posted
I have read several times now that steroids are a no-no! Ok...I have also read that they can cause
permanant damage!?!? Is this true? And what type of perm damage is being seen?
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
I had only one epidural steroid injection. The damage was almost immediate and has not gone away in four years. That's permanent enough for me.
I had virtually no knee pain (although I did test positive for L4 radiculopathy) before the injection. After the injection, the knee pain and back pain can reach 9-10 at times.
The pain originates from the spinal canal so the nerves (L4-S3) are damaged not muscles or bones.
Avoiding dairy helps somewhat.
Posts: 175 | From Colorado | Registered: Feb 2007
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Steroids weaken the immune system enough to allow infections to take hold. This is bad for Lyme, because the bacteria becomes stronger and therefore harder to kill.
As far as I know, that is the real damage. But some people go so far downhill from steroids, that the climb back up seems impossible.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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ByronSBell 2007
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by SouthernCO: I had only one epidural steroid injection. The damage was almost immediate and has not gone away in four years. That's permanent enough for me.
I had virtually no knee pain (although I did test positive for L4 radiculopathy) before the injection. After the injection, the knee pain and back pain can reach 9-10 at times.
The pain originates from the spinal canal so the nerves (L4-S3) are damaged not muscles or bones.
Avoiding dairy helps somewhat.
Might not be from the seroid itself though... I have had a spinal tap and it has been hurting for over a year now and my mom worked labor and delivery and this happens alot with blocks so it might not be the steroid, but steroids can cause muscle damage if they are used often
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In my case, there was already damage to nerves in the lower part of the spine caused by Lyme and coinfections confirmed as L4 radiculopathy on an EMG test. The steroid injection in the prevented the immune systems work in the spine, thus more nerve damage was done by the bacteria and severe pain was the result.
Coincidentally, the damaged nerves end up feeding the peroneal nerve which, as I recall, divides and traverses from the knee down to the top of the feet.
I confirmed this with a neurosurgeon who read my MRIs.
Additionally, after the epidural steroid injection I had a very painful test, a discogram, which identified the L5-S1 level of the spine as at least one source of the severe pain.
Unfortunately, 4 years ago I had no Lyme diagnosis and no access to this great site to warn me against a steroid injection into the spine.
Posts: 175 | From Colorado | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
So is this type of nerve damage considered permanent or does it get better with tx???
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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Foggy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1584
posted
It caused me neuropathy & erased a years worth of Lyme treatment. Got back on the treatment and chipped away at it.
Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Since my LLMD closed his practice a few weeks after my first appt. and diagnosis, I have virtually no experience with abx. Others I have read here seem to have seen improvement with abx treatment, but I hope they will take a few seconds to speak up on this very important topic.
Speaking for me only, the ESI (epidural steroid injection) not only caused terrible knee pain where none existed before but made the back pain worse.
If no one else speaks up, I think there is a lot of information on steroids in previous posts.
Best of luck.
Posts: 175 | From Colorado | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Steroids cause damage because they disable the immune system and allow the infection to become much more entrenched. The damage is theoretically reversible but, very difficult if not impossible. I recommend Rosner's book for a good explanation on this: http://www.defeatlyme.com .
Also helpful is reading Burrascano's guidelines, which explain the problems with steroids.
Portland
Posts: 31 | From Portland OR | Registered: May 2007
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tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
cjnelson,
I can only answer your question first hand but am not a doctor. For me, I was given steroids for "chest pain" after a heart catherization said all was fine (before my diagnosis) and I got worse.
Then years later, with no diagnosis, they said I had degenerative disc disease and either I could do epidural steroid injections or surgery. The injections seemed less evasive and not knowing anything about lyme, I opted that direction.
It caused me stroke like symptoms that I would say would appear to be damage. So your question is basically asking if this damage can be reversed.
In my case, YES! I still have a LONG LONG road ahead of me, but I am able to walk again on my own and not slurring my words anymore or anything else that made them think it was a stroke.
I'm not saying everything will be reversed and I know that no two cases are the same, but for me personally, it wasn't totally hopeless. Hope this is the answer you are looking for, so I would say to stick with the lyme protocol and hopefully you too will be able to see reversal.
But knowing what I know NOW...I would NEVER EVER let them inject steroids in me again. Not worth it, but doctors have no clue sadly and think nothing of giving them to us, but balk about antibiotics that could make us better. Go figure. Do no harm?????????
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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david1097
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3662
posted
Cortical Steriods if given for a long time will damage the adrenal glands. In worse case they will basically atrophy , calcify and become non functional. If you are on the drug for a long time you have to go off them slowly to allow the adrenal glands to start to work again.
Steroids should be used as a quick fix, not as a long term solution that some Dr's are using them for. In an infection they will reduce the immune response and with things like Lyme that is bad as it upsets the immune balance that keeps Lyme from growing rapidly in the body.
Posts: 1184 | From north america | Registered: Feb 2003
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