Thread: Anybody had this procedure done?

My wife has had this procedure, as well as a couple in the hip, and I will be having this in my shoulder in a couple of weeks. It is a very accurate and safe procedure but not totally pain free (dispite what they say) but bearable all the same. It has been relatively successfull for her and that is why I am happy to also have it done in my shoulder. Good luck.

I had a very robust discussion with my shoulder surgeon (that is all he does) when I began to have issues a few years after Rotator cuff surgery. He wanted to give me an injection and I challenged him to prove that it would work as in my experience I had never seen a successful outcome after talking to quite a few who had agreed to it. After about ten minutes he got the message that it was not going to happen and then admitted that in his opinion it had at best a 30% chance of being successful. I think the quick fix is Cortisone but it only reduces the symptoms without fixing the cause and the original issues slowly come back if they go away at all.

Hi folks I'm another member of the elite club of stuffed backs. Recently I started getting a little bit of numbness in both feet. So off to the neurosurgeon and see what happens, as it turns out I've got another bulge forming at L5-S1. This is a cousin to the one at L4-L5; and both of them are on the inside and the only thing he could offer was a cortisone injection and obviously I have to be more vigilant about how I do things from now on. After talking to people who have had a cortisone injection I opted not to have it and settle for the Norspan patches which are great. Perhaps you could see a pain specialist and see if this type of pain relief helps you through the day.
I know for a fact that without the constant pain relief I would not be able to do much of any thing. I sincerely hope that this will help you in some small way to help you cope with your pain management.
Cheers Alby

Had that last week for treating a bursa on my hip,got the bursa from a fall some time ago,now 4 days on and things going well.
A bit of pain when they found the spot to put the needle in,felt the injection but didn't last long,rest up and don't do much for a few days and hopefully you will be right.

Have had 2 of those in the hip. Guided by X-ray image only (the good old days). Both gave me about a week's pain relief but they did confirm what the prob. was. A minor arthroscopic resection under a general followed.

If you're unsure whether to trust the orthopod then get a second opinion.

Thank you very much for the replies.
I have had 3 steroid injections in my shoulder, the first 2 lasted about 3 months each and the third one seems to be still working.
I have also had a guided one in my hip, it lasted about 3 months.
I am just concerned about the spine part, worried about them hitting the spinal cord
They told me it is safe and should last until the neuro surgeon comes to Cairns.

Ask your physician about Lumbar Radio Frequency Ablation.
Worked for me, your problem sounds similar to mine but could be different, bodies are strange things.

Good luck
Bob

SAISAY, you're right to be concerned about an adverse event.

AFAIK med students used to practice on an orange when learning how to get a needle close to the spinal cord eg for a lumbar tap. Now they get a humanoid dummy to work on.

You can ask about what experience the med professional has who is going to wield the needle. Many will have lots; some will still be learning.

Originally Posted by rsser

SAISAY, you're right to be concerned about an adverse event.

You can ask about what experience the med professional has who is going to wield the needle. Many will have lots; some will still be learning.

Fortunately for me, this is done by a middle aged senior doctor, he is the only one who does it at Cairns Base Hospital.
He was great when he did my hip, talked me through the whole procedure, even had a sense of humour and made me laugh

Well, after not hearing anything from the Medical Imaging department and since I was told I would have this injection as soon as possible I phoned them today.
They had no idea what I was talking about and had not received a referral.
Turned out the intern left it sitting in the folder instead of sending it downstairs
It finally got faxed down but when I contacted Medical Imaging again, they were doubtful it could be done before my next appointment in August
I told them I was in danger of getting addicted to my painkillers, so half an hour ago they rang me and told me to come in tomorrow.
I sure hope this thing is going to work.

Had my injection today, I hope it will be working for a while at least.
Turned out to be a CAT Scan guided injection not ultrasound.
Doctor was funny, he was old enough to start going grey at the temples.
He said not to worry he had done several before, however, seeing I am allergic to local anaesthetics, despite my worries about being a guinea pig, I would have to be one today, as he had never done one before without it
Went well though, all I felt was the prick when the needle first went into the skin.

Hope the outcome is good SAISAY.

Had a whole day yesterday without painkillers