Steroid spinal nerve injection for sciatica

[BG2015]

My DP had this done in 2015 on the NHS after suffering for 10 months. It worked a treat and has lasted until about 6 weeks ago.

The sciatica came back and has been so bad he hasn't been able to work and is basically bedbound. It's much, much worse than before.

It's been awful. Yesterday he had a second injection- this time done privately.

So far he can't feel any effects. He was told it might not work as well or for as long.

I think we were both hoping for a miracle. It can take a couple of weeks for it to start working but after being practically immobile for weeks and in constant crippling pain my DP is very down.

Anyone had any experience of this?

I had a spinal nerve block last week and it hasn't worked. I just put up a thread regarding sciatica and amitriptyline.
I feel his pain. I am 6 months and nothing has worked. I'm in bed most of the time. The pain is like nothing else. Agonising. Feel like I'm giving up the will to live tbh so he has my sympathy

Oh no! It's truly awful isn't it.

He's given up on prescribed medication as it was doing nothing for the pain and affecting his bowel and bladder.

He had a steroid injection in his shoulder last year too and that took quite a few weeks to improve so don't give up hope yet.

Have you got slipped discs? This is my DP issue

I have a worn out disc and the vertebrae has slipped forward. Only touching the sciatic nerve.
Been going on for 6 months and now I literally can't function. I'm doing well if I make it out if bed .
No one will ever understand the pain this causes. I feel almost suicidal, I don't have a life and the pain is horrific. I paid to see a consultant privately in the rnd and had the jab done as a first port of call, but its done nothing.
You say your husband has bowel problems brought on by tablets but please make sure that is the case as there is a serious condition alongside sciatica that results in loss of bladder and bowel function.
I feel for him, the weather is lovely and stuck in bed again
Just started amitriptyline so hoping that helps

Ps mine was a nerve root block not just steroid injection.

Yes he's been checked for cauda equine.

Diazepam stops him from weeing, cocodomol makes him constipated.

Ah I see.
The only thing that takes the edge of for me is tramadol but the doctor says no as its addictive.
I am starting amitriptyline but takes few weeks. Have to get back to consultant and see where we go from here. Something has to happen. Cant go on like this

I had spondylolisthesis, where the the vertebra was cracked and moved out of alignment and was crushing the nerve. I had the steroid injection. It worked in so far as it meant I could walk without pain for 40 minutes rather than 10 minutes. But it wore off over timr. And the pain was even worse afterwards. I wondered if it was because I had become used to being in less pain. It took about 7-10 days for mine to kick in, though, so don't despair that it's not started working yet. I too was told it had diminishing returns so I decided to have a spine fusion. It's an awful thing to deal with, so painful, and hard for others to understand just how it just wears you down. Good luck to him and I hope he starts getting some relief soon.

Just to add, there is a fantastic website called spine health that has tons of info on about everything spine related. They used to have a forum but it has now become a Facebook page called Spine Health Back and Neck Pain Support Group. It's American based and full of people who will totally relate to what he's going through. I found it very helpful to read others experiences.

Moon...thanks but I had a spinal nerve block where it has anaesthetic in so I should have had relief immediately..then the steroid part kicks in. But no nothing.
I have the same condition as you. Its horrendous

I'm really sorry it's not worked. I had the same. The anaesthetic wore off after an hour and the pain was back but then the steroids kicked in later. I read that the anaesthetic is to check that they have the right area of concern because obviously it numbs everything around it. If the anaesthetic didn't work, maybe they haven't got the right area? I totally understand how you're feeling. I struggled for 10 years with the doctor putting me off. No pain relief. And then you get some hope something might work and it doesn't... Eventually I had a spine fusion but they didn't want to do it. I insisted - like you, I could see no way forward so I'd try anything. And I was lucky and I'm 100% better. The surgeon said it was much worse in reality than it had shown on the mri and now he understood why I was in so much pain. I know fusion isn't for everyone because of the quality of bone etc but I just wanted to mention it because you always read horror stories and not successes. I really hope you get somewhere with your surgeon. It really is a horrendous condition and difficult for others to sympathise with. Good luck.

I had this a few years ago. Sadly a spinal block did nothing. After much pestering, an MRI then referred to surgery which was extremely successful (went from agony to zero pain).

I'm sorry you're suffering with this, it's horrible. Ask GP for gabapentin, it treats nerve pain very well. The

I've had three steroid injections and had the nerves burned around my facet joints. All toolk many days to kick in and lasted temporarily.

I could be totally wrong but I thought for herniated discs and sciatica exercise was recommend?

Gabapentin did nothing for me, I'm afraid. The nerve was being crushed so it couldn't relieve the pain. But it was brilliant for insomnia. The GPS wouldn't send me for an mri but gave me exercises etc. When I eventually saw the spine team they said exercises couldn't ever have worked and the only long term cure was surgery. Very frustrating when I think they could have done that 10 years ago. But there are things they can do and now you have a consultant, they should be able to offer you some alternatives. The NHS protocols are that they try things in a certain order - exercise, injections, surgery. They always hope that you're sorted at the lowest level. And of course so do we!

My DP tried physio back in 2015, I didn't work.

His sciatic nerve is being pinched so no amount of exercise of physio will help.

We paid for this injection privately but no way we can afford an operation- goodness knows when he will be seen.

He's been to A & E twice now (once by ambulance after 111 advised) - he's so down and losing hope.

Over 48 hours since he had it done and he's still in pain

I haven't found physio helpful but I do find regular pilates helpful which I do with a specialised teacher.

I really feel for you, I had my treatment private and I would have been demented waiting for NHS. It's hell 😢

I would recommend osteopathy.
Someone will come on to say it's all woo woo.
It worked for me.

BG...I had the same called 111 at one point and they sent ambulance. Its horrendous. Your partner must have someone on the nhs as you said he had his first jab on nhs. Could you contact them
The only way I got going was paying to see a specialist who then took me on on the nhs. I had to get my gp to refer me to him but seeing him privately initially did help. I had my mris etc done nhs then and all I do is chase chase chase, phoning secretary etc. But if your partner has left the nhs part then I suggest you get a private consultation with a back surgeon, it speeds things up for a couple hundred pounds its worth it if you can.
I feel for him. Felt so low after my nerve block as it should have provided initial relief but nothing.

Moon....I agree, they have to work through a list. I'm hoping amitriptyline works at some point. Otherwise can't see any alternative to surgery which I'm dreading. But tbh at this point I would do anything to leave this pain behind.