Five months after my L5-S1 discectomy, I started getting burning sacrum pain. It has been almost another five months of level 6-10 pain. I have had multiple sacroiliac joint injections which helped a little bit. We tried nerve blocks on the lateral branches of all of the sacral nerves and the top of the sacrum. This stung like lemon juice on a cut - I think because of the rupivicaine (caines tend to sting and hurt me). The nerve block was not
effective.
I had been on gabapentin and stopped thinking it wasn’t doing much. In hindsight, I am not sure of the timing and whether it had been keeping nerve pain at bay. Now I am on Lyrica 150 mg a day moving up to 300 mg a day.
I have taken cymbalta in the past and it didn’t do much.
Gabapentin lotion does not help. NSAIDs do not do anything. Only Percocet helps and only a little bit.
My physiatrist is starting to think that I should try ketamine infusions. He also gave my a central sensitization survey which I scored well above what was needed to qualify.
I am in the metro DC area, so I am working on getting into the Johns Hopkins pain treatment center.
I would welcome any suggestions as well as any suggestions of doctors that do ketamine infusions.
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, so everything is a bit more fragile on me if that relates to any theories on pain.
Thanks!