Do Epidoral shots really work?

[Judy905]

I am so scared...I have my first epidoral scheduled for this Sat. I have degenerative disc disease protrusions at c5-6 and c6-7.  After reading all the above I am just so confused!!  I am not sure how long I can live in this pain.  Dr recommended surgery, but I am not ready for that yet.  41 years old.  Then he told me about the shots...Please someone tell me that they work!!  My left arm is usless right now.  Tried the chiropractor and PT...only caused much more pain.  Help.

[Jaybay]

I'm glad to hear any story about someone who does well with pain treatment.  Please thank your husband for his service to our country and protecting our freedom.  And thank you for posting!  :-)

[Jaybe39]

My husband (71) just had an Epidoral shot.  It was done by a specialist under a flouescope.  About 5 hours later the sharp pain he was having, ceased, still some pain, but they said it coudl take 2days to 2 weeks.  If it works (and it seems to) he will have two more in about 6-8 weeks apart.  A series of 3 is all he is allowed.
He was injured in Viet Nam and has had 4 on the neck area and 2 on the lower back.
He has been in a wheel chair for the past 5 yrs. due to a neuropathic ulcer, due to agent Orange, not diabetis.  He has had one leg amputated and did well with his prosthesis, but now the ulcer on the bottom of his foot prevents him from walking.
We would gladly recomend this shot, vs. surgery, but when all else fails, you do what takes the pain away. ;)

[samielynn]

Dear Judy,
      Please listen to Ghilly. Never ever have a epidoral by anyone other than a BOARD Certified PAIN MAnagement /or Board certified Nuero-Surgeon . Because they have RADIOLOGY experiance. Even then think
long and hard . Because the epidoral space is inside your spinal canal
and anything that gets injected  there seeps into your Cerebral Spinal Fluid. Even if done correctly .Most DR use the wrong STeriod Mixtures
anyway ( Off-label ) because they are cheaper and more readily available.I too am left with Proliferative ( Adhesive ) ARACHnoiditis.By a
DR who falsefied his Credentials and Used the wrong Steriod mix .
(DEPO-MEDROL) .Only should use around spine safe - no nuero-toxin
containing meds  exp.  CELESTONE is realitivly safe .
                       Please read about ARACHNOIDITIS I dont think you'll
go ahead with it after reading .          
                                             SAMIE NO DEPO

[Ghilly]

PLEASE be careful with those epidural injections.  They have been found to be a cause of the condition that has disabled me for life and left me so that I will soon be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.  They irritate the arachnoid, which is the covering of the spinal cord, and they cause a condition called arachnoiditis.  In some cases, like mine, it leads to a condition called adhesive arachnoiditis, where the nerves in the spinal cord begin to stick to each other and grow into clumps, and once this happens, it's a progressive thing that leads nowhere but eventual loss of the ability to walk.  It comes with hideous pain that requires the lifelong use of narcotic pain meds and leads to the eventual loss of the use of the legs, sometimes sporadically, sometimes permanently.  Please Google "adhesive arachnoiditis" and do a bit of reading before agreeing to go ahead with the epidural injections.  PLEASE.

Ghilly

[AnonDH56]

It is a real **** shoot. I had one PM that was meticulous locating areas for facet injections, had three staff over me, super cautious, and used just novocaine at first to see if any effect then would move on to depomedrol (~cortisone). They never worked, five tries. I moved on to a guy that did it solo, wrote scripts and I was out of there in 5 minutes and most always worked. Now these were not Epidurals, I had a bad reaction to those twice and I wont go for that anymore. I get this thing now and then where the nerves in my arm and shoulder or my leg get tingly, TICKLY (terrible), and nothing stops it and I cant sleep. I would take level 10 pain over this!!! So all mine that worked were either facet blocks, like ten shots, or one big shot of DepoMedrol where my surgeries were, S1-L5. I wish it were more exacting an answer, I expect you will get many opinions. This is why they say doctors AND lawyers PRACTICE medicine and law. Ironic we pay top dollar for men and women that are basically using us as their guinea pigs, wouldnt you say?

Good luck, ask more if I wasnt clear,

AnonDH56

[KAYLEIGH88]

I HAVE HAD 10 EPIDORAL INJECTIONS & THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL. DEPENDING ON WHICH PERSON DID THE INJECTIONS DEPENDED ON HOW WELL IT WORKED & ALSO FOR HOW LONG IT WORKED. I WOULD SUGGEST TRYING EPIDORAL'S BEFORE EVER DOING SURGERY.  IT DID HURT BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH IT. (THE MORE IT HURT THE BETTER IT WORKED FOR ME)
  KEEP SMILING :)