radio frequency ablation

[StaciN2004]

Hi,
    I'm looking for anyone who's had radio frequency ablation for the low back.  I've been suffering with low back pain (S1-L4) for years and am with a new group after 2 years with a group that was happy as long as I was giving them my $45 co-pay 4/5 times a month.  Once I told them that it was getting out of hand and too expensive for me they then told me it was all in my head.  The new group tried an injection to see if I got any relief, no matter how long it lasted.  Now I've had SI injections which felt 80% better for a day and a half and epidural and facet injections which also felt 80% better for up to 2 weeks but this one did nothing.  Now they want to try this and I'm now sure about it.  

If you've had it can you tell me how it was done, how much pain was there during and afterwards and how much relief you had?
Thanks!

[tailbonepain64]

About 9 months ago my husband went to physical thearpy for a stiff neck.  They had him lay on a 6" styphone tube that went from his neck to tailbone.  He did exercises on this roller, 6 wks 2 times a wk.  He told the thearpist several times that it was hurting his tailbone.  She told him that was normal and to cotinue.  By the time he was done with his 6 wks he was sore but it continued to get worse.  He had been diag. with 3A lung cancer in 2008 and had one lung removed, but has done wonderful thru surgery, chemo & radiation  When the pain continued & got so bad we were concerned maybe it was something else other than just tailbone pain.  We have had MRI, CT. Bone Marrow Biospy, x-rays, blood tests and nothing is found.  Thank God, it's not cancer. Je has been seen by 4 different doctors and has gone to UCLA too.  The decision was made at UCLA that he has torn ligimants on both sides of this tailbone.  He can lay flat & get pain releif but thats about the only way he can stop the pain.  If he stands or sits for more than a few minutes he's in serious pain again.  UCLA wants to do RFA.  We live 4 hrs from UCLA, will he beable to ride home the same day?  How much releif can he expect and how quickly?  Has anyone ever heard of this procedure being done for tailbone pain?  No one has suggested injections to stop the pain. Just need more info.

[namnam46]

No problem, Staci!!  I'd figured that out by the REST of your post.  :)

I'm glad that we ALL could be there for you!!!

Best Wishes...........Sherry

[StaciN2004]

I just realized I forgot the word "NOT" in the 1st sentance of my last post!  I'm NOT having the RFA!  Thanks for all the info guys!

[namnam46]

Now you understand the reasoning behind the tests before doing the RFA'S!!  You DEFINITELY have to have a REALLY good outcome before they will do it.  

I HOPE that the Pain Pump works well for you.  I KNOW there are MANY people that have had it on MH so be SURE that you re-post about it!!! :)  As in ANY post you will get BOTH positive and negative remarks about it so you have to figure it out with your Doctor's about what is a good fit for you.  

I wish you the best and wil be looking forward to your updates.........Sherry  :)

[atonicat]

I've had 8 RFA's done (4 levels on each side) It's been a month since the first 4 and I just had the other 4 done Friday. The first side I had done did not hurt at all during the procedure and I was actually almost pain free for the first few days after. Then my normal pain came back up until about a week before my second side. It was not gone but way down. On Friday I had my right side done (which is my worst side) and it actually hurt extremely bad during the procedure. Now I've had 6 epidural injections and 8 different diagnostic injections done and they did not hurt at all. But for some reason this time it hurt so bad I actually cried on the table. They had to give me a double dose of IV meds. My pain level is about the same except now I have a stabbing pain in my hip. I'm not sure if this is just the elevated pain that they say could happen or if something went wrong.

Either way, Friday was enough to make me never want another RFA. I hope that if this works, it works for a long time. I could never go through that pain again. I don't want to scare you but I just wanted to share how it went for me. I have a really high pain tolerance also so I'm thinking that something went wrong.

[StaciN2004]

Well they are going to do the FRA!  I guess with the pain ratings I had they do not feel I would be a good candidate.  So now they are sending me to another pain management group to be seen for a possible pain pump.  

So now I guess I need to repost a thread to find pain pump members who can tell me how that went!

Thank God the Dr put me back on the 75mcg Fentanyl Patch and gave me 60 - 10mg vics for break through pain in the mean time.  I can't afford to take any time off until after April 5th.  I've lost so much time off work due to my back I'm now having to apply for ADA because my FMLA has run out!

