Questionyou say that 6 weeks or a month is the waiting time for another shot but my Dr. wants to do another in 2 weeks from the first one. is that not normal?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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i have a bulged disc. it is the one in between the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebrae. I'm not sure what the technical name is. i am having the steroid injections. 1st one was today. how many injections, or length of time, is given to see if it will fix it before surgery is the option to go? also i have noticed some problems such as getting words or letters mixed up when spelling and i seem to be more forgetful since the accident. is that a possible problem related to the back injury?
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hi johnna- i am familiar with the steroid shots--- lots of fun, huh? As far as i know, there is no set rule on when to go from injections to surgery or whatever else. You and your doctor can talk about whether or not the injections are helping, how long the relief lasts, etc- that is how people usually decide.
For example, your first shot was today. It takes a couple of days to really start working, in fact it may be sore tomorrow. Just try to keep track of how the pain is compared to how it was. You cannot get another shot for a month, I think it is, or maybe 6 weeks. If the pain never goes away or gets better, or if it only stays gone for a week or something, then you can choose whether to give the shot one more try in 6 wks or to investigate other options. Sometimes the shot doesn't work the first time but will help the second time-- it is very weird, plus you have to get the steroids to go in the right place which isn't apparently that easy.
I'm not sure what kind of accident you had, or how long ago it was, but if you are having mental problems like you described you should tell a doctor or a neurologist. Sometimes memories get "lost" from times before and/or after an accident, that's not uncommon, but if you're having trouble making new memories that may need some attention. Medication can also affect these abilities you spoke of, ie painkillers. I advise reporting your troubles to a doctor you trust- they'll be able to find out what's happening.
SO, I think I answered all your questions, but let me know if I skipped something or if you now have new questions. I wish you good luck, may the injections work for you!
thanks
Leslie
AnswerHey Johnna- I wasn't sure if that was unusual or not, so I did some looking around. Apparently, everyone seems to agree that generally up to 3 shots per 6-month period is reasonable. Doctors differ on whether to give them in 2-week intervals or more evenly spaced. Here are a couple of links if you'd like to see more (the link is below the quote):
"How Frequently Can Epidural Steroid Injections be Performed?
There is no definitive research to dictate the frequency of how often a patient should have epidural steroid injections for low back pain and/or leg pain. In general, it is considered reasonable to perform up to three epidural injections within a six-month period.
Typically, epidural steroid injections are done in two-week intervals. However, there is no general consensus in the medical community as to whether or not a series of three injections need always be performed."
http://wo-pub2.med.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/PublicA.woa/4/wa/viewServiceSu
this is an article from the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, if you're interested in a more technical take on the topic:
http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/4/670
SO, conclusion: your doctor isn't doing anything crazy, he just thinks the more shots in a row method will work better. The shots are very low risk, don't represent a threat (just make sure you mention it if you should get a real bad headache right after a shot- this is the only thing to watch out for, and still it there is a low chance of ever getting one).
Sorry if I spooked you with the 6-weeks-between shots thing- and thanks for getting me to update my own knowledge!
leslie
