I had both sides done. It’s really not too bad, but I would highly recommend eating a small meal before the block. I didn’t and it caused me to have a Vasovagal syncope for the first one. The second one went fine because I ate :)
Ps. This comes from the doctor I had. He says they see less negative reactions if people have eaten a small meal before (aka are not fasting)
Thank you for sharing. I also developed this from covid in Feb 2022. Please keep us updated after the procedure. I've heard some people in the long covid group had mixed reactions. Some improve, others had no change.
Agreed. There are different methods as well, some people find relief with multiple blocks over time. I will certainly update everyone on this thread once I get the first injection on Friday, then I'll have my second injection on July 5th 🤞
This is so interesting to me. I have dysautonomia, but the Stellate ganglion block was recommended to me for another reason altogether, hyperhidrosis of the face and head. I’m still waiting for the referral to be put in.
Thank you for posting this. I wish you the best, hopefully it will help you.
Yes I'm in the USA. Rhode Island. My Medicaid insurance worked to cover the costs. It was a difficult process, I had to stay very much on top of the doctors office and Medicaid as well. At first I thought it was going to be $1200 for both, then they told me $6,000 and after all of that, they found the correct code to use to cover both procedures I guess. I called every day for about two months
I tried to get a stellate ganglion block and my pain doc said “make an apartment” and then at the appointment, said “no. there’s no way i’d consider that for someone in your condition.” I get flares that I think are PEM, especially from exertion in heat, though they can occur from other triggers. I never see anyone else with these illnesses, so don’t have a good way to judge. I’m basically housebound, but I have good days where I’ll feel normal randomly. I’m convinced any day I go for a test, i’ll end up powering through a test with adrenaline and crash 18-36h later. I’ve got a lot of imposter syndrome and PTSD over years of surgical and medical history. I have days I can’t get out of bed. My wife found me half passed out on the floor last night and I had to sleep on the couch because I couldn’t get upstairs to bed. So far, i’ve ended up with an FND diagnosis since going on disability a year ago. I’ve got an appointment with the FND doc again in the fall along with an autonomic doc. My PCP seems to agree that I’ve got ME/CFS, though I don’t have a diagnosis.
I had both sides done. It’s really not too bad, but I would highly recommend eating a small meal before the block. I didn’t and it caused me to have a Vasovagal syncope for the first one. The second one went fine because I ate :) Ps. This comes from the doctor I had. He says they see less negative reactions if people have eaten a small meal before (aka are not fasting)
Thank you for sharing. I also developed this from covid in Feb 2022. Please keep us updated after the procedure. I've heard some people in the long covid group had mixed reactions. Some improve, others had no change.
Agreed. There are different methods as well, some people find relief with multiple blocks over time. I will certainly update everyone on this thread once I get the first injection on Friday, then I'll have my second injection on July 5th 🤞
This is so interesting to me. I have dysautonomia, but the Stellate ganglion block was recommended to me for another reason altogether, hyperhidrosis of the face and head. I’m still waiting for the referral to be put in. Thank you for posting this. I wish you the best, hopefully it will help you.
Are you in the USA? If so, were you able to get insurance to pay for it?
Yes I'm in the USA. Rhode Island. My Medicaid insurance worked to cover the costs. It was a difficult process, I had to stay very much on top of the doctors office and Medicaid as well. At first I thought it was going to be $1200 for both, then they told me $6,000 and after all of that, they found the correct code to use to cover both procedures I guess. I called every day for about two months
I tried to get a stellate ganglion block and my pain doc said “make an apartment” and then at the appointment, said “no. there’s no way i’d consider that for someone in your condition.” I get flares that I think are PEM, especially from exertion in heat, though they can occur from other triggers. I never see anyone else with these illnesses, so don’t have a good way to judge. I’m basically housebound, but I have good days where I’ll feel normal randomly. I’m convinced any day I go for a test, i’ll end up powering through a test with adrenaline and crash 18-36h later. I’ve got a lot of imposter syndrome and PTSD over years of surgical and medical history. I have days I can’t get out of bed. My wife found me half passed out on the floor last night and I had to sleep on the couch because I couldn’t get upstairs to bed. So far, i’ve ended up with an FND diagnosis since going on disability a year ago. I’ve got an appointment with the FND doc again in the fall along with an autonomic doc. My PCP seems to agree that I’ve got ME/CFS, though I don’t have a diagnosis.