Finally Some Relief

Today I had my appointment with a pain specialist doctor. I was referred to this doctor by my neurologist to get an epidural steroid injection to help relieve my herniated disk. I was very nervous because I have never had anything like this done to me before. The first thing they did was test for nerve response. They sent small electrical stimulation through different areas of my leg. After the data was recorded, the doctor came in and looked over the MRI films. He then told me that I would probably need 2 to 3 treatments. He asked me if I wanted to do the first treatment today or schedule it for another day. I have been in constant pain for months, so I told him to do it today. A nurse comes into the exam room and takes me to the procedure room. I lay down, back up, on a small table. They attach a pulse oximeter and a blood pressure cuff. The doctor come in and begins the procedure. I am including a video with this post. This video shows an example of what was done to me. It was relatively painless and the whole procedure took only about 15 minutes.




Already, I have noticed some improvement in the amount of pain I have. I can also walk without limping so much. Hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight without so much pain. I have to go back in 2 weeks to get my second treatment. The doctor is also going to refer me to a physical therapist so I can get some physical therapy done which should also help. I've had to put my life on hold because of this injury. Hopefully with these treatments and physical therapy, I can get back to what I was doing before the injury.