For the past few months I felt like someone has been piercing in my lower right rib. Or sometimes it felt like someone has just hit me in the ribs with a baseball bat. The pain often varies during the day in intensity. The recent diagnosis showed up nerve pain from post procedure scar tissue formation from my gall bladder surgery. During my surgery a few years ago I wasn’t even aware of the scar tissue formation as a possible side effect. During the whole day the pain makes me feel like being stabbed in the ribs with an imaginary knife

Last week I had a very slightly invasive procedure called an Intercostal Nerve Block performed by Dr Zaki Anwar, Founder of the Pain Management Institute Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Specialist, which is what I can say was the only hope for me. And to my expectation the pain relieved I had my mother and brother accompanied me an hour drive to The Pain Management Institute, Chicago, Frankfort as, at first the procedure seems like a bit frightening

Dr Zaki Anwar, MD told me in advance that I may be put to sleep, but when I reached there on the day of the procedure he only discussed my medical history and gave me some relaxants and local anesthetics

The procedure was split into a few steps

The very first I was given an IV sedation that helped me relax without putting me to sleep, I was directed to lay on my stomach on the examination table wearing a hospital gown. The my back and rib area was marked and I was told, I was about to be injected with local anesthesia. At first the injected anesthesia burned really bad, all in all the local anesthetics were three. And after a burning sensation I felt like my ribs and back has been numbed.

The most important part of the whole procedure was the intercostal nerve blocks, I was lying still stomach down as if I had moved there might be chances of needle damage my lungs, and Dr. Zaki Anwar, MD uses the X-ray guidance for the intercostal nerve blocks. When Dr. Zaki administered the injection I felt pressure as I was told before. During the whole procedure of performing Intercostal Nerve Blocks Dr. Zaki Anwar kept asking me if it hurts and I answered that I only felt pressure

After the intercostal nerve blocks I was under observation for half an hour, meanwhile the sedation wear off. Dr Zaki Anwar already told me for a couple of days the pain may increase, but soon after I will feel better