Actually, no, not for fibromyalgia.. Well it does help some of the fibromyalgia pain, but that is not how it helps the most.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts about the injections that I get. I mostly talk about the trigger point injections & less about the epidurals..
The epidural medication, Triamcinolone, is a corticosteroid which is an anti-inflammatory. It works by activating natural substances in the skin to reduce swelling, redness, and itching. I have osteoarthritis in my lower back from S1 to L1, if I recall correctly & it’s probably progressed since the original diagnosis about 7-8 years ago. Osteoarthriti is the degradation of the spinal cartilage making the bone change resulting in pain, stiffness, and swelling..
The process is done by anesthesiologist. He gives me a local anesthetic, and then a second deeper anesthetic before finally injecting the corticalsteroid into my back through the notch in my coccyx aka the tailbone. He then also does the regular trigger point injections.
After the injection I am monitored for 30 to 45 minutes before I am permitted to leave to ensure I’m not reacting badly..
The initial results are awesome, always. Later in the day when the local anesthetics were off the area of the injection is sore. Fortunately at that point it’s later in the day and I’m slowing down anyways.
I typically get two to three epidurals per year starting in November or December & ending in March or April. For whatever reason my osteoarthritis tends to be worse during the winter. I usually get them every 7 and 9 weeks. I would say my initial pain level drops to ½-1 /10.. Considering I’m anywhere between a 5 and an 8 when I go in to get these shots, that’s amazing!! The effect does tend to wear off and is pretty much worn off in 7-9 weeks. The shortest time I’ve gone between shots was 5 weeks.
They help me. & For a short while, I almost feel pain-free!
Tags: Almost pain-free, Anesthesiologist, Anesthetic, Anti-inflammatory, Coccyx, Corticosteroid, Epidural, Injection, Local anesthetic, Needle, osteoarthritis, Relief, Results, Sacral hiatus, Steroid, Tail bone, Triamcinolone, Trigger point, Winter Only
Fibromyalgia 
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