Such A Pain In The Neck (RFA Procedure)

Tomorrow I go for my first Radiofrequency Ablation procedure on one side of my neck.  Radiofrequency Ablation (or RFA) is a procedure used to reduce pain. An electrical current produced by a radio wave is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area.    Basically it is burning the nerve ending to block the pain signal.  I have had initial nerve blocks in the locations where the greatest amount of pain radiated from.  Those points have been located and now it is time to bring out the big guns.  I am sooooooooo ready. 

My Fibromyalgia has taken a turn for the worst in the last 5 months.  I enjoyed over a year of a remission of some kind.  But when it comes back – it does so with a vengeance.  I know that so many of my family and friends don’t and can’t understand exactly how discouraging and painful it is.  When you experience relief for so long and then relief is the suddenly the last thing you think you will ever experience again it is very overwhelming.  I can feel my depression rising to the surface.  When all you do is sit around all day thinking (because moving is too painful) eventually you are gonna remember the days BEFORE your illness hit you upside the head like a brick.  That’s where I am right now.

I don’t know what to expect from the RFA.  Honestly I gave up on any sort of expectations of relief from any procedures a long time ago.  This is the first time I’ve gone this far into any kind of “surgical” relief.  I’m somewhat hopeful but not expecting much.  I think I’m kind of where my dad was with all of his different procedures on his voice box – just not expecting much.  You can’t get someone’s hope up so many times and continue to expect them to remain hopeful. 

So, all of that said to say this – tomorrow I’m having a procedure done that I’ve never had done before.  I will have pain going in and there is a high probability that I will have the same exact pain coming out.  If not then I will be glad.  If so then I won’t be surprised.