exercise453
Member
Post count: 53

Dear Doctor,
This could have been placed on my c2-3 facet thread. To refresh last year I had relief with a c3-4 block, no relief two weeks later with a c3-4 c4-5 block and minimal relief from an eventual c3-8 radiofrequency. Months later there was excellent relief from a c2-3 block and none from a c2-3 radiofrequency.

On this thread I asked about a “thing” right above the c2-3 facet. It is a corn kernel-grain of rice size, hard, irregular, sharp thing that I am forever pressing. After deflating on and all around it, the tender area deflates down to the rocky thing, but the painful thing itself always remains and the area re-inflates.

A new PM doctor (with little to offer) said it was a calcification and there was nothing he could do about it. He does radiofrequencies but not c2-3 and does not do snrb’s so he gave me an interarticular facet joint injection (c2-5). I did not think it could possibly work for a 6 year old condition but the facets had never been injected with steroid so I “took a shot” Two weeks out it certainly has done nothing…(he said it would take a month).

I’ve asked you previously why the blocks worked and the radiofrequencies did not and we’ve discussed that enough, yet I pursue pm because something in that area responded to anesthetic. I now believe it may have been the effect of any anesthetic on the “thing” that quieted it, sometimes for a couple of days. In fact after these recent facet injections I felt better for a couple of days before going back to the usual.

I understand this may be covering a deeper pathology below but maybe not. This exquisitely painful, 6 year old “thing” which has a life of its own seems easily accessible and can be easily injected or dry needled, which makes me wonder why the pm doc said there was nothing he could do. You previously used the word “nodule and dealt with on its own”. I don’t know if that is different than calcification.

If it is a “calcification” should I have it injected or dry needled….what would you recommend???

Is it something that might inevitably be surgically removed, it seems so accessible???

Off topic I would like your opinion on long term, almost daily nsaid use (no pre-existing issues with them and blood tests every 4 months). 1200 mg advil…5 or 6 days a week (in addition to 100mg ultram 2×50 and 800 mg neurontin 2×400 ???

Your performance on this forum is unheard of in the annals of mankind…you have no bigger fan or admirer than I…Thanks