occipital injections - hurt like a son of a gun:
headache is a bit better I think
neck injection has had no effect in neck stiffness

trapezoid injections have had no affect on muscle tension.

Every doctor seems to work on one thing, one area of pain; and makes no regard to the..systemic problems.. the night of the second sleep study....I had the diarrhea..s so that was not at all manly.... lol until about 11: pm..

the hospital does not use water with C-pap, so I was totally dehydrated in the morning

1. sorry for the pain, but glad they seemed to help a bit

2. sorry that didn't help, mine did quite a bit, not perfect, but i'll take it.
i can't remember, was your neck facet joint cortisone injections or something else?

3. are you positive they injected into the belly of a triggerpoint? that's very important. if they miss, its useless. to tell, there should be very little if any pain from the needle piercing and going into the skin, but when they hit the triggerpoint, there should be exquisite pain, mimicking the triggerpoint pain itself. then they should inject the lidocaine. also, if the triggerpoint is a fair size, the muscle should "jump" when that "knot" is injected, thus releasing the muscle. that jump response is a good indication that the triggerpoint injection did something. even if all of this is true, if you have multiple triggerpoints in the trap, then it could require multiple injections. or if the muscles don't have triggerpoints, then not sure what the injections would do, if anything.

can't remember, are you on, have you tried a muscle relaxant. flexeril has terrible side affects for me, i'm a zombie on it. but zanaflex has been very good to me, since 2001. taking it at night has been helpful. and then i take it when i need to other times. it does lower my BP and zonk me out, but only for about an hour, then my BP comes back up and i'm ok. flexeril zonks me out for days on end, the entire time its working. zanaflex lasts in the blood stream 6 hours, works pretty well for about 5 of those, but only zonks me out for an hour or so, about 45 minutes after taking the drug as it starts to take affect. others seem to like skelaxan as well.

my rheumy has also put me on magnesium (~200-400 mg daily) and coQ (~100 mg daily) to help with the muscles. i do get less cramps when i started the magnesium. not sure how much these two help with the spasms, but i am doing better in between my flares. probably wouldn't hurt to try these as well, but ask a doctor first to make sure they won't hurt you in any way. the coQ is supposed to help the heart as well, why some people take it. anyway, just make sure if you're considering.

4. i hear you about each doctor looking at just one part. but not all doctors are like that. i am currently fortunate to have a rheumy, gastroenterologist, naturpath that looks at the whole picture, understands its all connected. my old endocrinologist was like that too, but he retired and the new doctor will only focus on my thyroid, and won't talk about anything else. i miss the old endocrinologist. but at least i have the rheumy and gastroenterologist. they've been instrumental at putting it all together.

good luck with the sleep study. remind me again what they are trying to determine with that? hope it gives answers (and solutions).

Sue,
He mentioned something beside cortisone in the neck

I could feel some twitching when the trap. muscles were being injected. I also had a lot of blood loss. But although i feel different, I don't feel any better. Seems as though the pain just moved down a few inches but still here....

sue, I have some muscle relaxants, but in 4 hours I seem worse than before, the lidoderm patch is the best for some relief....

my blood work shows low and high in multiple areas but nothing extreme.

I am on benicar =for high bp
coreg "
ambien
gapatentien
cymbalta

tramadol for pain , they are like jellybeans
but I feel really tired the last few weeks
am seeing huge shadows / not double vision...

I will ask about suppliments...

thanks for going through this, with me

I appreciate you

We are adding another doctor.
My neurologist said that the sleep test shows leg and back pain is waking me up, 13 times per hour through the night. I am getting 9% of the REM sleep needed.
How is it with you, have you been tested? But the pressure went down to 14cc pressure instead of 17.. discuss sinus surgery since my right nostril is caved in...
he says no MS. it is high blood pressure caused brain disease.
but my symptoms are getting worse at times, not better. Pressure points show advanced fibro..
lose weight he said, lets see, I can't breath very well, use inhaler, back pain st crushing, how do I exercise?

thanks for reading. If you are here, you know of what I speak, hang in there. If I can help let me know.

more X-rays blood work

Lon, well very important people like yourself require many doctors! I am humbled by your presence...but maybe I need to do a count of my drs?? It sounds like you are getting more answers at least, and maybe some minor fixes will follow that will at least enable you to sleep.

Lon I have not been on here in a while. I read this post the other day. I lost my Abby dog on saturday, I have been looking for her every day after work. I took the day off today and took my mule and spent the day in the canyon country looking for Abby. At five oclock I finally found her across a canyon. I did not have time to find my way over to her. I built a fire on the canyon rim where she could see it and sat down and watched a gorgeous sun set over the Canyonlands South of the Las Sal mountains.
I thought about you and all the trials you have been going through. I hope and pray that relief is on your way. I thought about the blessings I have recieved over the last two years as the suns rays lit the slickrock canyons on fire around me as the the day passed to night. I sincerely hope your health improves you are due.
Abby walked into my fire as night fell all around. I rode for two hours across the heads of the canyon in darkness, I let Sassy have her head and she took me to my truck, where I loaded her and Abby and we came home.
ETTE.
Darrel.
PS. my son was accepted into a masters program at South Dakota State University. I will be coming your way and I will look you up. Take care of yourself, don't fall in the ditch.

Darrel, I am so glad you found your dog!

Sending a heartfelt hug across the miles, Lon, and prayers for healing and deep sleep. Keep us posted...

Snow,
you always make me laugh to my self. and bring a smile
thanks for that, my friend.
any skiing? It has been so nice that I can still chip away at the ice on the streets, move snow with a shovel, I know I am a blessed man. I hope my youngest grand daughter turns out just like you.

Darrel,
I imagined the whole thing in my mind.
I was there with you. I have had an elk hunter walk into camp when it was dark and raining, he probably looked like your lost dog...
Yep, you paint a picture that I can step into... They have killed several "cats" here in Gillette this winter. what a shame. and a huge full curl ram, that came down and stay with domestic sheep. I talked to the game warden about hunters being able to harvest them, but there is always a good reason for safety sake.
My wife wants me to get a dog. So glad she is back with you.

Darrel, as you sat by the fire that night, counting your blessings, you were walking with God. What a tremendous experience.

I will make up the bed for you and your family whenever you come this way. Come late and leave early,if necessary that will be our agreement.