my 1 year anniversary

[betty]

Friday was my 1 year anniversary of my surgery. It also was the closing of CINN (Chicago Inst. of Neurosurgery As we all probably do I reflected on the weeks leading up to surgery and the day of the surgery along with all the hospital stay.
I am happy to be tumor free. This indeed is a journey for each of us. One that we weren't planning on for sure. The best gift was finding this website when I got home.

Has anyone had trigger point injections with lanacane? My Chiro suggested I talk to my physiatrist this week about it. He said we've been treating you for a year and still the muscle and nerves are causing about the same issues. He said it is similar to the myofascial release but the needle reaches deeper in. The physiatrist was a NS in China.

If anyone has had them please post how it went.

Thanks,
Betty

[bethann]

Betty,

Hmmm how do you respond... Happy Anniversary??? I guess it is happy because you have been tumor free for a year! I have hit my five year!!

I did have the trigger point injections. They did seem to help for a short time. I think if you want to try it go for it they will not hurt you. I have tried so many different things. The thing that worked the best for me though has been the stretching and just dealing with the fact that I have chronic pain and will always (no doubt). I go for a walk when I am feeling down and it helps me quite a bit. Also having a deep tissue massage every now and then is a good thing!!

I know the pain sucks!! And I wish after all of this time I could say I know how to get rid of it.... but I don't and I have my good days and bad days. To be honest the good are getting better! I think my time at Mary Free Bed truly helped me learn to deal with the fact that I have Chronic pain. Don't get me wrong there are days that I feel sorry for myself and think I have to get all better and get rid of this pain forever (oh I wish that were something someone would tell me they could do). I also know with everyone I have talked to and gone to no one offered that as an option.

[Tmasgio]

HI Betty
Just think of how far you have come until your one year mark. The trigger point injections are really nothing to write home about. I th ink the work well for people with muscular problems not caused by damaged nerves. I had them and they would work for about 24 hours and then back to "normal" again I was. As Bethann stated it wont hurt to try them as everyone is different but I would not go in thinking they will be the miracle shot. I have found as well that stretching and PT works the best. Keep up the great work and keep sending out your positive feedback.

Tony

[tc]

Hi, Betty. Happy Anniversary! I had trigger point injections once a week for a few weeks. Like Tony, they only helped for about 24 hours at the most. The things which have helped my neck and shoulder muscles the most have been weekly deep tissue massage, swimming at least four times a week and taking pool exercise classes four times a week. My pool was closed five days over Thanksgiving and I was really in pain by the time I could get back to my swimming routine. I discovered that I really have to go swim to not have neck spasms. I also use those 7+ hour heat pads that you can tape onto your neck or back and wear under your clothing.
The other thing I did last year for pain was radio frequency lesioning of the nerves coming off C2-C7. It temporarily fries the nerve so that is doesn't hurt so much. "Temporary" as in 6 months to a year. I think it helped . . . but it hurts like heck when they do it and you have to be awake. Also, I'm not pain-free from that, by any means.
Anyway - try to get back into a regular exercise routine and see if that helps you. I wish I could come pick you up and we could go exercise together! I wasn't self-disciplined enough to exercise at home. I had to sign up for classes and be with other people.
Teresa

[susan]

Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary Betty!
As for trigger point injections, I have gotten them monthly for the past year. My physiatrist uses lidocaine. She does my shoulders and neck. The first time she did the injections, the results were dramatic. I was waiting for the shuttle bus to go to the parking garage about 15 minutes after the injections. A medevac helicopter went overhead and I turned to watch it. I realized that I could actually turn my head, which I hadn't been able to do for close to a year.
For me the pain is actually worse for the first 24-48hrs after the injection, then I seem to get some amount of relief for several weeks. I can feel when I am due, the right side of my neck gets "twangy".
Trigger point massage twice a week really helps as well, but unfortunately my insurance only pays for 25 visits per condition per year, but, they will pay for injections forever. I do worry about the long term effects of injecting stuff into my muscles. It seems to help, so I will continue to get them.
Susan

[betty]

Susan,
Glad you get some relief. Good question you raised about "injecting stuff" I will ask the Physiatrist about that.

[1214]

Hi Betty,

Happy Anniversary... I am almost 7 months and am frustrated about the way I feel. I did the injections many many tiimes before surgery and just tried them again about a month ago wishing that since the tumor was gone that they would help. Everyone is different and you should try it but for me I am not wasting my time anymore. I have heard some good and bad about botox injections and was wondering if anyone had any luck with that. I was approved for them at one point before I was diagnosed.

[bethann]

Dawn,

I did have the Botox also. That was the last thing I did before going to Mary Free Bed. The botox did help with my headaches. But did not last long I also got more movement in my neck. I think I had three sessions. Like everything else I have tried it is worth trying maybe it will work well for you. Honestly sometimes to just get a few days of feeling better makes anything worth it!

Beth

[cindylee]

Hey Betty,

Congratulations! Look at all the progress you have made in one year. May it continue. Hugs, Cindy

[betty]

Theresa,
I just saw the line saying you wish you could pick me up and go exercise.........I am not disciplined at all.
Wouldn't it be awesome to be near each other and have a friend who understands. We could kick each others butt:)