Rhizotomy stories... good, bad, indifferent?

[labeng]

Hi Mark,

I’m sorry to hear that you are still having problems, that really sucks. I haven’t been on here for some time so I have been trying to catch bits and pieces of what’s gone on. I didn’t realize that you were having such pain.

Well I think you already know my rhizo experiences. It’s what’s kept me going all these years and it’s been very successful in my particular case. I’ve had some new additional pain that started earlier this year that you may recall, but I’m sure it was not from the facets, it is very different.

My last rhizotomy was right at a year ago and I believe that I am still experiencing the benefits from it. I had it done 3 months earlier but then repeated it because there was at least one nerve that was not completely ablated and was still quite angry. That’s the one problem with the procedure, it’s possible that they don’t get in close enough proximity with the nerve to heat it up to the point of ablation.

The rhizotomy prior to last years, lasted almost 2 years. Each time, for me anyways, has been the exact same recovery. For me it’s right at 6 weeks, and for a good part of that 6 week period is even more painful then prior to the procedure. But I have always used that as a gauge for determining the effectiveness of the procedure. If the nerves are properly ablated, they are going to cause all kinds of various sensations during that period of “dying off”.

As with any procedure, the skill and experience of the doctor is everything. Knowing proximity placement and listening to the patients feed back is everything when it comes to rhizomoty. If the doctor is in a rush for time….forget it, it can be tedious to find the exact ideal location before they start the ablation cycle. Each nerve can potentially take 10-15 minutes.

As you know, I have had many of these over the last six years. Some lasting only 6-9 months and some much longer. I will continue to get more in the future as well, for me it’s made that much of a difference.

Give me a call if you like Mark, I can give you much more detail as far as what to expect during the procedure and what to ask for.

Regards,
Larry

[Jim M2]

Larry, Thanks for the excellent post.

[ans]

Yes, thanks Larry.

I saw a UCLA pain medication doc/interventional type whom I have left. I asked him about doing an S-I rhizotomy and he whined that it would take ~ 7 locals and has ~ 50% rate. Sure seems worth it vs. being pumped w/steroids. Anyways, I'm hoping to hear experiences too so sorry, off-topic.

[mmglobal]

The SI RF ablation is a completely different animal... nothing like the facet rhizo. The surgeons that I have discussed the SI rhizo with all say that the SI is too highly innervated. There is so much ablation that must take place... might as well have a bbq. With so much to do, there is so much to miss. I have not heard good things about SI ablations from anyone. I'm sure that there are proponents out there... I have not run into them.

Mark

[Crystal33]

some ppl have posted their experiences below. i apologize if it not acceptable to post the link.
Rhizotomy/Radio Frequency Nerve Ablation? - HealthBoards Message Boards

[Maria]

Mark,
How common is it to do rhizotomy on thoracic facets or how many patients has your paticular doctor done this on? Good results? So forth so on...

[jchebert1979]

I will be having a rhizotomy from C2-C6 (left side) in a few hours. I had good success with the first block. Not so much with the second, but I have decided to move forward with it. I'll let everyone know how it goes.