Hey…has anyone ever had this done. Was the experience good or bad? Did it help? I’m scheduled to have my first one at the end of September. It sounds a little scary, but the basic research I’ve done states that if the pain block injections (getting ready to have my 3rd one next week) work for even a short time, then that shows them that the burning of the nerves should help longer term because it is a nerve-pain issue.
I’m really excited and hopeful about it, but I’m trying not to get my expectations too high and at the same time, it just sounds scary when they’re talking about destroying your root nerves and then they grow back usually some time six months to a year later, but it gives you pain relief a lot longer than the injections and you should be able to most cut out pain pills completely.
So anyway, before I got myself too psyched into this being the wonderful experience I hope it to be. I wanted to explore what other’s experience would be with this procedure, so I would appreciate any and all info.
Thanks for being such a great support…Patty.
Yes- I have had this done
last winter I had the diagnostic blocks done then in march I had the radiofrenquency “burning” done to 14 lower lumbar and sacro. nerves.
I had been told by an orthopedic doc that it would not help me, but I had to try something !!!
It helped on some levels
The Dx blocks worked well on some and just a bit on others, one set lasted almost a month, they have steroids and numbing agents in them.
The “burning” (didn’t burn- I barely felt a thing) just deadens the nreves. so it’s a bit different result.
Before I had it done, I barely slept, couldn’t sit or stand, or walk. the disc bulges would aggravate the nerves, and the spurring would inflame others, i could not roll over in bed either.
Now, I have a much easier time of it all. I can toss and turn all i want at night now, where as I would have to wake up to turn over before, then wait for the nerves to relax before i could get back to sleep. And i just have an overall ease of movement now, where as I would have “catches” and stinging and burning before. and it’s lasted 6 months now, and I’m hoping it will last a year or more.
The ablation did not get rid of all my pain though, pain is like an onion, it has layers. The nerve pain is on top, then there is the mechanicle pain, maybe the nerves are messengers telling us something is wrong.
Good luck to you, stoutsabout
I was in a car accident in 2002 (rear ended), and injured my neck. I went through all of the protocols, and in mid or late 2003 ended up having this procedure done, on both sides of my neck (one in one week, the second a week later). At first I had them done in a surgery center, and they do put you out, but they have to wake you up during the procedure to test the nerves they’re about to burn. The testing doesn’t really hurt–it’s like a buzzing feeling, and you tell them where you feel it. It’d vary from my thumb on up to the nerve that needs to be burned, and that’s the point–they want to get the right nerve. They don’t put you back under while they burn the nerve, and to be honest, that hurts.
Then I started having it done in my doctor’s office. The good thing is that they load you up with the equivalent of dental novocaine (which they don’t bother to do in the surgery centers, since they put you out, making the wake-up part very painful). The bad thing is it hurts a lot getting those novocaine-like shots. More recently, my doctor was able to use a nasal spray similar to fentynl prior to the procedure, and that helps a LOT. I’d definitely recommend going that way if it’s available to you.
That said, I have a pretty low tolerance for pain, and I think most of his other patients didn’t experience as much pain as I did. So don’t let my experience scare you off. After all, I did get through it!
The procedure worked very well for me, usually for six months, especially at first. I’d go so far as to say it was responsible for allowing me to continue working, until 2006. It had stopped working so well, and in Jan 06 the cost (pain)/benefit ratio indicated to both me and my doctor that it was time to quit. I ended up having to retire on disability in June 2006.
It’s a drastic procedure, and as another respondent noted, there are layers of pain. For me, it allowed me to keep working much longer than I would have been able to otherwise. I was able to take significantly less pain medication, and that’s always good.
Good luck to you, m’dear.
Gone fishing til September 23rd.
~Debby
PS: It is my understanding that the location of your injury makes a BIG difference in how much pain you experience. Mine is all the way up at the occiput, and that’s a bad location. Lower on your spine is much, much better.
