Epidural for numbness -tomorrow morning

Nathan said:
My numbness is due to the stenosis in the L5-S1 area of my spine. Will be getting an epidural this Friday morning, which hopefully will alleviate some of the symptoms. My main concern is losing the ability to drive, as the Right foot does all the pedal work.
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Wishing you a successful epidural to give you pain relief. Nathan, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to have the car pedals reversed. Especially if you are well known to them. Others like to help when they can.
left foot pedal.jpg
 
I have numbness of my left leg due to scoliosis, .... mostly calf area along with some numbness of my left foot. During day, numbness is not much noticeable, but during night I feel more numbness.
I've been taking 400 mg Gabapentin 3 times per day that helps some, ... but seems not much done for my numbness unless Surgery of my Scoliosis. I live with numbness causing by Scoliosis rather Surgery.
I understand your concern of driving, I, too concern driving because of the fracture of my right foot , although it's almost in recovery stage, but not driving yet.
Hopefully an effective treatment alleviates your numbness(y)
 
Nathan said:
My numbness is due to the stenosis in the L5-S1 area of my spine. Will be getting an epidural this Friday morning, which hopefully will alleviate some of the symptoms. My main concern is losing the ability to drive, as the Right foot does all the pedal work.
Click to expand...
Lumbar epidurals are specifically for lumbar stenosis that causes leg and foot symptoms, so it's a good choice for you. When it works - when the practitioner hits just the right spot - it's awesome. You're practically pain-free, like a 2 or 3 on the rate-your-pain bar. It's temporary, but my 1st one lasted 9 months, and then it just started gradually tapering off.

🤞
 
Well the deed is done, didn't know exactly what to expect but was not as uncomfortable as a dental cleaning session. The Dr. attempted to insert the needle at the L5-S1, but was unable to access epidural space due to osteophyte(bony spur). Excerpted from the Past visit .PDF:

Decision was made to switch to caudal ESI. A 18 Gauge Tuohy needle was placed
through the sacrococcygeal ligament using preservative free normal saline loss of
resistance technique. A 21 Gauge epidural catheter was then advanced to the L5-S1
level.
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The medications administered were:
iohexol (OMNIPAQUE 300)
lidocaine (Xylocaine) AM
methylPREDNISolone acetate (DEPO-Medrol)
ROPivacaine (PF) (NAROPIN).

At present there is no noticeable change in the level of numbness, although the Dr. did say that it might take a while for the methylPREDNISolone to work its magic.

DW drove us home, enroute we stopped at Rick's Diner for a much anticipated brunch, as I had nothing to eat since dinner last night at 6.

I had my usual- a breakfast burrito with a side of hash browns. 😋
 
Nathan said:
My numbness is due to the stenosis in the L5-S1 area of my spine. Will be getting an epidural this Friday morning, which hopefully will alleviate some of the symptoms. My main concern is losing the ability to drive, as the Right foot does all the pedal work.
Click to expand...

I've got stenosis also. I'll look forwrd to seeing how it works for you. Good luck.
 
Amanda76 said:
If I were you, I'd call Dr.'s office to let the doctor know. The 72 hours is long enough for you feel some improvement. Because, Dr. might have other medical procedure for you.
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The pain mgmt doctor that administered the procedure has set a phone appointment for March 17 for us to discuss the results, and future treatment. I can get another epidural in 4 months, which might take a different approach if this treatment turns out less than anticipated.
 
Nathan said:
Thanks, I'll try to be patient and optimistic. A friend of mine's husband gets this kind of treatment for his back, sometimes it takes a bit to take effect.
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I know of only 3 reasons why they don't work: inaccurate placement of the injection, the cause of the pain isn't related to the nerve, or the issue is more complex than they thought.

In my experience, they take effect within a week. My first one kicked in immediately and lasted for about a year. The effect of a second one was so insignificant it was barely noticeable, and the third one took effect on day 3 but only lasted for about 6 weeks.

After that, I had 3 similar procedures called RFA, radiofrequency ablation, with similar results. The difference is that the RFA actually damages the nerve root so it can't send pain signals to the brain. Relief lasts until the nerve root repairs itself, and, unfortunately, I heal really quickly, including the nerves, apparently. Some people say they're still pain-free many years later.
 
My motivation for treatment is for numbness in my feet and legs, and not so much for pain, which I guess is much more common. Maybe numbness is more difficult, in bringing back sensation, if even possible. I don't know, I'm new at this. I do have chronic pain in my upper back/left shoulder, at some point I may seek treatment for that.
 
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