BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Wellness Cortisone injections

I was wondering if any of you have experience with cortisone injections?

I broke the sesmoid bone (ball of my foot) back in late August. I've been in an aircast ever since then (going on 10 weeks now). At my appointmemt today, the podiatrist said he believes the bone is healed, but I'm suffering from "sesmoiditis" (I'm not kidding, that's the term he used.) He believes all the cartilage around the bone is inflamed.

So today he gave me a cortisone injection. This is the first one I have ever had for any reason - OMG it hurt!!!

Then to top it off, when I stood to go check out, my ears started ringing horribly, I could barely hear anything. I got extremely nauseous and the room started to spin. The receptionist yelled at the nurse to get me a chair because I was about to faint (her words, not mine - I guess I looked pretty bad). I asked them if I was having an allergic reaction to the cortisone, and was that even possible. The nurse said it wasn't an allergic reaction - just a reaction to the shot.

????

It's now been over 8 hours. My foot hurst worse than it did when I first broke it - actually using the crutches again. It is purple and swollen, and I'm still horri ble nauseous. No hives, itching, or trouble breathing however - so I trust the nurse was right about it not being allergic.

has anybody ever had this happen? Is it normal, will it stop?

There is no way I'm letting him do this again.

Michelle, I've had them twice--once for shoulder impingement and once for hip bursitis. Definitely the worst shot I've ever had.

It sounds like you almost fainted, which is worse than actually fainting! Truly--I've done both and when I didn't faint, I was sick for a whole day. When I did faint, I felt better in just a couple of hours.

My ex, a 300 plus pound, 6'5" manly man fainted often with needle sticks--it's some weird thing some people do. My best friend did it once when she was in labor--when the put in the IV, she went out.

So, I don't think it had anything to do with the cortisone itself, just to the shot. Especially if you weren't expecting it to be so painful. I used Lamaze breathing (and maybe a cuss word or two) while I was getting mine. I had to get two in the shoulder in one sitting--I never get nauseous and I did then.

I think the pain is so bad and so deep that your whole body does the fight or flight thing big time.

My ortho had me ice the area several times the day I got the shot to prevent cortisone flare--worsening pain. So, maybe you can try that.

In both instances, the shots worked. For my shoulder, in just a few hours it was like I had a new shoulder. (And, I'd been in pain for many months before I'd had enough.) For my hip, it seemed a bit worse that day, but was better the next day.

I hope your foot gets better, too, and that the nausea goes away soon.

I have heard people say that the shots help but I have had them in three different areas in my body and none of them made any difference AND they were extremely painful.

The area where I had the shots was always VERY painful and I kept ice on it and took medication for the swelling.

This is NOT something I will agree to anymore.

Michelle,

How are you doing with the sesmoiditis/cortisone injection?

Hey! Thanks for asking Deb.

Unfortunately, it didn't work at all. As a matter of fact, my foot now hurts as badly as it did when I first broke it. I've actually had to use the crutches again, because I can't put any weight on it without wanting to scream.

I'm beginning to think that the blood vessel is necrosed after all. Which means surgery if that's the case.

But if surgery will let me be able to walk again, then I'm willing to go through with it. i've already been in an aircast for about 10 weeks - what difference if I have to be off of it for surgery? At least there'd be some light at the end of the tunnel then. (Boy, I am just full of cliche' saying tonight!)