I appreciate everyone’s input. I’m scheduled for the first session on 9/26 and I’m so ready for it. I had pain block injections on 9/5 and within a week, I was in a lot of pain again, so I went back on the 14th to see the physician and they did approx 10 trigger point injections down my spine to hopefully ease up the pain until my session on the 26th…so I’m having some pain, but it’s better and I’m just counting the days until the 26th.
I have the injections and the radiofrequency neurotomy will be done in the doctor’s office, but it’s a pain management center and they have a separate group that comes in and does sedation/anesthesia—it doesn’t put you to sleep, but it’s usually enough to dull the pain of the shots anyway—I think a mixture of versed and fentanyl…and then I usually come home and sleep the rest of the day, but last time the sedation didn’t seem to work nor the injection–it’s odd, but I came home and was in pain that day and actually couldn’t really sleep for 2 whole days (and nights), and I was in a lot of pain, but I thought maybe the injections were just trying to work, but I don’t know what happened. I had maybe two days pain-free, and then back to extreme pain.
So…Thanks for the encouragement. I wasn’t sure about it, but I’m up to at least try it now, and I’m going to think positive that it will work for at least a few months. I’ll update the posting after I get it done.
-------------- Original message from mom-to-one chronicpain-cpt5756@lists.careplace.com: --------------
Does anyone know how long the pain injections should last before you consider this procedure? I’ve done the pain shot in the spine ( L4 & 5, C3)
6 times since 2004. They do help. I’ve also had shots into the side of my hips for pain there.
They are about to try a procedure called iontophoresis where a machine uses electrical impulses to put a medicine for inflamation into the area. THe medicine is called Dexamethasone sodium phosphate. Anyone heard of it?
I have had numerous injections in my lower back and cervical area. most have been short term relief. Some were merely for diagnostic purposes to see if a rhiztomy would help. I had my first lumbar rhiztomy( where they burn the nerves in the facet joints) in 2000 it lasted about a year but, I still had to use pain meds but, not in as much pain. I have fibromyalgia along with osteoarthritis so that compounds my pain issues. I had my second lumbar rhiztomy in 2006 with little relief more on one side than the other however,this time they only did L4 that is where the bulk of the nerve roots are in your lower back. I think if they had done all the ones they did in 2000 I might have noticed more relief but, who knows…my disease has advanced more also. They did diagnostic injections in my neck to see if a cervical rhizotomy would help but, the injections didnt so I did not undergo a rhizotomy there.
Now that I have moved to Illinois I am finally under the care of a pain management clinic. There approach is using injections then advance to the rhizotomy’s they call it denervation here. same thing just different term…
This week I had an epidural injection of steroid and also trigger point injections…I don’t know why but, when I got home I was in so much pain. My theory is that they did not use enough numbing medicine in the steroid shot. however, the next day my back felt better and has continued. If my back was my only pain area that would be great but, for me I have a bad knee and trying Synvisc to prolong a knee replacement surgery also.
It is bad when you have pain all over and get relief in one area and still have to pain in others. My prayer is someday all of us that endure chronic pain will get completely freed from it…I would not wish this on anyone.
Have a good day, Karen
Hello,
Yes pain is no fun. Through the years I have had proliferant injections for joint pain. Is that what you had. It is a combination of steriods and a couple of other things. I would not be walking if it were not for those. This pain is entirely different though. They keep searching for the answers. It started with dental work and shingles in my mouth and on my lips and traveled through my body.
I pray relief will come or I pray for the strength to endure if I have to. I hope you get what you need.
Susan
-------------- Original message --------------
From: parisprincess chronicpain-cpt5756@lists.careplace.com
well thank you I hope it works for me too, thanks
BJ Mayorga Jr.
To: silentman74007@hotmail.com> From: chronicpain-cpt5756@lists.careplace.com> Subject: Re: [chronicpain] Radiofrequency Neurotomy-Burning of Nerves along Spine> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:12:42 -0400> >