UCLA Pelvic Pain Clinic & Dr. Andrea Rapkin

[penney]

Almost a year later, the caudal injections did not work. I contacted Dr. Rapkin and she referred me to Dr Pablo Villablanca at UCLA. He has performed 4 ct guided nerve blocks. My pain level has dramatically decreased. It is not gone, I continue to have flares and am constantly aware of how I sit, what I wear etc. I will say this with every block I go longer with decreased pain and then return to more constant pain. I absolutely LOVE Dr. Villablanca, He believes I may need more ct guided nerve blocks but eventually the nerve will be trained not create pain ( I probably did a poor job explaining this but I hope you get the point). My job requires I sit 45+ hours a week. I purchased a herman miller chair that allows me to lean forward putting more pressure on my thighs and less on my backside. The tush cush has also been very helpful and can be purchased on amazon. I just turned 50 and this condition has dramatically decreased my ability to do things I used to do. I will also say that for me Dr. Rapkin has continued to respond to my emails and be a resource as far as options.

[Violet M]

Penney, I'm glad to hear you are getting some relief from nerve blocks.

Thanks for the info on Dr. V. It's good to hear of another doc who is helping PN patients. Did he discuss the risks of radiation from CT guidance with you? It might be something you want to ask him about and see if he can do them using ultrasound guidance instead.

Best,

Violet

[penney]

Dr. McDonalds caudal injections did not help at all. Dr Rapkin then referred me to Dr Villablanca also at UCLA. While I am not 100% I am much better than I was 18 months ago. Dr Villablanca is the kinds most compassionate Doctor I have ever met. I have had 5 CT guided nerve blocks and will probably soon need another, Each time I have gone longer between treatments and have seen progress.

[janetm2]

Glad to hear you are doing better. Thanks for posting this so others can see a treatment working.
Janet