I have had many many many pain blocks for my back and legs with sciatica and herniated discs the pain blocks do not work for me I am so disappointed because of that and now they won't prescribe any more opiates no surgery for me because I have a heart condition

Hi. Like @A MyChronicPainTeam Member. I too have had nerve root blocks , caudal epidurals for Scoliosis . Sciatica, DDD. Etc. the very first caudal epidural I had worked great for 3 months. After that nothing has touched the pain at all. We are all different. It may work for you . If you decide to have it. I hope it gives you relief. Good luck. Gentle hugs xx

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A MyChron...

I've had RSD/CRPS for 10 years and I've had countless injections over the years. I agree with Stacey Tatum, because these steroid injections have a negative effect on our bodies long term, and they are very painful. Sometimes they miss the nerve and hit bone, or other parts of our spine and the pain will send you through the roof. If you absolutely need this epidural nerve block remember to make sure that your Doctor has someone to give you pain shots throughout your procedure . They don't take away all of the pain but they make it a lot easier. Good luck and I pray that all goes well for you Mandy Goodfellow.

Sorry you are having this bad experience. I am seeing Neurologist on Monday who has done surgery on my back. I had to have a Foramotory and Laminectomy 7 years ago now. I had been in excruciating pain for 3 or 4 years, time seems to have no meaning some times. I really struggled, had lots of therapies etc until finally my physio after 3mths sent my doctor a letter saying I needed to see a specialist. Surgery was the only answer as drugs weren't going to fix it. Unfortunately 4 mths later I still had leg pain, but not as severe and had to have a cyst removed that was over the nerve, then another one another 4 mths later as well. These ops were on L4 & L5. It's the Sciatic nerve and I don't know how anyone can put up with the pain. I had a steroid in my spine for the pain, but it never worked it was done under ultra-sound. All I am asking for now is if the problem can be fixed (maybe I have another cyst as she did say they could come back, but hoped it wouldn't) or I can have something stronger to get rid of the pain when it is so bad I don't know what to do with myself and I can't sleep either. I went to the hospital one time and they treated me like a junkie & said there was nothing they could give me, but I knew that they could as I was only on panadienne forte at the time. I was so angry I never went back. I have tried all the usual treatments for the past nearly 4 years. I am over it. Sending you hugs!

I agree Diana Sloan. Over a ten year span I've probably had at least 30 injections including; epidurals, trigger point injections, nerve blocks, and what ever else these injections have been named. The longest period of time that any of these injections have helped is probably 1 week or shorter. The reason why I think that many Pain Management Doctors give injections is because they do not want to up dosages of pain medications.Most Pain Management Doctors are pushing two types of treatments; 1. Injections and 2. Spinal cord stimulators. I think that the Doctors are getting kick backs from the companies that manufacture spinal cord stimulators. I have been asked numerous times over my ten year period while I've been a Pain Management patient. I've always told them no, and that I will never let them put anything in my body which could get infected, and maybe kill me, but they continue to hound me. The reason is because they do not want to up anyones doses of pain meds, short and simple. Most of the Pain Management Doctors that I've been to over the years don't give a ### about their patients, because they heard patients in and out like cattle, by double and triple booking patients. By the time your Doctor comes in the room they spend maybe ten minutes with you and are not empathic about our pain and discomfort.