On 3/15, I had 4 levels of lumbar spine done and on 3/29, I got the SI done. I've had both procedures done before (once for lumbar and 3 previous times for SI) and never had anything happen other than pain/inflammation for the short term and pain relief for the long term. This time was different.

Got through lumbar part pretty well 2 weeks ago. Got through the procedure for SI well, but then it got weird. No different meds (other than I was on Humira this time as opposed to Enbrel the last time). Never had trouble laying on my stomach for 1 to 1.5 hrs before either. Always abide by the 'NPO' instructions and never have anything but a sip for a pain pill (ok) before my procedure. At the end of the procedure, doc said I spoke up and said I felt weird (I don't remember this completely due to the Versed). She said she asked me to elaborate, but I could only tell her I felt weird. Then said my throat hurt and my nose hurt. She thought it might be nausea and gave Zofran and turned me on side. Then got moved to recovery and she ordered chest xray and EKG, then went to talk to my hubby since I was delayed. (It must be tough to get good information from a patient on Versed and Fentanyl...LOL)

All that stuff was normal and I was feeling better and more alert as meds were cleared out of system. After 2 hrs in recovery, they let me go home. At that point, I gathered ice packs, retired to my recliner and watched TV the rest of the afternoon/evening. Then phone rang about 8pm. I didn't get to it in time to answer, but saw it was a blocked caller. Voicemail pinged and I went ahead and listened to what I figured was a wrong number. It was my dearly appreciated pain doc!!!! I called the office and left message with answering service and gave them my number. She called me back, saying she was concerned and wanted to make sure I was doing okay. She guesses it was a small bout of reflux, but xray showed no aspiration and my heart was fine. O2 was still hooked up and my O2 sat was 100% throughout. I told her I was planning on resting the rest of the night, but had to work Saturday. She said if I had to go home early, let her know and she would write a letter excusing me. I worked the whole shift and only got sore...not too bad. Today, however, much more sore and stiff. Off Monday and back to work Tuesday. Great doc, huh?

a good doctor is worth their weight in gold!

Hope you are feling the benefit of the procedure really soon!

Good doctors are rare...hang on to that one.

I have liked this doc from the first visit. She believed my pain. It was before I got a firm rheumy dx, but was getting treated with MTX already. Just to have a doc believe my pain...priceless. She is very compassionate. Good qualities in docs.

How weird Rumble,

I have never had that happen and I have had 4 of them now. Did they do more then 1? Do you have a Lidoderm patch to throw on it? Works well for me. Sorry you had that reaction. Maybe you got a little more Versed then they intended.

thanks for sharing your experience.

i don't remember the details now, but i think it was dow's wife marsha that went in for some procedure and had problems with either the versed or fentenyl or something. maybe PM him and he can give you the details?

i do wonder if you had some sort of rxn to the drugs, as "weird" is a fairly "typical" rxn for me on certain drugs and other "chemicals" that i am sensitive / allergic to. i can never explain it exactly, just this weird feeling.

anyway, yes, i love my docs that really seem to care about me and my well being. only a few that will call me at home to check up on me if i don't seem to be doing well.

priceless indeed!

hope you get good relief from the RF!

i know its something i have in my back pocket for my neck if i need it, largely due to you and others here sharing your experiences with the procedures.

thanks again for the update.

I am glad you have a nice doctor.It was so nice of her to call you.I have a few like that as well and I always recommend them to my family. I had a si ablation done too. How many can a person get in their lifetime?

I suppose as long as I tolerate them and there are no major problems. I'll ask today, if I see doc for my Toradol shot before work. Do know that Possi has had issues. And forgot that Dow's wife did, too. Hmm. I was thinking it was a med reaction as I've had the procedure done 3 times. Of course, I've had all the drugs before, multiple times.... Maybe a fluke?

Do you know that the doctor used exactly the same amounts of each drug? or a higher dose?

though too we can become sensitive to things that we weren't before.

or it could be something else.......

She didn't mention different doses, but who knows? I'm thinking the reflux seems the best suspect, though I had nothing in my stomach but one swallow of water from 2 hrs before. Go figure. At least she was proactive and tested the usual things...lungs and heart.

I am glad you have a good dr. Rumble. I have been thinking of you. Hope today is a good day.

Hugs.
Possi

Well, it's a little over a week since procedure. Skin/muscle/tendons overlying SI seem swollen still, but not as tender. Not feeling as much pain, but still feel dull ache. Overall, a bit better. This procedure is really helpful. For those with SI pain, it's worth asking pain docs about it. Especially if you get relief from steroids. My doc did steroids one time under fluoro, then said 'no more steroids, I have something better.' She was right.

Thanks for the update

Good to hear how helpful these are for you

I am so glad you are getting some relief. A couple of years ago, I got 11 months of basically full relief. I am sorry I cannot have them anymore...or steroids. :o( Glad you can! :o)

Hugs.

