has anyone ever had a herniated disc?? and thus a steroid shot/ did it raise your sugars?? is there something can inject instead?? is it betteer then steroid pills that the doc. would not give me due to diabetes?? any tips ??
ok, I guess there is no way know what will happen or how much of a reaction to the diabetes beforehand and each person re-acts diff. but I may not have any other option but the shots, maybe there is something less strong or besides steroid to inject …as I can’t even sit or walk causes like unbareable pain-drives me to tears feels like 50+charlie horses and my foot now numb dumb siatic nerve and herniated discs …so guess just deal with the side effects it’d only be temporary and thing is I just want pain to go away I am only 20 and this stinks I hope it heals on own with shots/therapy/strong pain med. as first 3 mediactions did no good so off to spine specialist see options …I really really don’t want surgery
I had a cortisol injection in my lower back (twice) a few years ago, and OMG did it raise my BG… I was pumping at the time and running 200% basals and that didn’t even come close to helping. I ended up having to reset all my maximums and set a new basal program to keep up. I was up to well over 100u a day for a while (normal for me is about 35u)
In my experience, the shot wasn’t any better/worse than being on a course of steroids, which I’ve also done a few times over the years. If they’re willing to give you an injection, honestly they should try you on an oral course first.
I will have to warn you though, even steroids aren’t always a magic fix. Sometimes it’s just a lot of extra hassle and discomfort for nothing.
man o man I really don’t wanna have to take so much insulin…well, I think it’d be better then surgery right away, can’t hurt more to try it, so i know I did everything could and not miss the cure or fix to the pain, I just need to be able to sit and walk ya know been in bed like 5 days now and that’s no life
I have not gotten a shot in awhile but steroid pills make my BGs crazy! A single 20mg prednisone took me from a BG of 100 to over 600 in just 3 hours! It took me a day and half to get the BG back down and I didn’t take another pill. Then my new rheumatologist said I had to try them again to manage another autoimmune disorder I have. I have been taking prednisone for the past 6 months (in a smaller dose, first 15mg to 10mg and now 5mg) and I do have to take alot of extra insulin. My basal went from 17 units a day to 30 units a day and I had to increase my bolus amounts at lunch time too. I can say that once I am off them I will think twice about going on them again.
I don’t know about epidural, but last month, I had a conrtisone injection in my hip and my sugars went sky high (400+) for about a week. However, my hip felt great!!!
i know everyone has had very different experiences, so here is mine 
i had surgery for ruptured discs in my lower back while in college, and while it did help for awhile with the leg pain i was having, the discs above those have since herniated, so i’m in the same boat as you, and really don’t want to have surgery again, although since the last time they’ve come a loooong way in easier/quicker procedures. my bs always goes high with oral steroids, but i’ve been able to control them with increased basal rates. last fall though, i finally got the epidural injection. i was honestly so freaked out about it hurting that i was so relieved afterwards. but by that night i was throwing up and couldn’t keep water down. my bs wasn’t too too high yet, so my dr. figured it was just a stomach bug. 4 days later, i couldn’t breathe and was reading HI with ketones of 6.2 on my meter. So, i spent over a week in icu in dka. (and then switched drs from what i’ve been able to find, some type 1s are just very susceptible to increased bs from steroids while others are able to manage it with increased insulin and monitoring, and for me, once i get too high and have large ketones, i can’t fix it on my own.
can you talk to your dr. about your concerns? i’m married to a surgeon who scoffs at this, but i’ve honestly found the most relief with an amazing chiropractor. it took me awhile to find people who were willing to really take a detailed history and then work with me on a very frequent basis–i run into problems if i’m feeling better, go for a run or skip an appointment, and then really regret it a few days later, so for me it’s better if i just maintain treatment even if i feel okay. over the past 10 years i’ve been on all kinds of pain meds and muscle relaxants and haven’t found too much that works well enough to outweigh the side effects for me, but a hot tub is always good
i hope you’re feeling better soon, i know this sucks!