[A18793715]

Today, I went to have spinal injections. I was supposed to have IV sedation but I was too scared and couldn't give a urine sample, even after almost an entire bag of IV fluids. I just couldn't no matter how hard I tried because in the back of my mind, I was terrified. I'm still getting over a needle phobia and I can handle them in my arms but not anywhere else. That's why I needed the IV sedation for these injection. But I knew they were just giving me versed and my tolerance for benzodiazepines is already higher than most people and I'm too scared it won't be enough for me to not remember anything and that I'll end up moving and I'll end up paralyzed or something. I have constant auditory hallucinations and they keep telling me things that's making it so much more stressful. The doctor told me if the injections worked, he could burn that nerve off. But that scares me even more.

:/ is it unreasonable to ask my pain specialist to go with just oral medication and not try this because it's causing too much stress? I haven't had a chance to talk to my psychiatrist yet.

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[Nammu]

No it's not unreasonable to ask for what is more comfortable for you.

I've had deep injections in both my neck and the lower spine. The neck injections made me very very nervous. The first place was going to just inject me in the office and I left. The second place did the injections in the hospital with the help of MIR to locate exactly where to place the needles...that helped a lot. With the lower back they didn't do that but they still used the hospital for giving the injections. The third place had their own machines but it was in a seperate area just for surgical procedures not just in the back area and they also worked with the fear the best. I spoke to a psychiatric nurse before hand who was with me during the injections. My cervical spine problems are better but I ended up getting a spinal fusion for the lower back. I put it off for years and now wish I had done it much sooner. I no longer need narcotics to deal with 24/7 pain.

Having injections in the spine means having a good relationship to the person doing the injections and being able to trust them . It's very reasonable to have these fears and to ask that they respect them and you.

Physical therapy, and acupuncture both helped with my neck problems and now I'm pain free. While I did it all( acupuncture{those needles did not bother me since they are very small} PT, chiropractic, diet etc) an old fashioned X-Ray from the side showed my spine was offset and I faced eventual paralyses if I didn't get it fixed. With the help of my T a really good pain specialist and a very skilled surgeon I'm pain free today. I need to keep up the exercises that's all.

So it's very possible to go though it all and be pain free. You can too, speak up and let them know what you need. I'm on Medicare and Medicaid so it is possible to find good docs out there.

[A18793715]

I'm extremely upset. I called my doctor and told him my feelings and his nurse told me he was a pain specialist but my orthopedic told me he was medication management. She says he only does injections. So I asked for a referral and she denied me saying since thc came up positive, there's nothing she can do and I would have to talk to my primary care doctor.

How is that even legal? I'm legally prescribed a medication that is 99% synthetic thc. Every medical literature will tell you it causes positives for thc in drug tests. I don't know what to do. I'm out of medication.

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