I have found that I have a lot of things to give thanks for - more than the norm of family, friends and health. True, my health is fleeting and my back is giving me all kinds of new hell from the Radio Frequency - but I am thankful for everything that God hath given unto me.
Wealth and prosperity - it's all something of a state of being...
~MJ
25 November, 2011
23 November, 2011
23 Nov - Radio Frequency
I have had so much stuff happen within the last couple of months - and between school, audio, and family life, I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to get to my blog for awhile. I'm going to do my best to get back on track with blogging as well as with losing weight.
Let me just go ahead and update on my back and Radio Frequency. I'll just go ahead and give some really good background on this for those who would like to know more about what's going on with me at the moment.
This is the second time that I've had Radio Frequency Ablation done. The first time was in January of 2011. It worked well. I was virtually pain free - when I wasn't stressed out.
They did say that the nerves would regenerate and grow back in place and I do think that this is what caused the pain to return now. They also worked on the lower back then - not where the bone spur was located. This time, Dr. Marsh went higher to get where the bone spur is aggravating the muscles around it.
Needless to say, the procedure was a little rocky at first. When they say that the numbing agent is going to burn... let me just go ahead and say - yes, it will burn. Also, when you haven't had your medicine ahead of time, yes, it's even worse. Regardless of that, once the numbing agent (all 12 shots) were in done, it was a little bit better.
I can already tell that the procedure is working. I'm just in pain and or sore at the moment as I recline on the bed watching television. Here's to hoping that I get more relief from this procedure.
~MJ
Let me just go ahead and update on my back and Radio Frequency. I'll just go ahead and give some really good background on this for those who would like to know more about what's going on with me at the moment.
Facet joints are the small joints located in pairs on the back of the spine that promote stability to the spine and allow the spine to move and be flexible. Depending on where the problematic facet joints are located, they can cause pain in the mid-back, ribs, chest, lower back, abdomen, buttocks, groin, legs, neck, shoulders, and even headaches.(And where my pain is located is: mid-back, lower back, and hip/buttocks.)
Facet joint injections or steroid medications are often given to patients with this type of pain. The injections not only provide pain relief, but they can also help the physican pinpoint exactly where the pain originates and can confirm or reject the facet joints as the source of the pain. For many patients, facet joint injections provide adequate relief. For others, however, the pain relief is too short-lived. For these patients, facet radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be the answer.(I have had several rounds with the facet joint injections. They did help some, but not enough to really help out in the long run. The padding in between my discs is degenerating and the bone spur on one of the facets [about hip height] was not really helping in anyway.)
What is Radiofrequency Ablation?
The goal is to provide pain relief by "shutting off" the pain signals that the joints send to the brain. The pain relief experience by most patients who have this procedure lasts months or even years.
How is RFA done?What the paper work didn't tell is how before they send the frequency to "burn" the nerve endings, they send a pulse to your nerves that are connected to that facet. The pulse makes all the nerves clench. The reason for this is so that the doctor can ask the patient if they feel any of that pulse in their legs. The reason for this is that if the needle is too close to the main spinal cord, that they could deaden those nerves leading down into the leg and damange them permanently. This could lead to a really bad situation - some kind of paralysis.
Patients who are candidates for RFA typically have undergone several facet joint injections to verify the source and exact location of their pain. Using a local anesthetic and x-ray quidance, a needle with an electrode at the tip is placed alongisde the small nerves to the facet joint. The electrode is then heated, with a technology called radiofrequency, to deaden these nerves that carry pain signals to the brain.
This is the second time that I've had Radio Frequency Ablation done. The first time was in January of 2011. It worked well. I was virtually pain free - when I wasn't stressed out.
They did say that the nerves would regenerate and grow back in place and I do think that this is what caused the pain to return now. They also worked on the lower back then - not where the bone spur was located. This time, Dr. Marsh went higher to get where the bone spur is aggravating the muscles around it.
Needless to say, the procedure was a little rocky at first. When they say that the numbing agent is going to burn... let me just go ahead and say - yes, it will burn. Also, when you haven't had your medicine ahead of time, yes, it's even worse. Regardless of that, once the numbing agent (all 12 shots) were in done, it was a little bit better.
I can already tell that the procedure is working. I'm just in pain and or sore at the moment as I recline on the bed watching television. Here's to hoping that I get more relief from this procedure.
~MJ
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