Thanks sooooo much guys for posting!  I wish you both continued health!
Staci

[braveheart2]

I had RFA last April after two rounds of test medial branch blocks that used different numbing agents to assess whether temporarily deadening the nerves in my left low back (L3, L4, L5, and S1) could remove my pain. (Previously had steroid facet injections which helped a little, and an epidural which did not help at all). The first block completely removed all of my pain for one hour. 3 weeks later the second block removed 80% of my pain for 4 hours. I went ahead with the RFA, which partially worked in my case. It brought my pain level down about 40% from before the surgery.

It took almost 4 weeks for my RF'd nerves to die off, and during that time I was in no worse pain than before the procedure. On day 28 and 29 I felt great -- but then my usual sharp stabbing pain returned. It seems that in my case, the RFA merely stunned but did not kill off the nerves. However, it did help some.

Last July I started acupuncture for the continued sharp pain in my back while I was waiting for the 6 month insurance company mandated gap between RFA procedures ... and the acupuncture helped me so much I was able to cancel my second RFA last November! Finally, the sharp stabbing pains stopped in mid-September.

The RFA is safe when done under fluoroscopy, and can work very well -- I would not hesitate to try it if your test blocks turned out well.

Good luck!

[namnam46]

Your welcome, I'm glad I could help you.  I will be looking forward to your update!!! :)

Good Luck, tomorrow............Sherry

[StaciN2004]

Thanks Sherry!  My thoughts are with you!  Going back to the Dr tomorrow, will post after that!

[namnam46]

My Lower back is doing GREAT, however, I have SEVERE DDD {Degenerative Disc Disease throughout my ENTIRE back.  I have Osteoarthritis in EVERY joint in my body, I've had 3 LEFT Hip Implants - YES I said LEFT HIP IMPLANTS, beginning 30 years ago and the LAST one was 5 months ago.  

I JUST finished getting 2 more MRI's one for the middle of my back and the other my neck.  I've got a total of 5 bulging discs and they range from moderate to EXTREME.  So there' a LOT more involved than the lower back - unfortunately!!!  :{  IF it was JUST my lower back I wouldn't have ANY problems at all.  Oh well, as they say, "C'est la vie"!!

[StaciN2004]

Thanks Sherry for the info.  I was worried because the injections I had been getting had at least worked if even for a few days but the "TEST" injection didn't work at all!  Now I know they didn't have any steroids in that TEST injection so not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.  

Dr's now are trying so hard to get us off the meds and this new one took me off my patch and only gave me 6 – 5mg vics a day because he wanted a true reading for the TEST injection but since I got no relief he increased it to 6 – 10mg vics a day but after being on the 75mg patches it’s like putting a band-aid on an open wound.

I'm glad that it worked for you but if it worked so well why are you still on the patch?  I can see having break through meds as needed but I was hoping to at least come off the patch and maybe only need 60 pills a month.  

Thanks again for responding!  I’m going to do the RFA just have to get the time open to do it.

[namnam46]

Hi StaciN,

First I want to welcome you to the Pain Management Forum and let you know that we are glad you found this Forum. I want to let you know that there are NO Doctors on this Forum only CP - Chronic Pain - Patients that help each other with our OWN expertise and experiences that we have developed through our OWN CP Issues.

I had 6 RFA"s - 3 on each side - done OVER 11 MONTHS AGO!! It is STILL working for me.  It can last up to 12 t0 18 months and I've even heard of one case where is lasted 24 months.  I GUARANTEE you that I WILL be doing this again when it FINALLY wears off.  

You need to understand that not everyone gets relief from it BUT it's DEFINITELY worth trying!!  You've had VERY promising results from the injections so I HOPE that the RFA
WILL work for you.  :)

The way mine was done, I laid on my stomach and they deadened the area and then they guided the needles and burnt the nerves.  It was slightly uncomfortable but as far as I was concerned, not painful.  It's the BEST thing I've EVER had done!!

I HOPE that it works for you.  I'm ALSO using the Fentanyl Patches as well as Percocet 10/325 for BT {Break Through} Pain.  

When are you going to have yours done?  PLEASE let us know how yours works for you.

I'll be looking for you updates..............Sherry  :}