Sciatica /slipped disc

Same here. DH drove me to A&E and I was lying across the seats in the back.

2 fairly large doses of morphine in A&E allowed me to move a bit and talk but I needed surgery because I couldn’t walk with the pain.

You have my sympathies OP, it’s horrendous.

Get to physio as soon as you can or see an osteopath. I get it intermittently and am currently suffering due to slipping and jarring the nerve a week ago, asking with a minor sprain on the same ankle. I'm doing physio 3 times a day which does give relief.

It's your call of course and if you don't have anything stronger than codeine you might want to go just to get some stronger drugs. Be prepared to wait hours. Morphine never touched mine though and amitriptyline is a build up.

I had huge herniated disc last year. Had MRI in a&e because the sciatica was bilateral. Even if you get the mri there is no treatment at the hospital as such just the diagnosis. I was told it was a year wait for surgery if it got to that but it was a wait and see. Diazepam was the only thing that stopped the muscle spasms for me. Was on that and Tramadol for about a week while transitioning to amitrypiline. I was given a diazepam when I first was triaged but A&e wouldn’t prescribe me any diazepam at all to go home with so has to contact my GP anyway afterwards. You have my total sympathy it is beyond awful.

Prednisone always helps me.

Absolute sympathy OP, sciatica was one of the worse pains I've ever felt and I've been through some painful stuff! Like you I can't take NSAIDs due to previous bowel obstruction which is frustrating.

I definitely found the TENs machine best- and some tramadol. Also I was a lot more comfortable sleeping propped up on the sofa so I didn't move around so much.

Tramadol was the only thing that helped my back. You can only really be prescribed it if a doctor has seen you, so try and call 111 and ask if a GP can do a home visit, explaining you can't get in a car and the paramedics were useless. I've suffered for more than half my life so I totally understand your suffering. I'll keep everything crossed that you get the help you need.

They weren't useless

What can they do?
Take you to a&e
Advise to stay at home and contact GP

it's not like they can cure it or do much else

I had this a couple of years ago. It's horrific isn't it. You need good painkillers and a proper assessment. If you can find a pharmacy open then co-codamol can be bought over the counter. Gp first thing in the morning and in the meantime keep an eye our for caudia equina symptoms. I was given gabapentin and codine. Sent for mri to confirm the slipped disc following which I was offered either surgery or a nerve block injection. I took the injection which worked well for me. In all it took about a year to get better but painkillers made it manageable duringthat time. I still have a bit of numbness in the leg but no pain anymore. Lying on my left side was the only position which was comfortable.

I recognise everything you're describing. Sciatica is horrific but lying on your front on a hard surface might help. I needed a cocktail of naproxen and codrydamol longer term, and diazepam for 3 days to help relax things. The more tense I got, the worse the pain was.
I'd be phoning the out of hours GP and asking to be seen, especially as this has been going on for a good few hours now.

I couldn’t deal with opiates they made me feel ill. So i iced my back and leg to take down the swelling/ disc on the instructions of my chiropractor. You shouldn’t apply heat in the early stages until swelling has gone down. I either laid flat or stood, and visit chiropractor regularly now.

I can't have ibuprofen because of Crohn's disease so I also partake of diazepam when the pain and spasms are at their worst.

The only thing that takes my pain away when like this is ice. I literally have an Ice pack on all the time, we've hit about four that I rotate.
I hope this helps, it's awful pain.

Tens machine helped me a lot. Also ice - frozen peas. And lying in my front with pillows under my stomach, and head dangling off the bed.

i tried every painkiller mentioned here and the only one that really worked was prednisone (cortisone steroids).

Don't let chiropractors near your back. A few are good, many do damage and can leave you unable to walk. Try curling up rather than laying straight .

Ahh OP you poor thing, sounds awful.

I slipped a disc end of last year. Probably not the best long term, but I found lying half slumped on the sofa was the only way I could get vaguely comfortable. I also found a
hot water bottle helped too - but it needed to be really hot.

I would strongly recommend seeing an Osteopath rather than a physio, the physio made mine worse but Osteo has honestly made the world of difference.

Oh bless you-I've been there with a sacroiliac joint and it was horrific. All I could do was lie across the back seat of the car and be driven - and walk with a stick until I got sorted. It took about a year to get better - Pilates was amazing. Drug wise I was on Tramadol, Codeine (I prefer Tramadol during the day as they don't make me sleepy), Codeine at night as that does sedate me mildly, and also Diazepam for the initial spasm. I also took Naproxen but obviously that's out for you. Good luck and please keep us updated.

Huge sympathy, it is excruciating. Diazepam took my back out of spasm but recovery took months and normal movement years. I'm still wary as I never want to feel that again. Wish you well.