the couch to not so bad, and now my butt and calves feel like I was wacked with a bat 4 or 9 times. I did some research on the roids, but the pain described was mostly from the injection shots, not the tablets?? It will be a couple weeks before I can get my appointment with the specialist. For now, i'll keep up on what they gave me, ice pack it, and try to keep mobile.

Good luck with the back. I've been to hell and back for 3+ years. Finally found that for me, a drug called Topomax, inconjuction with hydrocodin, works pretty well. For now anyway. After a while you get diminishing returns.

[MM03MOK]

While my chiropractor said ice the back, the anesthesiologist that gave me my 3 cortisone shots, said moist heat. While ice may reduce swelling, the heat relaxes the muscles and that's where a lot of the pain comes from. I was wound up as tight as a tennis racket before my first cortisone shot and I'd never experienced such pain when the muscles constricted even more when the shot was administered. I had more pain in my lower leg than my back because of the muscles and could hardly walk. Unbelievable!! The physical therapist always started each session with 10 minutes of heat before the deep tissue massage.

[bob6364]

Anyone else "share my pain"? No pun inteaded.

Dude I don't want to take any of the seriousness from your condition but as soon as a saw this thread title My lower back went into convulsions ....

I don't have any conditions that would land me on the "Lifetime Meds Boat" But I know I wouldn't wish that on anyone...

[rayjay]

Lower back pain is a very complicated issue and there is no one size fits all cure.

[bob6364]

While my chiropractor said ice the back, the anesthesiologist that gave me my 3 cortisone shots, said moist heat. While ice may reduce swelling, the heat relaxes the muscles and that's where a lot of the pain comes from. I was wound up as tight as a tennis racket before my first cortisone shot and I'd never experienced such pain when the muscles constricted even more when the shot was administered. I had more pain in my lower leg than my back because of the muscles and could hardly walk. Unbelievable!! The physical therapist always started each session with 10 minutes of heat before the deep tissue massage.

My sons bone cracker sold him some stuff called "BioFreeze" ...its great stuff I get these neck headaches that i'm sure is from an old ijury and it makes them go away in 5 minutes.

[justbob]

Have any of you discussed any surgery with your doctor yet? I was reading up on one in particular that sounded pretty darn good. It is same day surgery, you remain awake, they make a very small incision, go in and "cut off" the herniated part (normally allways facing the rear) and "weld" the disc back shut with a laser. This creates a barrier once again between your disc and the affected nerve. Sounded like an easy surgery....?

[guspech750]

My sons bone cracker sold him some stuff called "BioFreeze" ...its great stuff I get these neck headaches that i'm sure is from an old ijury and it makes them go away in 5 minutes.
BioFreeze? I will have to look into that too. I get crummy neck pain and headaches just from sitting while driving or on a sofa. I am so tired of the pain...:alone:


Have any of you discussed any surgery with your doctor yet? I was reading up on one in particular that sounded pretty darn good. It is same day surgery, you remain awake, they make a very small incision, go in and "cut off" the herniated part (normally allways facing the rear) and "weld" the disc back shut with a laser. This creates a barrier once again between your disc and the affected nerve. Sounded like an easy surgery....?

I was told I am "to young" for any kind of surgeries for my pain issues. I just deal with it mostly with out my meds so when I do get a really nasty flair up the meds will accually work. I just dont want my body to get used to the meds on a daily or weekly basis and not work for me later on when I really need them. The more mobile I am and the less I lie in bed the better off I am most of the times. I also stopped getting the cortisone shots. As much as I like the results, I just dont want my body to get used to them now. I want them to have a bigger impact later on down the road. And since I can not feel anything after a shot I am afraid of doing more damage without even knowing about it until the shot wears out.
:alone:
Good luck all.

[guspech750]

My sons bone cracker sold him some stuff called "BioFreeze" ...its great stuff I get these neck headaches that i'm sure is from an old ijury and it makes them go away in 5 minutes.
I saw that only rehab centers and chiropractors are selling BioFreeze. Can I just walk in and buy it or can I get it online? Do I need a presrciption for this stuff?

[MM2004]

I saw that only rehab centers and chiropractors are selling BioFreeze. Can I just walk in and buy it or can I get it online? Do I need a presrciption for this stuff?

Biofreeze is very good stuff and works the same as Icy Hot only much better.

You do not need a script and should be able to walk in a place that sells it and buy it from them.

Mike.

[CBT]

Good info up in this post. At 2:30 a.m. this morning my back was hurting so bad I had to get up and walk around. So I went to the garage and burned a cig, then curled up on the couch. Still hurt when I had to get up at 4:30. My pain goes back to 1988 when I got plowed over by a truck while riding a go-kart. Yes it hurt, lol.

[MM03MOK]

My chiro uses BioFreeze too and that helps with the ache after the adjustment, but my muscle pain went well beyond an ache. Even got Lidoderm patches which didn't really help.

My chiro also sells BioFreeze.

http://www.biofreeze.com/

CVS carries a BioFreeze product: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/search/search_results.jsp?oss=1&removeAllFacets=true&addFacet=SRCH:biofreeze

I don't know how it differs from BenGay.

[Cheeseheadbob]

There are not nearly as many sophomoric jokes related to BioFreeze...:D


I don't know how it differs from BenGay.

[jeffrt]

I've been diagnosed with herniated discs too. My doctor was talking surgery, but I didn't want to go there yet. I tried chiro and acupuncture with no success.
I bought an inversion table about a year ago, and it has done wonders for me. I'm not 100% fixed, but the pain has gone from a constant 8-9/10 to a manageable 1-2/10.
I'd highly recommend trying it. I bought mine at Costco.
Good luck!

[bob6364]

"put some windex on it"

[guspech750]

"put some windex on it"
Good One!!:rofl::rofl: