So, today marked the day of my first epidural steroid shot for my herniated lumbar disk. In all honesty, I was nervous as heck. I could barely get down my lunch and dinner yesterday I had been thinking about it so much. Deep down, I knew I was more than likely over thinking the situation and that it wouldn’t be as bad as I had mentally worked it up to be.
Arriving at the surgery center with my mom (you can’t drive for at least 8 hours after the procedure), we were greeted by a very friendly front desk receptionist who checked me in and took all of my paperwork. A few minutes later, my name was being called and a nurse was leading us back into the procedure room. The nurse was very informative and nice. She took my vitals and asked me some initial questions. The doctor who would be doing the procedure then entered and introduced himself. He told me how the procedure would work and told me my fears were understandable.
I was then told to get on the nearby bed, lying flat on my belly. The procedure would be done with the assistance of an x-ray machines. My lower back was cleaned and prepped and then the doctor began. Initially, I felt the pinching of the numbing medicine he was putting into my back and spine. Then, the steroids were injected. This was uncomfortable and very odd at certain times. Not exactly a fun experience in the slightest. A few minutes later, it was over. I couldn’t have been happier.
The rest of the day has been okay. I’ve experienced some discomfort and pain in my lower back, but believe this will go down by tomorrow. Each shot apparently takes about 48 hours to start to have a noticeable effect and can take up to a week or ten days for the most relief. My second of the three shots is scheduled for next week. While I’m not looking forward to the experience again, I’m doing my best to think of how good I will be feeling in the coming weeks.
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