Epidural after ADR

[Jessica]

Has anyone been given any special instruction - like antibiotic treatment with a steroid injection/epidural after ADR?

Has anyone been denied steroid injections post ADR due to infection risk?

[Jessica]

Prospine has replied to my question about epidural after ADR.

No special instructions for antibiotics.

They commonly use steroid epidurals for pain relief for patients with ADR.

[Harrison]

Thx Jessica, sorry for not replying earlier. Are you better now? What's the trend with your post-op pain?

[Terry]

I have not been denied any injections after ADR. In fact, every three months I received facet injections and SI joint injections while I was healing from the surgery. It definitely helped with the comfort level as it reduced the pain I was in. I have not had the need to have any more injections since December which was 7 months ago.

I am feeling much better now. (AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Reminds me of the movie; "The Sixth Sense")

Terry Newton

[Jessica]

My hnp and adr was C5/C6. I have remaining symptoms that appear to be C6/C7/T1 dermatomes.

I have an HMO refusing to give me epidurals for pain control.

C7 inaccessible (behind an artery) for selective nerve root injection.

Surgeon recommending discography C6/7 and C7/T1 if accessible. If positive another level of ADR. If not the disc, surgeon suggesting selective nerve root injection for diagnosis and therapeutic treament in OR setting with multi axis imaging to be sure to avoid artery.

I had a realization yesterday ----- I am back on the wrong side. I look forward to coming back to the other side- soon I hope!

[phylly]

Jessica,
I am so sorry for your Insurance woes. I have been able to have epidurals after ADR and it helped a great deal. I hope that you will be able to have some relief soon and come over to the other side.
phylly

[JeffreyD]

My US of A docs have informed me that epidural steroid injections are quite risky if performed anywhere near your ADR.
Steroids will reduce the immune system's ability to fight infection locally, and, as all of you with artificial discs know, you must carefully protect your body from infection and especially your prosthesis from becoming "seeded".
If an epidural is absolutely necessary, additional antibiotics must be given, I have been told.

God Bless,
Jeff

[Jessica]

phylly - Thanks for the input, I think they would help me too. I am just not sure if the benefit will outweigh the risk if there is an infection risk.

JeffreyD - Thank you for your reply. Your other post about risk is what made me inquire in the first place. No one else (at least responding members) seem to have ever been told of this risk, and it seems it is common practice to have steroid after ADR. What you have said makes perfect sense to me - that we are at higher risk for infection.