Juiced Up

I got an e-mail today from one of the hip ladies in the support group I recently joined. It was asking specifics on the process (local anesthetic) in which I got my corticosteroid injection a couple years ago. I figured I would write about it here so that anyone considering this would have an idea on what to expect.

To start, I’ll tell you that Dr. S sent me to get the corticosteroid injection as a diagnostic tool. He stated that if the injection helped alleviate my pain, then we would know that the majority of my pain was coming from my crappy labrum. Knowing that, he could then start to determine how much actual joint pain was occurring and determine if PAO was a good option if I needed it. At the time we still only had x-ray images and weren’t exactly sure how bad the hip joint really was. This was the main purpose for me to get the injection. While injecting the corticosteroid mixture, the doctor was also going to be injecting contrast media. This dye was injected so that I could immediately get a CT Scan and MRI after the injection and they could get a better, more detailed look inside the joint.

I had my injection done at the diagnostic imaging center at Rhode Island Hospital. It was an outpatient procedure. When I arrived, they had me change and fill out some of the usual paperwork. After check-in, they sent me in to do the imaging first…which I thought was weird because I was supposed to have contrast with my imaging. I stated this to the nurse who was trying to get me to lie on the sliding bed thingy outside the CT Scan machine. She shrugged me off like I was crazy…but I kept saying “I’m pretty certain I’m supposed to have contrast media before this imaging.” She finally looked into it and low and behold I was correct. This is an example that you ALWAYS need to speak up for yourself when you think something may be wrong.

After hardly apologizing, the nurse instructed me on how to get to the place where I had the injection. When I got there, they called me into this little room. It had crazy machines everywhere with a live x-ray machine hovering over a large metal table. The doctor had 3 or 4 interns (all male) with him and he asked me if it was okay if they stayed and watched what he was doing. I said it was fine, what do I care? Then I realized I had to open my Johnny and slightly regretted that decision. Awkward! 

Anyway, I will tell you that I got pretty nervous when the doc pulled out that needle. It was the LONGEST needle I’ve ever seen in my life. It seemed like it was a foot long. I just kept telling myself not to look at it. First he had me lie on my left side, and he took a smaller but still offensive needle and gave me the local anesthetic. That stung a little, but it wasn’t bad. A few minutes later he got to work with the giant needle. After he started injecting the world’s longest needle, he used the live x-ray machine to keep tabs on his path of injection. So, he’d push the needle in a little, take an x-ray, say a few words to the audience, and go a little farther in. When he got through what seemed to be my entire body, he said he was going to start injecting and that I’d probably feel some “crowding and cramping.” I remember thinking: “what does that even mean!?” Well…as soon as he started injecting the fluid, I totally understood. It didn’t hurt, it was just very awkward feeling. Cramping is a good way to describe it. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes from start to finish. I think what took the longest is that he spent about 5-10 minutes telling the interns (who looked about 10 years old) to “look at that deformed hip joint.” He then went into a lecture on hip dysplasia, talking about my pain like I wasn’t even in the room. 

After he was done, he had me get up very slowly. He had me take a few steps very carefully because it would feel very crowded. It did feel strange at first, but not painful. After about 5 minutes of walking on it, that feeling went away and I was left with (literally) NO PAIN. It was amazing. After the imaging, I walked out the hospital the best I’ve EVER felt. It was amazing. The next couple days, after the local anesthetic wore off, I had a little soreness. The total relief time from the corticosteroids was probably 2 weeks.

Well, that’s that. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks all,

Talk soon,

D