Kaylasmom has been getting seen by the pain management program at UCI Medical School.
Without going into too much detail about the whys and the wherefores, she’s scheduled to have a pain-blocking agent injected epidurally into her spine on Thursday. The target area is a bulging disk at L5-S1. She has been directed to stop taking her clopidogrel as of today, as it is a blood-thinning agent.
Based on this, what is the likely drug they’ll be giving her?
Also, since the clinic personnel haven’t attempted to sugar-coat that it’s going to be an uncomfortable (indeed, PAINFUL) procedure, she’s very anxious about what’s in store for her. Is there any pain med that she can ask to be given BEFORE the epidural to battle the discomfort? Failing that, is there any anti-anxiety medication that she can request?
I would say (ianad) ask for a valium.
My teenager has had them before dental work for several years. She gets panicky at the dentist. So we sought out a painfree dental clinic, and this was their recommendation as opposed to general anesthesia, since she can’t have the gas.
Good on you for trying to research. Sorry I don’t know specifics about the meds. Just keep informed about your clinic’s proposals and industry standards. Sometimes it can be easy to slip into an ongoing program of care, without realizing how you got there. I review pain management clinic records regularly, and am astounded at how freely and regularly some of them prescribe/administer narcotics and injections/blocks/ablations/etc.
I’m wondering why this should be a painful procedure. I regularly have epidurals for a herniated disc in the L4-5 region with just a bit of discomfort associated. Maybe there’s something different here? For the record, I go to the pain clinic at the New England Baptist Hospital.
I hope all goes well but would like to second Jaycat’s reponse. What did they specifically say about the pain? I had to have epidural’s for a level 1 slippage of my L-5 (the slippage caused discomfort in my lower leg so no acute back pain).
Just going by my experience it was a pretty routine experience.
They didn’t say it wasn’t going to hurt but I took 3 different injections over successive weeks. They were over before I knew it. I was expecting a robe etc but the doctor basically came in, told me to slightly drop my pants and lay on a table. He sprayed a cold solution on the spot to deaden pain and gave me what felt like a quick series of injections. I was paying for the visit inside of 8 minutes after I got into the room.
Now I do have some advice regarding my 3rd injection. It felt a little more substantial than the previous 2 but was ok but I made the mistake of driving home and laying down for a couple of hours. When I woke up my back was very stiff/sore. So if anything - if she is able - I would have her listen to the doctor and maybe stay active immediately after the injection. But IANAD.
Also for what it is worth the effect of the shots wore off after less than 1 month.
good luck.
Follow doctors instructions. If the doctor says light exercise is fine, then ok. If the doctor says, stay put for 24 hours do that. I had one of these procedures followed by a spinal fluid leak, which resulted in horrid headaches. The fix is straightforward, but she’ll want to avoid that if she can.
Having her stop the blood thinners before the procedures is just a precaution. They don’t expect to do anything that will cause bleeding, but if they accidentally nick something with a needle, it’s best not to have to deal with extra bleeding as they get it sorted out.
She should certainly call the doctor’s office (or email if that works better) and ask if she can take anything else for pain before the procedure. Ditto for anxiety prior to the procedure. These are not unreasonable questions.
