Re: SI injection?

[Guest guest]

,

How did the injection go? Are you getting any relief?

Hope it helped.

Take Care,

Cam

[Guest guest]

for three years before having revision surgery, I saw my pain

management doctor for SI, facet, and lumbar injections. They helped

keep me going. The first one was like a miracle! I felt great for

about 3 months. They seemed to get less effective over time and they

were very costly (in the $10000 range for each appointment). They

did help me convince the insurance company it would be cheaper in the

long run to pay for Dr Bridwell.

I have been thinking that I would love to go show my pain anagement

doc the new me. He will be amazed!

At first, he thought he could help keep me from having surgery. Bust

as he is a radiologist, he could see that my spine was getting worse

and he finally had to agree that surgery was worth the risk. He sees

a lot of patients who have had back surgery of one kind or another

with local doctors, so he was reluctant to recommend surgery.

PS We finally got the cat out of the wall. We had to cut a hole in

the family room wall and then cut another hole is what used to be the

outer wall of the house. She was between the old outer wall and the

newer patio room. I was finally able to see her tail sticking

through a crack in the attic, and had to crawl to the edge and stick

a long metal ruler into the crack while my husband cut holes to find

the right spot.

Now I have 40 years of crap in my daughter's former bedroom, several

holes in the ceiling and wall of my family room, and big messes to

clean up in the family room and the patio room. But the cat is safe

and and is enjoying sitting in her window seat She was crammed in so

tightly she couldn't turn around and she couldn't go backwards over

whateve it was she had climbed over to get in there.

I posted a photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bahadreama/

I am a bit sore today.

>

> ,

>

> I am sorry that you didn't have better luck with the SI injection. I

> know that it seems like the next step....and many people have

> it....but I am having a hard time coming up with one person that has

> had any luck there. I dont' mean to say that it is not helpful..(it

> must be, or the inusrance companies wouldn't agree to pay for

> it!)...but you would think that we would have a few folks here and

> there saying that it had worked for them. If there are lurkers out

> there with positive results...please chime in!

>

> I do think you are at what I recall was the most frustrating time

for

> me during my recovery. You are so far past the surgery that you

really

> feel that you deserve to be " all done " . In retrospect, my experience

> was that I was just getting started at mending at the time you are

at

> now. I dont mean that I had any specific pain or limitations...more

of

> a dull achiness in my spine, but I really couldn't do ANYTHING. I

> despaired that I would ever feel good again, or be able to do the

most

> rudimentary self care type things like shaving or toe nair clipping.

> It really was a time when I thought that I would never get any

better.

>

> Remarkably, I did improve a lot in the next few months, and even

> subsequent years. I did undertake a serious aquatic program to

> strengthen myself. What else could I do? There really isn't any

other

> option for putting serious challenges to your body to strengthen

> yourself that are okay at that point. So I began to find ways to

work

> myself harder in the water.

>

> It could just be that it really was just time that played the bigger

> role, or it could be the aquatics....but my guess is that it was a

> combination of the two. Knowing that I was never going to be able to

> maintain a high aerobic level in any form other than water I just

made

> my commitment to the water as my medium for health and healing and

> that has worked for me.

>

> There are no " one size fits all " answers in this surgery...but if

you

> are " okay " to pursue water therapy or swimming, I bet you will be

> surprised how well you feel following a good program. It stretches

and

> strengthens you gently...and thats what seems to be a very good

> prescription for us very fused folks!

>

> After the new year you can consider making a resolution to get to a

> pool 3X a week for a month....then decide if you want to continue.

No

> big commitment...just 4 weeks....then decide for yourself if its

> working. If you want me to outline what I recall I was doing in the

> water at your stage I will try to reconstruct it for you...just let

me

> know.

>

> In the mean time look around at the various pool options that might

be

> available to you that are accessible and have hours that work with

> your schedule and perhaps you will find that you have a good match

> ready made.

>

> Take Care, Cam

>