Can't decide whether to have injections

knuckleduster

I am scheduled to have two steroid injections at the end of this month, one each side of my neck to have relieve the headaches caused by arthritis in my neck. But I can't decide whether to have them. The Pain Clinic nurse told me "they may work, or they may not, they would take six weeks to work if they are going to work and they could make the pain worse in the intervening period and I might only feel any benefit for a week or two and there is always the risk of infection, etc." Has anybody else on the forum had these injections in the neck and, if so, did they prove of benefit. I am beginning to think I might just as well stick with the medication when needed and regular visits to the osteopath. I cannot make up my mind what to do.

Folara

Heya knuckleduster,

I've not had them into my neck but I have had them into both hips, both knees and my lower back.

It's really difficult to answer this because every person has a different reaction to them. Before me, personally, they haven't worked at all and some have made the pain worse but I would still have gone ahead and given them a go cos any relief from the constant pain is good.

I know that's not much help but if you don't try, you won't ever know.

Fols x

Colin1

I would take the chance, even if you get relief for just ashort time
Colin

stickywicket

I've had knees and the general ones in the rear end. I can see that the neck might be a bit more worrying and I'm afraid only you can decide. For me, it'd depend on the pain levels. If it was bad I'd go for it. Is there an increased risk of infection? I guess anything invasive has a risk factor but is it a big one?

I note you write about maybe staying with the meds when needed. This sounds as if it's an on/off thing. In which case, for me, it'd also depend on how 'on' it was. Sorry, can't be any real help.

knuckleduster

Thanks Fols, Stickywicket and Colin1 for getting back to me. I'm usually a very decisive person, but this issue is leaving me very muddle headed. My Doctor thought they would just discuss medication and leave the injections as a last resort. At this rate I will have to toss a coin.

Janet :roll:

suzygirl

I have had hip and shoulder injections, they were uncomfortable but not majorly problematic. I would have to have a long think about my neck though.

As others have said if the pain is that bad, usually we will try anything. I wish you well with whatever you decide.

elnafinn

I agree, if the pain is that bad then I would go for them. You have to be told the not so good bits ie risk of infection. There is that risk with any procedure.

I have had great success with jabs in the lower back for sciatica. No sciatica since the jabs which were on 3 December 2009. I too was told about the risk of infection etc. I have had jabs that have lasted quite a time and others not so long. It is luck of the draw. We all react differently it would seem.

Elna x

dreamdaisy

Hello knuckleduster, I can understand your confusion and reluctance. I've had the injections in my knees to aid my psoriatic arthritis (they never helped), the depo jabs in the backside (an all-over 'tonic' apparently - really?) and one in my ankle to help the OA (and it did for a while). Some people swear by them, some swear about them but the only way to find out if they will help you is to try. Necks are a tricky area but those administering them know what they are doing and if it helps you will gain summat - and if they don't at least you tried. If it were me I would go for it, just in case they help. I wish you well. DD

knuckleduster

Thanks Elna and Dreamdaisy for your comments.

I think I will be tossing a coin the day before I'm due to have them.
Have a good weekend.

Janet

Heather65

Hi ,
like you i have problems with my neck ,im only on meds at the mo and go to a chiropractor ,the pain is just managable but sometimes its not ,if it got to the stage when it was unberable i might consider injections if offered ,its a difficult one best of luck ,
Heather

jilly

Hi , I have trouble with my neck and shoulders , i had injections for 18 months every 3 months . I did get pain relief in the beginning and it lasted a couple of months each time i had them , I thought it was wonderful and i thought it was well worth having them . But as time went on they worked less and less so i gave up having them .
I think you can only decide if it is worth it , we are all different. I hope it goes well for you which ever way you decide to go ...jillyx

knuckleduster

Many thanks Heather and Jilly for your input.

At least the weather is good here at the moment and things always look brighter when that old sun is old. Head is not too bad today either.

Janet :P

barbara12

Hi Janet
I would have them done, other wise you will only wonder if they would have work or not, I have had quite a few injections , but not in my neck, it does sound scary, so I do understand how you must feel .
Wishing you well with them, and please let us know how it goes xxl

knuckleduster

Morning Barbara

I would have found it easier to make up my mind if I had been able to understand the Pain Clinic Doctor's accent and just got so fed up saying "pardon". I then had a telephone conversation with a nurse at the clinic and she just listed all the negatives about the procedure. If I could find just one person who had had successful injections in the neck to alleviate the headaches, then I would have a more positive attitude.

It's a beautiful day here today, the sun is out and the sky is blue. Think I'll sit in the garden and read my book.

Janet

thecat

Hi there,
The fact that its your neck shouldnt worry you too much (easy for me to say!!!)coz the nurses/docs know exactly what they are doing, but personally I dont rate them,was recently offered one for a shoulder problem caused by RA but refused as have had them before in wrist shoulder & hip but they have done no good infact made it worse for a day or two then it was back to square one.Saying that I know several people who rate them highly !!!!
Any relief is better than none, no matter how short lived & you never know it may just do the trick !
Good luck x

[Deleted User]

Hi knuckleduster,
I think I would find it difficult to make a decision if I were in your position too. Neck isn't the usual place for injections, and the nurse listing all the things that might go wrong doesn't help either. I think she just tries to cover herself in case something might go wrong and also she probably must tell patients about possible side effects, only in your case she forgot to mention the positives. So far I myself had steroid injections in my bum :oops: , both knees and some of my fingers, which were the most painful ones. The other ones were OK. I hope you will find here someone who had it done, as it looks like you need some reassurance from someone who actually went through it.
I wish you all the best.

knuckleduster

Hello "thecat"

Many thanks for your comments. I still can't decide what to do. If I could find one person who has had the injections into their neck with a positive result, it would help me to make up my mind. I'll have to decide what to do quickly as my appointment is next Friday.

But hey, at least the sun is out again today.

Janet