I was injured on the job and was told I needed injections. I told them "No thank you" and that was the end of it. I still have future medical care open if I change my mind....
I have an extremely high tolerance for pain as you said it was pure torture! And they had the nerve to ask if I wanted to set up my next visit,simply saying it shouldnt of hurt.I cried reading your post knowing what you experienced,I hope your health has greatly improved.Thank you for sharing. ~Sandra
Hello. I have several buldging and herniated discs in my spine, however, the L5, S1 is by far the worse. The entire disc material was blown out and covers an area of 18mm in length and 10mm width, or so the MRI reads. This happened 9 years ago and I was recommended to have surgery but did not want to have it. I've managed over the years to know what I can and can't do, manage my work or heavy lifting with periods of reclined rest. This allows me to do my daily work and even manage to do some things I should not be doing. Like many others I'm sure, I have no choice but to do things that I should not. So, after my younger sister had an EPI, she got such relief, she suggested I go back to the spine doctor and get new evaluation. The doc suggested the EPI in the worse area (L5 S1) since it was the worse of all my problems. When I went with my sister, they gave her relaxation meds and an IV. She told me she had to be awake for them to make sure they had the right area but as soon as she felt the pain in the right area, they immediately made her fall asleep. She was fine afterwards and was able to go home in about an hour. Okay, so, I go to this different doctor that my insurance will cover. I go in this morning for my EPI. They take me back.....I'm told to sit in this recliner and they will come get me. A nurse comes to get me, takes me to this room with an X-ray table in there, a pillow in the middle. She tells me to unzip my jeans and lie face down on the table, the pillow under my chest but a little lower. Has me raise my feet, puts a pillow under the front of my shins. She lifts my shirt up in the back. Already red flags are going up in my head. I'm wondering why no gown? When will they give me the relaxation meds, the IV???? The doctor enters, swabs me with betadine and takes a metal marker and they turn on the flourscope. He moves the pen then marks on my back with the pen the areas where he will place the cath. I'm still wondering when the drugs and or IV?? Then he tells me I'll feel a pinch from the numbing shot and I do, no problem. Then, he tells me that he will be placing the cath in and I should tell him when I feel the pain. I'm still waiting for the meds and figure he's just setting up before I get groggy. Next thing I know, I'm feeling this gosh awful pain, my left leg is kicking so bad on it's own the nurse has to hold me on the table but I could care less because I'm just trying to breathe from the intense pain that has now spread down my left leg, a little on the right, all the way up to my shoulders, the top of my head and radiating from of all places, my teeth!! It was all I could do to lie there and grit my hurting teeth, clenching my fists and feeling like the pain is so bad I might pass out. I finally find my voice and tell him it's hurting so bad I can't stand it, can he stop? He tells me just a few more moments, seems like fifteen.....and he pulls out the needle, the cath still in. It was still hurting so bad but not as intense as with the needle in.......Then he shifts or moves the cath, dunno if he took it out and replaced it in another spot because it was hurting so bad I couldn't tell, just felt pain and pressure. He tells me one down and one more to go.......I tell him, I don't think I can stand this another time can you stop? He says this one will not hurt as bad so I say nothing and he continues. He was right, it didn't hurt as bad but it was so close I could not say it was any better for me. I tell him, I can't take this any longer, can you stop.......just a couple more minutes, which felt like eternity. Finally, he removes the needle, some relief and the cath....better. The nurse tells me she's washing off the betadine, with ice water, I assume from the feel of it. Then she dries the area, slaps on a band aid and tells me to sit up but don't try to stand. I do as instructed......to end this novel, after I can walk, about ten minutes, I can leave but will need to come back in two weeks to go again. ; It's been 8 hours and I'm having all kinds of spasms up and down my legs/feet/back some discomfort but can't say I feel any better but feel the pain is from the needle trail or cath trail. I don't think I can stand the pain to go back in two weeks to have this done again. Why did I not receive the IV and relaxation meds??? Why didn't they tell me? I assumed it was standard what they did and that you would NOT feel the process. So, why do they not give me the meds??? Can I ask for them for my next one in 2 weeks? I honestly cannot go back and have this done again without any assistance. It was the most painful thing I've ever had done to me and I gave natural birth to two children, in labor for over 36 hours, had my pelvis separated to give room for the large baby and none of this was as painful as this, although it was so painful I never dreamed anything could be worse.......was I wrong?