I am several weeks out now from having bilateral stellate ganglion blocks. I did my first block on the right side of my neck on Wednesday, September 6th, and did the left side the following day. I know there is a lot of information about the miracles of this block. I was hopeful for some sort of instant relief as up to 70% of patients receive. Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. As seems to be the case with many of these treatments, I was a non-responder.
Gabe, Olivia and I flew into Dallas, TX on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 for this procedure. As Chad lives a few hours south, he and Jess drove up, picked us up and checked into the hotel with us. They would be our ride and also help watch Olivia while Gabe and I did my procedures in the following days. The travel day was fine, though my anxiety was very high. I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed, over-stimulated, and worried about the coming days. Gabe kept Olivia entertained during most of the traveling because I felt a bit dissociated and paralyzed with the fear of this treatment failing. I couldn’t muster up any hope because nothing had been working and I knew that if something didn’t start working, I would likely end up back inpatient and doing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The ECT itself didn’t scare me, but rather the side effect of memory loss is what gave me pause. I have already missed out on so much time with Olivia to mental illness, that I couldn’t fathom how I would be able to move forward if the memories I DO have were then robbed from me. So I really was putting a lot into these treatments working.
Although tired from traveling, I had a hard time sleeping that night. The unknowns and what-ifs slithering through my mind, recoiling my exhausted brain into wakefulness. The worst-case scenarios vividly playing on the big screen in my brain. Ideally I would have been well rested heading into my procedure, but that was not to be.
The next morning, Gabe and I headed over to the facility to have the block done. I was so nervous. Not just about the above-mentioned, but also about the procedure itself. There were so many unknowns about what it would feel like, how I would tolerate it, and what I would feel like after. Thankfully, one of my concerns was not for how Olivia would do in our absence. With Jess and Chad, she was having a wonderful morning and planning on swimming the day away.
The doctor explained everything to me and we got going. They used an ultrasound machine to see real-time what they were doing and what exactly my anatomy looked like while searching for the stellate ganglion. The first thing after identifying the correct location was to inject a numbing agent. That injection was quite painful and hard to sit still through. Next was a catheter needle that threaded through my neck, punching through three different layers of tissue (which felt and sounded like loud “pops”) as it weaved through the maze of structures to find the stellate ganglion. Once there, he injected the numbing agent that would quiet that bundle of nerves down, and hopefully, subsequently, get the sympathetic nervous system to also be more silent and less easily stimulated (as it is in PTSD). If it worked, the effects were to be immediate. And while I did get the physical results indicating the correct area was injected (such as Horner Syndrome), I had none of the psychological improvements. I was so, so crushed. However, the doctor reminded me that some people respond to the left side as opposed to the right. We would try again the following day.
I spent the rest of that afternoon in bed sleeping, and when awake, crying. I just knew in my heart that this intervention was not going to work. I was feeling devastated, yet trying to remember that we still had one more block to go. So I rested. And while I did, Olivia went with her Dad, Jess, and Chad to the Dallas Aquarium. She had so much fun and told me all about how great it was and the new friend she made while there. I am so grateful that she was able to enjoy the day so much!
The next morning, we again arrived at the facility for the injection. I already knew what to expect and so was feeling a bit more anxious regarding the painful aspect of the procedure. We went back and again, under ultrasound guidance, led the needle and catheter to the stellate ganglion on the left side of my neck. After another successful block, with Horner’s Syndrome being the objective sign that the correct area was injected, I awaited psychological improvements. Yet that was not to be. Instead I felt absolutely no difference in that regard. And that second injection was very difficult for me. My blood pressure shot up to the 160s/110, my breathing became ragged and wheezy, I felt like my throat was closed up and was coughing violently to the point of nearly vomiting. It was awful. And it was incredibly frightening. It did eventually pass and I was able to leave. But it was not what I hoped for and I was so disappointed.
We left Dallas that day and went by Magnolia Farms, and then to our friend’s house for dinner (who moved back to Texas from Idaho). We then finally made our way down to Salado and home for the next few days. I was exhausted just pushing through the day. So the next day I spent the entire day in bed. Olivia went fishing in the morning and then they went out and about on the town. She had such a great time. I finally got myself up and ready and we went out that evening. We would also spend the next day exploring their town before heading home on Sunday.
I know SGB’s are successful in treating the symptoms of PTSD in about 70% of patients that undergo them. And most of them have that success in their first attempt on the right side. Unfortunately there is that percentage that doesn’t respond. And it is always so upsetting to find something with such high success rates and then discover that you are not a responder to that treatment. But I am persistent. I will not give up and keep pushing to find what will work to help my brain function better.
Have any of you tried these blocks in the past? If so, what was your response?