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Research Nerve Block As Treatment For Ptsd

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I'm still waiting to get evaluated. The doctor seems really busy right now. There are other pain clinics that may do it but they charge $250-$400 for the evaluation, and they aren't in my area. This doctor is the only one I've found that does the evaluation for free, so I'm going to wait for him to evaluate me.
 
It has been two months since I had the SPG block and my experience has been less than exciting. The procedure itself is relatively quick, does not require the patient to have a driver to go home but one is recommended as some patients have issues with dizziness. The actual procedure is not for those with a sensitive stomach nothing is given to numb the nasal passages, sinuses or throat. In order to direct enough medicine to the SP ganglia it is basically twice the amount of medication necessary injected into each nostril which of course ends up going down the throat and to the stomach. I have never fought my gag instinct as much as I did during this procedure. The physicians and nurses in the procedure room even provided a receptacle to vomit in if needed.

After two months I don't notice any improvement or change in my ptsd symptoms. I understand that I am a single individual but after my experience I would not subject myself to this treatment again for either my migraines or ptsd. Again just my opinion and experience.
 
Hello, I recently completed my stellate ganglion block. Since it was done very recently, I can only give my very limited experience, but it began working right away in interrupting the fight-or-flight response. Since it was done so recently, I won't give any conclusions yet. But in this short time frame, it is definitely working.

As an example, I was crossing the street and an aggressive driver turned into me. Normally I would have startled and my body would have been flooded with stress hormones. Instead, I had a brief moment of fright before the driver stopped, but I didn't startle and the stress hormones never actually hit my body, but got "dammed up" somewhere.

Please note that this is a different block than the sphenopalatine ganglion block, done through the nose. Although I did hear about the sphenopalatine ganglion block, and it is cheaper and less invasive, I decided not to do it because I did not feel there was enough evidence with regard to its efficacy for PTSD or hyperarousal. My stellate ganglion block was performed under IV sedation and I remember nothing about it.

I'll make another update when more time has passed.
 
More than one month has passed since I had my stellate ganglion block, and it is still working. I am off meds for the first time in years. I don't have startle reflex anymore. I can do things that I couldn't tolerate before, such as having dental work. Being in a constant state of sympathetic arousal is very damaging to the body and emotionally exhausting.

I will probably report again at a later time.

I hope you all can find healing from this terrible condition.
 
It's been several months since my block. I feel the effectiveness has decreased a little from when I first got it but I still feel really good and don't use meds anymore. It's so much easier to concentrate and get stuff done without the misery of hyperarousal. Everything in life just becomes easier. I still do sometimes get flashbacks but I've been in therapy for a long time and I do feel some physical anxiety when that happens but it's not too bad, pretty mild compared to what it was before.
 
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