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spinal cortisone injection


Lexy

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I had it done in San antonio hospital. I  had sciatic nerve pain that was unbearable, the pain went awy the minute I got up , it lasted 3 weeks and the pain returned. You can only do 2 a year  I believe... It help me to get 3 weeks without pain but then the pain was back not as bad as before.

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Everyone is differnt , obviously I- When  you are hurting very badly 2 or 3 weeks without pain is wonderful  but I forgot how much it was but it was not cheap so it is also a question of how much are you willing to pay or how much can you pay for some time  without pain.  the doctor said that having it done gives the doctor some idea of how much they have to clip when they do the surgery if you go to the same doctor.

For me it was worth it and after the pain came back it also has been diminishing a bit after two years-

Now I pretty much have chronic off and on pain from the sciatic nerve.

The doctor in Mexico is recommending surgery, which scares me.. I did therapy , massages , exercises etc..

 

I am going to Paris i in a few month and I am going t take my MRI and ask a well known doctor who treated my brother for his opinion. This is what he told my brother about surgery,

Do not get surgery intil you are almost paralysed.

The surgery improves your pain in 3 out of 5 cases  and does nothing or gets worth in 2 out of 5 cases.

The problem in the case of the pain after surgery is that is cannot be improved.

Usually after a certain time the hernia will reduce in size and the pain can lessen of course it also means that another hernia can be formed, it all depends on your body.

 

In France we have social medecine so the doctors tend not to want to operate. They also do not do the microscopic surgery because it is more expensive, needs special equipment that cost more money and is not always available.

 

In Mexico in private practic the tendency is to want to operate and get the money..

It  is  all to be considered.

 

A doctor who is not a surgeon or a trauma doctor in Mexico told me she knew 5 patients of hers who had it done. Out of the 5   3 are pain free one is a little better and the fifth says she is worth. The same doctor says that the woman who says is worth does not need more pain medecine and is also pretty fat and out of shape..

 

This too e pretty much confirms what the doctors are saying in France.. As an orthopidic surgeon told me , there is no waranty.. I asked him what happens if the surgeon screws up, can you get paralysed. He said no, but you will drag a foot.

 

I will see what the French docotr says in my case.. but I  have been in pain over the last 2 years , I went to 2 therapists to try aliviete the pain via massage and exercise.. then I quit the therapist and got the cortisone shot and 1  year late I am still in pain but less pain..

 

Good luck to those who are in pain, 

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For what it's worth, I've had it done twice in the U.S. (two shot cervical discs) and it was great. Lasted more than a year in both cases, and didn't fully stop working. The passage of time and worsening of the cause work against the duration, but a skilled physiatrist guided by live imagery should nail the location.

Be advised that trouble with clotting rules out epidural cortisone. Any bleeding within the (enclosed) spinal column and you'll be paralyzed, full stop. The pressure will have no way to escape. No need to worry; they simply won't do the procedure if it's unsafe.

LQ

 

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I had it done once and I did receive some relief. I was then put on anti inflammatory medication . This wasn't very helpful. And I know I shouldn't be on this for life. So one spinal doctor wanted to do surgery, one wanted to do a procedure that involved something similar to  stem cell. Finally I went to a third doctor, had current MRI's done and said I had two cysts. He drained them and I have seen a real improvement.  I know I have spinal changes, especially from age but if I can avoid surgery , I will. Point is sometimes getting even more than 2 opinions is good. I thank Natasha for her recommendation

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Interesting answers from everyone, showing thateveryone has differnt restions so you just do not know how your body will react one way or the other and the relief will be very temporary to quite long but in all cases it is just something that you cannot do for long term relief. Of course when you are inpain relief even for a short time is wonderful. Good luck to you.

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I had this done at San Antonio hospital. I was having severe problems with sciatica from being mis-aligned after hip surgery. Went to PT, where they dismissed me after a few tries, saying I needed to seek treatment from a surgeon. I spoke with a surgeon recommended by my doctor... he said I needed surgery to fuse 3 vertebrae. A second surgeon also said surgery would be best, but gave me other options as well, including the injections and joint-treatment meds. I was told they would be a temporary solution. I've had sciatica in varying degrees off and on for 40+ years, but this was certainly the worst. While considering options, I did some stretching and exercises at home, plus wore a back brace, which seemed to help quite a bit... maybe something slipped back in place?

We were going on a trip that would require some walking, so I opted to have the injections to help insure I could travel without too much pain. That was September 2021. There didn't seem to be much change since the sciatica was relieved on its own before the injections, but I made the trip and haven't had problems with it since. Hard to draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of the injections in my case since I was improving before I had them, but I've been happy with the overall results, and with the SAT surgeon who took a LOT of time to diagnose, evaluate, and talk in depth about various options. I felt comfortable working with him and the hospital, where I got an MRI as well, as part of diagnosis. The surgeon I spoke with is Dr. Gonzalez Ross, who specializes in back issues. His father, also at SAT, does knees and maybe hips, so there are two Dr. Gonzales... you can specify Dr. Ross, the son, to see the one I spoke with.

Best of luck with your own situation. Be sure to speak with multiple people about various options and try least-invasive first. I was told that surgery, with plates, screws, a cage frame, etc. was "needed," but would only last 10 or so years, which leaves me wondering what happens after that. I was also told it make problems more likely above/below the original surgery, possibly requiring more work later. In my opinion, putting that off as long as possible is a better option, as long as issues don't cause other problems in the meantime. 

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hkrause, thanks for sharing your experiences. My decision for now is to put off having the cortisone injection and continue with the prescribed med, which only relieves the severe pain somewhat. Maybe after the upcoming holidays I'll reconsider. Dr. Ross is my doctor as he specializes in back trauma. For years his father Dr. Gonzalez was my orthopedist.  Dad recommended the "kid." I have confidence in both of them. Another orthopedist was recommended by a friend but after consulting with her I felt sure Dr. Ross was the better doctor for me.

Lexy

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