Well then. It has only been three months since my saga of the disc began. It feels like a lot longer than that, but I suspect that's what being in immense pain for more than two months will do to a person - it warps the timeline because of how long a day is when you hurt so bad. I hope to NEVER hurt like that again.
My second epidural steroid injection gave me the pain relief I needed for about five weeks. It wasn't 100% but it was a lot. Then the nerve pain started to come back at the groin area and yes, you guessed it, I found that out when I sat down. At least it didn't get horrible, but I was looking forward to my next injection very much.
I had my third visit with my pain doctor a week ago yesterday. After listening to my list of issues he said he was encouraged at the news of the pins and needles that I have been feeling many many many times a day, from my just below my knee to the entire front of my shin. He said that the nerve was waking back up which meant all of this was working. I can put up with it; it's annoying as you might imagine, but it doesn't hurt, and if it means that I'm healing, then that's OK.
We went over my medications and I asked if I could stop using the Butrans patch, reason being that I'm feeling better - but am I feeling better because of the injection, or because of the pain meds, or both? He was good with that and also good with my request for a prescription of the lowest dosage of Butrans just in case I end up feeling more pain than I'd like after I stop using the higher dosage patches. I'd love to get by with just Aleve, and of course, the Gabapentin, which is the nerve medicine.
It looks like Gabapentin and I are going to be friends for quite a while. I wasn't sure it was doing anything until I missed my evening meds one night; the following day my leg felt like it had creepy crawlies going up and down from the inside. Which is different from the pins and needles, in case you were wondering. Anyway, yes, it's working. It's also giving me some lovely side effects in the form of brain fog, clumsiness, and shaking hands. We discussed cutting down the dose but for now I'm going to try taking the entire dose in the evening to see if it helps with the side effects.
I appreciated it so much when my doctor and the woman in the treatment room - I know her name but not what her medical title is - both said independently of each other that they wanted me to be an active participant in my pain management and gave me the option to change up when I took the Gabapentin, and how if I had a particularly bad flare of pain, I could take an additional tablet earlier in the day, and also to call them if I felt like something wasn't working and they'd work with me to get me something that would help. I don't have to wait six weeks between appointments to make a medicine change and that was good to hear. I feel a little more empowered as I go through this herniated disc recovery.
I had my third epidural steroid injection that day, done the same way as the previous one, which was transforaminal (going in through the side of the vertebrae instead in the middle). Everything went well, Jeff took me home to lay flat on the couch for the rest of the day, which I did like the model patient I am. I felt really good the following day and even got myself dressed decently to go pick up a prescription and then go audition new purses:
Doesn't everybody empty out the paper stuffing from store purses and put the contents of their current purse inside to see if it's a good fit? And then take some pictures so you can go home and ponder the finalists? Also, ya think I like blue? I didn't realize how much blue I had going on there, with my dress, phone case, and purse.
Based on how things went for the last two injections, I knew that I'd feel crummy the second day after the injection and was prepared for a day of nausea and misery. But it didn't happen, and I thought well hey, maybe my body is becoming accustomed to these steroid injections.
Uh, that would be a no. Toward the evening I had the steroid flush - my cheeks got really red and I got hot. My head got hot. My hair got hot. Oh yeah, and I was nauseated. I went to bed with an ice pack on my head and a barf bag at my side, just in case. The next day shaking was added to the aforementioned side effects. And depression and despair because I was so freaking tired of feeling crappy. The flush would happen, I'd run a little fever for an hour or so while my head was hot, and then it would ease up for a bit. It was a rollercoaster of redness, hot hair, fever, shaking, depression, and despair (which are called 'mood swings' in the list of side effects...no, they are MOOD SWINGS) until Sunday morning. I might get a few hours' relief and think OK, it's over and then bam, it would happen again.
I can't wait to get another injection in six weeks. Said with some sarcasm. OK a lot. As long as I keep getting better and better I'll put up with the after effects, but I'm not looking forward to them...who would?
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