I'm getting quite anxious about my injection tomorrow. I've taken a medrol pac in the past and I had the worst side effects. I had a fever and I felt flush and my heart raced.... so I'm really scared about what this injection will do to me. Can anyone offer me some positive thoughts so I don't completely freak out. I've read some really bad things about them. BTW I'm 36 and have right side lower back pain and some numbness in my left side of my left leg.

Hi
I took medrol with no side effects. It did not helped much either. Then I underwent 2 Epidural injections which I beleive it is what you mean by nerve injections.
I also felt no side effects nor any pain whatsoever. the procedure last between 5-10 min.
Just relax, and have a very possitive mind;
Good luck

I doubt you'll have side effects from the injection. I've had my share. The only thing I react to is anesthetic. The injections themselves only deliver medication to the point of the pain - In my case it was "below" the pain then expected to move up the spine to the neck. The worst part of any injection is breaking the skin after that it's just uncomfortable. A skilled doctor moves the needle nice and slow injecting a numbing agent ahead of the tip as he goes. Sure it hurts but not too much.

The symptoms you felt are most likely (not definitively though) just your body's nerveous response to the proceedure, not necessarily an adverse reaction to the medication. But the most important thing to do is talk to your doctor about it BEFORE you have the shot. I have a fair tolerance to pain, but when I get IV's no matter what I do as soon as I feel the needle my blood vessels constrict. I also sweat easily. None of which is under my conscious control.

JeanineJ,

If you have not already informed the doctor of your reaction to the Medrol then please call them NOW and do so. If you had such reactions to the dose pack, you need to make certain that none of the same medications are to be used in the injections, as you evidently had an allergic reaction. Doctors are to ask what, if any medicatioins you are allergic to, but it is still ultimately your responsibility to ensure that they know that you have had a bad reaction to any kind of medication.

If the doc says that the medrol and the injections contain some of the same medications, then if it were me, I would not be seeking the injection which will give a large dose of the medication. Hope you are dealing with a spine specialist instead of a general neuro surgeon or general ortho surgeon.

Best wishes.

I totally agree with Quietcook. Let your dr. know to be extra cautious in watching you after the injection IF he feels it is okay to go ahead with it. Tho I have no side effects from the oral prednisone, I did have a reaction to the spinal injection....high blood pressure for almost a years, had to be on meds, but it did subside. There are all kinds of possible side effects, so be careful.

Carol

froldan, Yes, I meant a steroid injection on the nerve root. I guess my doc just calls it a nerve root injection.

lemkelakeside , That is horrible! I can't beleive some of the stuff I hear on this site. I'm so sorry for your pain. Sometimes I think we are just guinney pigs. I told my nurse about that ARACHNOIDITIES, and she said she never heard of it.


Quietcook, Yes I am dealing with a spine specialist. He's in Maryland.

Thanks for all the comments. I got the injection this AM. I did have the same kind of steroid med as the medrol pack, but I don't seem to have any side effects...yet. I'm a little hot and sweaty. I had my injection 7 hours ago. It was really weird. The shot was givin in my left lumbar area, but I felt a horrible shooting pain down to my foot. I screamed, it felt like a snake bit or something in my foot. So far no improvement. as a matter of fact my left foot is a bit more numb than befor. I did however go to work.

Thanks again everyone. This site really helps.