A&e, doctors or wait it out?

Your commitment to being so bullish is outstanding.

The op literally said she was finding it hard to pass urine?

Why are you so determined to tell OP (despite everyone else saying the complete opposite) that this isn't an emergency.

Unless you are medically qualified, you really should sit this one out.... starting to sound like you are being deliberately obtuse.

A nurse on this thread believes the OP needs an ambulance.

I have back trouble, and I was having spasms (or so I thought) in my back and shoulder. I ended up in hospital with a heart condition. You never know. I didn't have typical heart pain at all. In A&E they didn't even think it was my heart at first. Worsening symptoms need to be looked at.

Don’t risk it being cauda equina- if you have difficulty passing urine or numbness around your bum/genitals this is an emergency and you should call 111 if this is the case, they should triage you and get an ambulance to take you to a & e. Don’t wait. Best of luck.

My aunt had something similar. Back pain and weird sensations in her legs on and off for years. Had an x ray which showed nothing. Got really bad and she ignored it for at least a week. Turns out she had a bulging disc which herniated and compressed 80% of her spinal cord. Sudden loss of function in legs and bowel function. Thankfully didn't sever it but she did have to learn to walk again. Not saying this is what you have but just wanted to point out that it doesn't matter if you've had this pain for years, you should go to a&e.

there has been a sudden deterioration in her condition. If this is a compressed nerve it needs urgent attention to minimise damage. If it progresses to where she can’t pee she will need to be catheterised and admitted, which could be avoided with urgent care. It’s generally best to be cautious with your spine!

OP has described some flags for Cauda Equina which is a medical emergency. It is rare so hopefully not but the possibility is an emergency.

Your symptoms are exactly the same as what I had last summer - minute movements causing excruciating agony. I lay on the floor en route to my ensuite - it took me 20 minutes to get up.

Why are you being so hard headed?

The OP has suffered back pain the last 15 years, however in the last few days it has got SIGNIFICANTLY worse, to the point she cannot move without screaming in pain, and cannot walk unaided to even make it 3 feet to her ensuite toilet, or even SIT on the toilet.

She is displaying symptoms that are red flags for Cauda Equina. The pain level ALONE, never mind the CE symptoms are ambulance A&E worthy. If it IS Cauda Equina, timely treatment may prevent paralysis.

The OP is waiting because like a lot of people, they're scared, they think it will go away, or get better, it won't, and she needs help.

People like you are why folk end up in wheelchairs.

If you need to get to A&E and can’t get there under your own steam, you need to call 999 for an ambulance. You will probably have to wait a few hours for it to arrive but that would be the case if 111 call you an ambulance too. Upshot: don’t bother waiting.

If you can afford it I would 100% pay for a private MRI scan. At least then youcan know exactly what is going on - if uts something specific/serious or muscular.

A&E now!

Phone an ambulance, you’ll lie flat, be given pin relief and they’ll get you there safely without further damage.

They aren’t restricted to one hospital either .

I hope you've called an ambulance. You really need to be seen tonight.

This is when you call ambulance. I am going to suggest you are absolutely terrified and doing all you can to avoid facing up to this. Please go. It could save your life.

Oh god I hate these posts. I'm going to be worried until I hear an update

Call an ambulance!

Another vote for ambulance

Call an ambulance please!!

i can imagine, i know i have days when the pain is beyond belief.. a lot of people think it is all just nerve pain, and yes, that IS horrible, feels like a knife being dragged down your thigh, but the back pain when you try and move is something else.

i know how painful it is, and i know when it's that bad that normal OTC pain relief isn't going to cut it. i experience pain daily that would have people behaving how you are right now, but after 26 years of it, i just get on with it best i can.

Please don't wait for 111, call for an ambulance via 999, genuinely, the level of pain you are in right now is 100% ambulance/999 worthy.

Go to a&e, they had morphine in me within 30 mins of getting in the door, I went straight to triage as they said I was grey with the pain
You need pain management if nothing else

For goodness sake call an ambulance please. You do not need "permission" from 111 to do this. This situation is what paramedics and ambulances are for

Thank-you . I don't mean to scare you.
It is more likely something like a herniated disc pinching the nerves but you need a MRI to rule out anything more serious.
Its worth a difficult car journey to get properly assessed.
www.spinal.co.uk/get-inf