Neck Shots - Take I

Two Saturdays ago I went in to get a Nerve Conduction Velocity test. It was too bad getting jolted, but at the end of the test the Doc let me know that in addition to the pinched nerve in my neck, I have a pinched nerve in my lower back, which I had suspicions about, and I have the beginning of carpel tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. I turn to the guy and said, "So basically your telling my the right side of my body is going to shit?" He laughed, I sighed. He said he would write everything up for my neurologist, but on the up side he didn't think I would need surgery for anything. So that's a plus.

Tuesday, I went in for my first epidural cortisone shot in my neck. The nurse offered me 10 mg of Valium before the procedure to calm me and in light of Valium not doing a whole heck of a lot when I had my biopsy, I asked if she could give me something stronger. I explained and she said that was all they give out, so I took it. I guess 10 mg at once was better the 5mg. I didn't seem to nervous going in, but I certainly didn't feel "ooolala" afterwards either. So, I received the first shot, the doc certainly got in the right area because he hit my nerve two because I felt two jolts go down my right arm while he was doing whatever it was he was doing back there. Afterwards, they want to know if there's any improvement, and well, I really couldn't tell. I was in any constant pain when I went it. My arm would just go all number with the tinglies when it wasn't in motion and I couldn't tell that there was any great improvement right then and there.

The nurse told me what warning signs to look for when I went home and gave me an ice pack and off I went. My sister dropped me off and I went inside to lay on the couch with the ice pack on my back and rest. When the numbing agent began to wear off, then I really started to feel the weird pain of what had happened. It was all in my upper spine area and my neck. I didn't get a fever, nor did I get a headache, but pain was certainly there. Nothing intense, but before I went to bed, I searched through my medicine cabinet to see if I had any pain killers left over from my surgery the previous summer and found that I still had a few Percocets. I took one and went to bed.

The next morning I really didn't feel any better. I felt very tight in the upper back and in the neck area that I couldn't really turn my head, so I didn't feel safe driving to work. I called in sick and stayed home for the day. It's been almost a week now since my shot and I feel as if I've gotten very little relief from the first shot. The numbness doesn't act up as much, but it's still there. Several people who have had cortisone shots in their neck or back have all said how they have felt instant relief the minute they sat up from the table. Me - not so much. Only one person has told me the shots didn't work for her and she ended up having to do the surgery in the end (HI Ellen!!) I'm still hanging on to the doctor's belief that I don't need surgery and the fact that sometimes it just takes more than one shot for some people. I seem to fall into that "some people" category.

Anyhoo, that's all for the medical updates for now. My next shot is next week as is my next appointment with the neurologist. So we shall see....