Epidural Injection for shingles pain

[mlp3434]

Hello Again. Has anyone had an epidural steroid injection for shingles pain? I am scheduled for one and I'm scared. I have had trigger point injections in the past, but those go into muscle where this would go to the nerves that shingles infect. This doctor is very good at what she does so I have no problem with her. The shot is a combination of lidocaine and a steroid. The lidocaine will numb for around 6 hours, but the steroid can take a few days to work. My concern is--- after the the numbing wears off, will my shingles pain be worse? I have not slept all night worrying and in pain from these shingles. Can anyone help me with this?

[Rambler398]

I can’t see any reason for your pain to be worse. In fact the opposite.

Good luck.

[mlp3434 in reply to Rambler398]

Have you had this procedure?

[Rambler398 in reply to mlp3434]

No. I hadn’t heard of the treatment before and I’m not sure it is widely available in UK pain clinics. I did read a case review from the US which sounded very positive though repeat injections were necessary.

Is it an established treatment in the USA? What makes you worried that the pain might be worse?

You may get some answers if you repost on a forum on HealthUnlocked called “Pain Concern”

[mlp3434]

Yes this is done a lot in the USA. I'm worried about the pain because after the lidocaine wears off the shingles pain can come back even worse than before until the steroid kicks in.

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi

A paste of hot chilli relieves you of the nerve pain.

You can get patches of a pregnanted bandage work.

steriod injections are a limited fix as a person in their lifetime can have only x amount of steroid.

cheri JOY

[ozziebob]

Like a.n.other, I cannot see why the pain would be worse after your injection.

I am genuinely curious to know the location of the nerve that is inflamed and causing the intolerable pain? I have had shingles twice and was never offered any pain relief here in UK, although the nerve was away from my face or eyes. I cannot imagine the pain from such locations. My discomfort/pain lasted for a very long time (couldn't bear clothes touching the affected area across my breast and under my arm for a very long time, or even warm water) and even now I get recurring post herpetic neuralgia.

I would be more worried about the repeated use of steroid injections which are proven to initiate arrhythmias, although it seems only in high doses. Although the confidence you have in your GP must be reassuring re the use of steroids.

I hope you find relief as best as possible, but it's one of those conditions you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.

Good luck

[snak3eyes in reply to ozziebob]

How long it took for you to feel better ?

[ozziebob in reply to snak3eyes]

Can't remember exactly, but because I found most relief by being naked from the waist up, I was reduced to staying indoors for weeks/months. It seemed interminable, but obviously did resolved, although many years later I still get intermittent sudden sharp pains and a "hot discomfort" along the affected nerve, across my left breast and under my left arm to my back (post herpetic neuralgia).

Obviously with my AF and related heart concerns, not to mention the prevalence of breast cancer, these continuing symptoms are not welcome.

What's your experience?

[snak3eyes in reply to ozziebob]

Can you distinguish the pain or discomfort on the left side if it's caused by post herpetic neuralgia or if it's from the heart ?

I sometimes get pain on the left side of my rib cage. It's like a muscular pain but feels it's coming from deep inside.

About the shingles, I woke up one day with a rash on the right side of my chest. It was giving a burning discomfort and pain like I had a muscle tear, but didn't think too much of it because the day before I worked on assembling an IKEA dressing unit. That day there were reporters showing all over the local news about IKEA furniture being infested with bed bugs. It was the same store I went to. So, I assumed that the rash was from IKEA bedbugs (I never had shingles before so I didn't even knew what shingles are).

One week later I had the medical checkup exam at the workplace. The doctor there noticed the rash and was a bit concerned. She said the rash doesn't look like a bedbug rash, that most probably it's shingles and I should get checked out by a dermatologist.

Now I'm reading about shingles and I get horrified when I see that it can lead to nerve damage with long lasting pain.

Btw, I'm coming across many reports that state the mARN sars-covid vaccine is a trigger for shingles, especially Moderna (the one I had). They don't have a direct correlation between the covid vaccine and shingles but the doctors office is full with patients suffering from shingles and most of them had the Moderna vaccine.

[ozziebob in reply to snak3eyes]

That's the problem, I am not medically trained so I don't really know what is the cause of an individual pain or discomfort. I just try to observe my breast area and if I notice any physical changes or lumps I will be off to my GP ... or rather, get myself on an eConsult queue on a day when it's not closed because it's fully subscribed. And sometimes the pain does seem to be coming from a deeper source (nerve/muscle), so it is very confusing to a novice like me. I had my shingles before COVID, it's related to chickenpox and polio viruses, and I've had both as a child.

bob

[Cookie24]

Do you have to stop anticoagulant, like Eliquis, for 5 days before the injection? A spine doctor said this. I am in the USA

[reinaway]

I can sympathise with your worries as a doctor who does not normally treat me at my surgery, has just prescribed a crash course of steroids for bronchitis that I developed and as a long time AF patient who finally got rid of the AF by having the P&A procedure I was horrified to read on the warnings leaflet that steroids are not advisable!! Having had many awful experiences in the past with various medications I decided to let Nature do its best rather than risk another one!!