[Maria]

One of main questions to ask when PM suggests ESI is will it be performed with fluroscopy? If not I would not have it done.. I've never laid on my side either and never had a student perform it only the PM. Now that doesn't mean he or she cannot make mistakes either but I don't think under fluroscopy that's going to happen but without is much more likely to.

The very first time I had an ESI done it was in the office back in '93 and that stopped me from getting any until 2001 because it was so terribly painful and who knows if it was even in the right place. I surely didn't get any relief unlike all the others I've had since.

Now I've had one where upon I didn't have sedation and my PM pushed a bit too much fluid against the nerve and boy did I feel that pain.. back spasmed and had hot searing pain down my leg.. but it stopped after a while and there was overall relief from pain as usual. BTW, I had a PM back around 2001-2003 and I didn't have sedation with his ESIs and they were always dead on target and I got great relief from them... but moved to Florida for a year and a half and the PM there ONLY did them with sedation (more to bill insurance co. for) so then when I moved back to CA. I started seeing a PM in San Diego and I tried having the ESI once w/o the sedation and had just a little prob which is described above and then the rest have been with the same person and with sedation.. for myself I prefer the transforaminal approach as I've mentioned before.

I've had one spinal tap and two myelograms for which I've had spinal leaks afterwards and with the myelgrams I had to be hospitalized for one week afterwards lying absolutely flat in bed because raising my head at all brought about the most excrutiating head pain I think I could ever not even imagine and each time neither of my Neuro docs would order a blood patch. Not sure why..

oh well. that's all over now but I surely do hope your h/a is fading fast. Re the ESIs.. again, make sure it's done under fluroscopy and if it's not don't ever agree to have one done~ find someone else that does them with this. One bad experience doesn't mean they are all like that though and that's the point of my post here.