[treefrog]

Well, I can't tell you much about the MRI, but I can tell you about the steroid shots. They are also known as epidural steroid injections (ESI). They inject steroid at specific sites where there may be inflammation causing your pain. For some people they are like miracles and can reduce their pain for months. It is always worth trying, as there is no way to tell if they will help you or not.

When I had mine, I was told to take it easy for the remainder of the day. I heard from other people that it is best to pretty much spend the rest of the day in bed, so I did. No driving, I had to have someone come with me to the appointment to drive me home. It can help to put ice on the area of injection, on and off that day. You can go back to normal activity the next day.

It can take up to two weeks before you feel the full effects of the injection. So they usually have you come back 2-4 weeks after the injection.

You have to stop taking any NSAIDs (or anything that thins your blood), 5 days before the injection. There weren't any restrictions on eating (or anything else that I can remember) before having it done.

You should ask if they do the injection under fluoroscopy. This allows them to visualize exactly where to do the injection, and is much better than not having it, as the accuracy of the injection is important.