[Barb G]

Hello everyone,

My neck pain is driving me crazy so I'm rethinking my current options.

Every time I see the pain specialist and we discuss an injection to address a possible myofascial trigger point or possible C4 radiculopathy, I am given a release I'm required to sign before I can get an injection. The release outlines possible side effects of such an injection which includes permanent disability and death and states that I or my family will not hold the physician responsible for permanent disability or death. If I don't sign the release, I don't get treatment. I have been reluctant to sign such a release and have been trying to get confirmation of a diagnosis before agreeing to a procedure with such possible outcomes. Because it is unlikely I will ever get confirmation of a diagnosis and because I'm in so much pain, I'm reconsidering my position.

My questions are:

Is it normal to require a patient to sign such a release before recieving treatment?

Would you sign such a release under the same circumstances?

(See posts under MRI, EMG Nightmare thread for some background)

Also, I forgot to mention that I experienced very serious side effects from a spinal block injection in the past that left me disabled for over a year so I'm terrified of an injection in or near my spine or in my SCM muscle near my carotid artery, vagus nerve, etc.!

Barb

 

[lazylegs]

Hi Barb,

I don't think any of us can advise you on whether to have the treatment or not. Your doctors don't even seem to agree on what the problem is. All I can say is if you do decide to get the procedure done, make sure your doctor has had a lot of experience doing it.

It is standard procedure for the patient to have to sign a release before getting any treatment. Basically I weigh the pros and cons. If the pros win I sign and hope for the best.

Take care,
Lazylegs

 

[Barb G]

Lazylegs,

I wasn't looking for medical advice but hoping for some feedback about what others have done in a similiar situation. I have no one to talk to about these matters other than my numerous docs of differing opinion, so I need to bounce my thoughts and concerns off someone --- was hoping to be able to do that here. I don't even know what the norm is in this situation.

I've been trying to upload pictures of my neck so everyone can see what it looks like so if anyone recognizes the condition they can tell me what they think might be going on and point me in the right direction but I haven't been able to get them to upload.

Barb

 

[Maia]

Anytime I've had any procedure done, I've had to sign a form and it almost always states that you can die from it. I think even just removing a mole with local anesthesia had that on it, plus of course the surgeries I've had too that had general anesthesia. I figure they just have to put everything on there that could happen in an effort to protect themselves from lawsuits. I also figure if they are negligent then they can still be sued since this is America!

I can't think of a time I haven't gone ahead and tried something to see if it would help even when it might not have been definitively necessary. I had the mole removed, I had the cortisone injection in my knee, had the elbow surgeries and the gallbladder out, had the baby. Etc Etc Etc.! So far I haven't regretted trying something to see if it will help, and so far for me it has helped greatly almost every time.

 

[Barb G]

So far I haven't regretted trying something to see if it will help, and so far for me it has helped greatly almost every time.

Unfortunately, I have agreed to medications and procedures that have left me with life-long regret, hence my hesitation and concern (spinal block leading to extreme pain and year-long disability, low-dose amitriptyline use leading to seizures, long-term low-dose clonazepam use to address amitriptyline related seizures leading to protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal that led to gabapentin prescription ...)

Both neurologists, one ENT specialist (at U of I), and one radiologist (at U of I) have expressed concern about treatment of the SCM muscle because of the proximity to, and how the enlarged and swollen condition is affecting, the vagus nerve and internal carotid artery, refusing to do certain diagnostic tests even because of their concerns.