Intravenous Sedation

[drmind]

I had two trial medial branch nerve blocks on my lower spine. The results were successful for pain relief so I am now ready to consider a nerve ablation. My problem is that the procedure can be painful, but IV sedation is available. I am not totally sure if they would use Versed for this sedation, but if they do, Versed is not safe for kidney patients. Can anyone share their experiences with these procedures as I try to decide how I'm going to proceed. Thanks in advance for any information,

[S_dillow]

they used versed on me during spinal proceedure.I didnt have problems with it

[drmind in reply to S_dillow]

Oh, thanks for your quick reply. I'm currently at GFR 31 and will get labs tomorrow. However, I'm being dealing with a dental infection and antibiotics and I'm almost sure that my GFR will go down. I'm also 85+ with no major [some moderate] medical problems so I'm wondering just how much of a risk is this for me. Did your GFR go down afterwards the procedure and IV sedation. ? I've read in several places, Versed should be avoided in renal patients. Again, thanks for sharing your experience.

[S_dillow in reply to drmind]

one point and then bounced back up into forties.i guess its each individual has different results

[drmind in reply to S_dillow]

Thanks. Your information helps

[CatOnACloud]

Hmm I remember you going into this procedure, and I am SO glad it worked for you! Me? Nothing. THree days of pain relief and then all back again. Versed and I have this thing--I have to be given three times as much in order for it to work just okay.I tell them now if they expect it to work well on pain they best have a backup plan. However, they throw lotsa drugs into that sedation...propofol is the best. You simply remember very little to nothing. They've given me fentanyl almost always, just different drugs. I like IV sedation, it works best and the time you are under is pretty light...just tell them no versed please, they have plenty of other choices! Good luck

[drmind in reply to CatOnACloud]

Thanks so much for the quick response and for sharing your experience. Sorry that the trials didn't help you. I'm just about a month from the 2nd trial and the pain has returned. I'm so glad to have had several weeks of being fairly pain-free. I'm worried about the ablation procedure and will be meeting with the pain clinic staff to talk over the issue of IV sedation. Did you actually have the ablation and do you now have pain relief? thanks agin.

[CatOnACloud in reply to drmind]

My drs just dtopped after the shots failure. Lucky me, it’s been getting better. It’s do able with the oxycodone im on. Usually! Ablation I would do if it was very bad most days. I have heard good results from it. Hoping you join them!

[CuriousCKD in reply to CatOnACloud]

I second the propofol!

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

I think that some have issues with IV sedation when they are not hydrated. Just make sure you drink water before and after the procedure.

[Hidden]

Hello drmind. I'm stage 4 and have had Versed several times for procedures with no negative effects. I've had the ablation done twice on my lower back in different places. The first two injections or trials as you called it are nothing but Lidocaine numbing agent. Personally, I didn't feel any different after receiving these and I think they are just required by the insurance companies as a prerequisite before getting the actual ablation. Both ablations have worked well for me. I had terrible sciatica pain on both sides and that has been gone for several months. The ablation itself is no worse than the first two injections so I don't see why you would need to be sedated but that's your choice of course. My wife just had it done on her right hip joint. She is due for a hip joint replacement. Good luck to you!

[drmind in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I was a little confused. You said the ablation procedure was almost the same as the trial injections. If so, did you get the versed for all or none of them. So happy, you got relief with the ablations. And, it's been a blessing learning about the experiences of others. After years of chronic pain and multiple visits with orthopedic doctors, i had to find out about these procedures on my own. So, it's all new to me. Your information is very helpful

[Hidden]

I did not have sedation for any of them. I see a pain management doctor for these. She gives some local anesthesia by injection at the site where the ablation probe is inserted. There’s a little discomfort but not enough for me to require sedation. As I said, my wife just had it in her hip joint and said it was a piece of cake.

[drmind in reply to Hidden]

I'm thinking about it. Thanks again. It means a lot to hear about the experiences of others. Just listening to the medical staff is so one-sided.

[CatOnACloud in reply to Hidden]

Oh wow I bet your wife feels better?! I did not know that is possible with hip joints. I have an osteonecrosis and my hip goes slippy. Now its cold, it’s slipping more grrr but I cannot have it replaced. Too ill. Thanks ill look it up

[Hidden in reply to CatOnACloud]

Well, the doctor told my wife it doesn't work quite as well on hip joints as it does on spines and she was right in this case. My wife was in more pain afterwards. She has multiple myeloma so she had to wait until she had at least 8 cycles of treatment before they allow her to stop treatment for the hip surgery. She is at that point now but has to get her BMI down just a bit plus the doctor she's using is booked two months out. She is in a lot of pain and taking a lot of meds.

[drmind in reply to Hidden]

So sorry to hear about your wife's medical issues. Hoping at this point she has been able to get some relief. I had the nerve ablation last week with only oral Valium and lidocaine back injections I got some pain relief, but I think I overdid it the next few days. Waiting to see how it will all unfold in the weeks to come. Meantime,, Wishing the best for your wife.

[wvadreamer]

I have been getting the spinal ablations for several years. The doctor does offer valiam pre'procedure but I have always had them without any meds. At times they have been painful, but the pain does not last too long. I prefer to have the ablations without sedation as then I can drive myself. They really aren't that bad. Certainly no worse than the horrible back pain that I have.

I hope that the ablations work well for you.

[drmind in reply to wvadreamer]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's so difficult to decide what to do because my bsck pain is not sharp, but its just a very heavy pressure that forces me to have to sit. Thus, I have trouble standing for more than a few minutes unless I use a walker. After the 2nd trial, I did get a lot of relief and was able to stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Enough to make a sandwich or saladEven though the doctor used a numbing injection for the 6 trial injections, I was still fairly uncomfortable with that psin and was hoping for iv sedation for the ablation. Oh, well, I'll just keeping figuring out what to do

In the meantime, may I ask why you had several ablations? Don't they last? Again thanks. It's so good to hear about real experiences.