Yesterday afternoon, I had my second lumbar epidural injection.
Since I aggravated the bulging disk in my lower back, the disk has been inflamed and pressing on the nerves, causing pain to shoot down my left leg. If you could have seen how slow I walked the past week, you’ld know how badly I needed this.
The steroid, which is composed of an anesthetic (like lidocaine or bupivacaine) and medication (triamcinolone or methylprednisolone), thus, should reduce the inflammation and allow me to return back to a normal life. The first one, as you recall from my previous post, had helped me just after four days. (Then I took a turn for the worse when the physical therapist put me on the spine stretcher.)
They treat these procedures like a surgery. So I checked into the same-day surgery clinic. They attached a hospital tag around my wrist and then led me back to the recovery room where an empty bed is waiting for me. Some surgeons will complete the injection under fluoroscopy or an x-ray, to ensure proper placement of the medication. My specialist, however, simply accomplishes the procedure without the x-rays, with me laying flat on a raised hospital bed with my sterilized lower back and buttocks exposed to the open air.
This second shot hurt far worse than the first one. The procedure goes like this:
1. The surgeon inserts a thin needle of the local anesthetic into the skin and deeper tissues to numb them for the epidural needle.
2. The long epidural needle is inserted through the skin and deeper tissues.
3. The surgeon finds the desired space and injects the steroid. If I could describe this, it feels like thick peanut butter being injected into your back.
4. When the steroid has been fully injected, he removes the needle and you are good to go.
My doctor and his assistant kept telling me to breathe and breathe deeply. All I remember was holding onto the bed frame so hard I probably left grip marks. I also felt a bit dizzy afterward, most likely because I was holding my breath. The nurse kept me on my stomach for five minutes to relax and let the dizziness pass.
Has the shot helped? It’s too early to tell. In some respects, I can tell a slight difference. But I’m also experiencing other sensations that concern me. I was told that I will feel discomfort and pain for about two to three days.
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