Good luck, laura! I am a baby when getting shots.

Had my two the other day. My doctor is a good shot giver :o)

I will be thinking of you. I hope the shots give you some pain free days so you can come out and play.

I feel for you because I just hate having a needle poked in me. You bet i'll be saying a prayer and thinking about you Monday. That's a heck of a time to have to face a needle, BTW!!

Sending prayers your way.

Good thoughts and prayers coming your way.

I hope your shots really help you. Good thoughts and prayers going out to you.

Sue

You will be in my prayers & thoughts Mon & Tue.

Good Luck

Hope all goes well and you feel confident about the new doctor.

For those -- like me -- who just 'met' you, what is the health issue with your back?

I have 4 ruptured disks in my back and 2 more that are not in good shape. I will be put to sleep to have the shots, because the needle is very large. I have had them without being put to sleep before, let me tell you setting up an IV for 10 minutes of that white stuff is more than worth it.

For duplicate message

This post was edited by Orchidllauraga on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 18:41

Sending good thoughts and hopes for things to go well ... and offering some prayers on your behalf.

ole joyful

What kind of shots are they?

You should ask for a spray of Ethyl Chloride before each shot. It makes your skin incredibly cold for about 30 seconds. Really helpful for shots in areas that aren't "made" for shots - the back, knees, etc. I'm not a baby about shots, but the shots I've had in my knees over the last year (about 8 shots in each knee) would've been difficult without the cold spray.

Oh I will be asleep and won't feel a thing until later if they are not in the right place. I'll be kinda sore for a couple of days. I will be on the KT by Monday afternoon...I will come home and sleep for a while then I will be up and at 'em...

Is there any way of fixing your back? Just curious. I have 1 or 2 squished disks and the Dr. said I could have some sort of injection right into the disks to put back what is missing. if I needed that. Will look into after the 1st of the year.
Sorry, I do wish you the best and hope the shots help.

This post was edited by marie-ndcal on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 21:38

I saw a back surgeon before we left GA and he said he wouldn't touch me until the rest of them ruptured. They would have to fuse the vertebrae and put in a rod..Not sure I am ready for that either..

just curious if you've ever tried chiropractic. I've seen it work miracles on people who were days away from back surgery.

Orchid, if it ever did come to a spinal fusion, my brother and sister both had DOUBLE spinal fusions and were up and about in now time, both had amazing results.

I am scared of back surgery, I want it to be my last resort. Since they took me off pain meds, surgery is looking like I am getting down to my last resort...

You are on my prayer list.

DH had surgery for a slipped disc.

He could not stand upright or put on his boots. He was in horrible pain. Of course he still had to go in to work (military) and couldn't take any painkiller other than Aleve. He was glad though; he wanted them to fix the cause of the pain, not make him an addict.

They tried chiropractic and massage therapy for six months before they'd agree to the surgery. He said the treatments "felt good" but any relief they offered was long gone before he got out of the clinic. It was barbaric what they put him through before fixing the problem.

The surgeon showed him a model of the spine, the bulging "disc," and the affected nerve and explained why had such pain.

Doc went in, trimmed off the bulging part of the "disc" without cutting the nerve, sewed him up and he's been as good as new for the past 10 years.

Wes said the change was so amazing he felt as though he could have gone on a hike or played basketball as soon as he woke up. He didn't, of course. As they were rolling him back to his room after recovery he was singing "Carol, Carol, Carol" "Honey, I'm home!" "It worked."

Wes is not a 'singing in public, stand-up comedian. And I don't hear my name for weeks at a time. His three days of limited morphine doses was hilarious.

He also said it would have been worth it to go through the surgery without anesthesia for the amazing relief.

He had a 3-4" scar that is all but disappeared now. That's the only reminder of his back pain.

I hope the shots help you Laura. It seems with age, we all end up with problems with the discs in the spine. I just underwent a cervical epidural for pinched nerves in the C4-5 and C 6-7 area. It has helped somewhat, but it may require another shot.

Prayers and good healing thoughts going forth for you.

Sure hope you get the relief from all that pain. A dear friend of mine went through a lot of misery dealing with disc issues for nearly 2 years. Finally gave in to surgery. Then it was 6 months of therapy. Still doing home exercises, but for the most part is pain free. It was all worth it she says. For some people it really is the only answer.

This post was edited by gazania on Sat, Nov 16, 13 at 15:02

We all fear *surgery* -- and I've had my share of botched ones -- but think of all the days and nights with pain or only temporary, partial relief from shots, etc. -- where you still have to 'baby' yourself and live in dread of the pain returning.

I waited many months before having a hip replacement. There was ZERO pain, and recovery was fast. When my second hip deteriorated two years later, I didn't hesitate to have that one replaced. (My bones are weak from a lifetime of having to take steroids for asthma.)

Surgeons today have so much better equipment to work with, and the pain medications are so much better -- while you are being operated on, immediately afterwards, and through recovery. The surgery is much less invasive too, with faster healing.

My plan is to research the best surgeons in the field for the problem, then...Go For It!

They have to be careful with the pain meds. I am a recovering Rx junkie. One of the reasons I was absent from the KT so long is I got hooked on Opana and basically "lost" 2 years of my life. But I have been sober since August 1, 2009. That is what I gave DD for her 15th birthday is me sober. Complete with a trip to the looney bin before I stopped and the regular hospital once I did go cold turkey..

Prayers

((((orchid)))) and prayers! One day at a time, but you're living it. Stay strong and stay the course. You're in my thoughts for all of it. Especially healing thoughts.

Thank you all for your prayers I felt them all. I am not in pain for the most part, just twinges when I reach for something. So I think the shots are in the right place. Mouth is sore from the dentist having to pull the remaining part of my tooth, but I will start salt water rinses tomorrow to help heal it faster...