ok guys I need info on epidural steroid injections,,,please hare your knowledge

[Keysnurse2008]

I have a c4,c5 and c6 herniated cervical disc. yeah...its from a work injury....pt passed out atop my shoulders and then I fell to the ground and he slammed down on my head neck for a second time.....What luck (lousy) that I have.I have been having severe muscle guarding (basically contracted) for 6-7 weeks and I have been begging the m to get me something else to release these muscles......they basically ignored me (facility and w-comp doc) now they have contracted so bad i have nerve impingement and a numb hand.They want to try epidural steroid injections.....tell me about ESI....can they sedate me for this becauseI am soooooo hypersensitive re: my spine now I cant stand for anyone to even LOOK at it must less touch it.done the PT, done the lidocaine, done the heat, cervical traction etc......and I am now at like a 7-8 on a pain scale all the time. what can you tell me about the short/long term success of ESI? and any complications of ESI???and do you have any other suggestion I might ask my w comp dr for???? :stone :

[stephynfogle]

I am 26 and going through the medical motions for an extreme proturding disk (what the dr tells me) in my c6 & c7 portion of my neck. I am considering have the the the surgery (Cervical decompression with fusion). Everything I have read, it really doesn't sound that bad. I had my first steroid epidural the other day and I am feeling no relief. If anything I am more sore than I was when I went in. If it doesn't work by tomorrow then they tell me it won't and it will either be the surgery or be on pain meds for ever and I would rather not be on drugs for the rest of my life. But the process of the shot was rather painless. They laid me on my stomach and did not sedate me. I was soooo scared. The first inject you with the numbing needing. It did hurt a little more like a pinch then a little pop. It was more nerves than anything but I did start crying, but after they put the numbing stuff in I felt nothing and it was over in a matter of minuets. If you are that scared of needles call your physican 1st and talk to them about it, maybe they will give you something mild. You have to lie very still if not you can cause more damage to yourself so it might be in there and your best interest for you to be sedated. I hope this helps, I def. feel you pain. It still doesn't make sense to me how I can be so young with and injury such as this. So your not alone.