Elizabeth
I have gone through years of epidural steroid therapy, and I agree that it does help tremendously, sometimes. However, there is a limited amount of the steroids that physicians can inject into you during the course of a year, and this is out of concern for your health--you don't want too many of them inside of you, as they can lead to other health problems if overused. I do not believe that your doctors cannot inject you ever again, as I went through nearly five years of injections. Perhaps you need to discuss with you doctors alternative therapies to use in conjunction with epidural injections intermittantly throughout the course of a year--such as every three to four months, which is what my pain clinic physicians did. Have you looked into a TENS unit? Many people get tremendous relief using one of these little machines. Trust your instincts about surgery. I have had two operations on my back and have done nothiong but become progressively more incapaicated with each successive one. There are alternatives, such as the TENS unit, that can help you out. Try talking about it with your doctor. You will be amazed at the variety of treatments available to you that are non invasxive. Good luck.