Hi All,

Just wanted to let you know I got this done today about 6 hours ago. I have no idea what the long term results will be, but so far my pain, caused from disk protrusion compressing my L4 nerve root, is substantially less. This may just be from the anaesthesia but if the steroids work this should hopefully be the beginning of an end to my chronic pain. For any of you considering a Caudal I can tell you that it is not too painful, and not too scary. Of course I was worried before I got it, especially after reading about the possible side effects, but if it 's done at a hospital by a qualified anaesthesiologist, it's nothing to be afaid of. And you definitely want to try this before getting surgery because whether it works for you or not, at least will rule out certain possible factors in what's causing your pain. All they do is freeze your skin above your tailbone, stick an IV in your hand and give you some Reaaaaallllllyyyyyy nice sedating drugs, and then you don't even feel the longer needle go into your epidural space. The only thing that is painful is when the anaesthetic/steroid injection is actually injected (and yes that part hurts but it's tolerable and the doctor will stop and go slower if you ask). Feels a bit like a charlie horse in your back.

Today, for the first time in about 3 years I could arch my back without a stabbing pain shooting down my left butt cheek. Yay. And even if the paion returns at least I will know that the problem is indeed where they think it is, and that will make surgery less guess work down the road. It's funny....because for a week before the procedure I was nervous about all kinds of disasters like accidental intravascular injection or paraplegism, and then when I got it done it was nothing to write home about. And all the time I was worrying about my own situation, there were people beside me in the OR prep room getting ready for by-passes and open heart surgeries. Did I ever feel like a self-obsessed fool complaining about my little injection. I will write again in a while with an update. I just hope I have more good news, because a return to the pain would be most upsetting, knowing it's possible to be pain-free after so long. If you have any questions about this procedure feel free to write me.

I will be glad to help any fellow pain sufferers.