It's two weeks since the RFA. After about 10 days, the ache/pain was down to only annoying. Then that massive storm front went through the area and ramped up a lot of pain. Today, it's back down to achy. Never underestimate the effect of a big-AS cold front. OUCH!!! SI area still feels a little swollen.

Since I'm able to do my own labs (work in a medical lab), I thought I'd check out the effects of this procedure on various tests. CRP stayed stable, which was surprising, though mine doesn't vary much more than from 0.2 to 0.8 or 0.9. Once it shot up to 1.9 after a procedure. This time it didn't. However, my CPK/CK went from my normal of 40-ish up to near 200!!! Decided to check it a week later and it's down to 100. Must have been a lot of muscle damage from all the needles/cannulas between the lumbar RFA 2 weeks prior to this SI RFA. It was a little surprising.

Hi Rumble,

That front did a number on both of us also. I hear we have another one next week. There were a lot of trees down from the ice and wind. A huge one across the street. I am ready for Spring to quit teasing us and stay. I love the rain though.

Possi

I am so longing for the 80s (temps, not years--lol). Finally have shaken most of the pain. Had to get another Toradol shot last Tuesday. Then was surprised at work and sent to set up some old instruments in a new lab. Instead of my customary hard 40-hr week, I put in 52 hrs in 5 days. I am so beat. Get to do it next week, too.

Have a mildly (I hope) complex legal skirmish with an my ex and a phone conference with an attorney in the morning. Some people just won't go away and stay there. Prayers appreciated. Peace.

I am sorry you are having a bump in the road. I hate it you have had to work so much and deal with this. Stress which you are dealing with physically and emotionally is not good.

I am longing for the 80's along with you and here we are supposed to be in the 30's again. I am getting tired of covering up pots. :o)

I will be praying for you. I am glad your pain is better. Do the Toradol shots last very long? I really need something.

Yesterday I don't know what happened but for just a moment, I zoned out and fell right straight sideways right in to the corner of the house. Bruised by shoulder and back which did not need any more trauma. 3 Lidocaine patches only cover so much. :o) This is twice now. I think I am going to see the dr. and discuss TIA's. The first one involved a little more than this one. May be the CNS Lupus again.

You were up late!! or early!! Hope this is a good day.

Hugs.

Awww, Possi. You should get this looked at. Not sure which would be better or worse, CNS lupus or TIA. But you need it checked out. As for the Toradol...I believe it's just active for a few hours, but it sometimes knocks back the inflammation enough to quiet the pain longer than that. Maybe it's placebo. Not sure. One time, I started a Medrol pack the day before the procedure....worked pretty well. It was also to break a huge flare. But she didn't want me doing it the next time because I had just had an ESI. That cautious doc strikes again. Turning cold tomorrow, I believe...down to 30s again. Spring just can't get started here this year.

And the attorney is still stuck in court...have to wait for a call 'later today'...no clue as to when. Yup, stress.

This procedure hasn't been going so well this time. I still have a focus of pain right in R SI. If it keeps up another week, I'll make an appt to see doc again. And I'm getting another focus of pain in the lumbar area. Hoping both are a result of putting in some horrendous overtime in past 2 weeks. Thinking it's on the order of 100+ hrs for the past 2 weeks. I got to sit down a lot of it, but it was way too much. It was an isolated period, hopefully. Next week should be a little better. My dear hubby, who also has PsA had his SI pain treated with the same procedure (same doc), so he's pretty sore right now. I warned him.

Maybe an epidural will end it all Rumble. Yes, you have been working a whole lot of extra hours and that has to be a part of it as well. I don't know why the Ablation went south on you this time. Plus, you all have been having some crazy spring weather which set's off lot's of flares. I hope you get some relief soon. I can't even imagine that kind of pain and working.

It took longer than any other recovery period, but SI is finally pain-free. It's been over a week since I last noticed any pain coming from SI. Whew. That was a tough one. I didn't want to jump on a repeat procedure the minute I started hurting again from the previous one (as in: the nerve has regenerated), but I obviously waited too long this time. By the time I scheduled it, it was pain 24/7. Note to self: after 2 weeks, schedule the repeat. And only 0.75hrs of OT for the past 2 week pay period! Down from 24hrs of OT before that! And hubby is still complaining about his procedure still hurting. I warned him it wasn't like anything else he's had done (epidurals).

Rumble,I am glad you have gotten some relief both from the procedure and from the OT. They were miraculous for me for about 3 years until things happened to not be able to get them anymore. I am still waiting on a surgery appt. Friday his assistant said he wanted to look at all the records again before he scheduled it. We have had 3 different dr. tell us he is the best and we have a friend whose brother is an orthopedic surgeon and he chose my Neurosurgeon to do surgery on his wife.

That said, "if" he decides it is not the thing to do, then I will just not do it. I am not going to dr. search until I find someone to do it. I trust him.

Hope this continues to be a good week. 90 degrees is a long way from snow two weeks ago!