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Original poster

Very sudden debilitating lower back pain!!

107 replies

ChatterMonkey · 16/04/2022 11:18

What on earth has brought this on, and how do i fix it???

Woke up this morning totally fine, noticed a slight twinge when i was pulling my leggings on, but nothing major, just figured i had slept funny.

Was fine, sitting watching tv and had my breakfast, went upstairs to use the toilet and noticed my lower back a bit sore and stiff, by the time i had finished using the toilet and come back downstairs and went to sit down again i was in agony. Couldnt sit, dp had to help me stand back up again, which was agony to do.

Standing up was ok so was walking around the room trying to stretch it out. Went to make a hot water bottle, holding the empty kettle caused another twinge and then standing was also agony.

Im now lying flat on yhe sofa with a hot water bottle on my lower back, but im worried that soon this is going to be unbearably sore as well, and i have no idea how im going to get up from this position.

Dp is worried that he needs to call the hospital, i dont know whether its that serious or if it'll go away on its own, and from a practical point of view i have no idea how i would even get to a hospital atm as i cant move without excruciating pain. I was crying with pain when i was standing up.

What can give me some relief from this????

OP posts:

BobbyRhude · 17/04/2022 00:40

A fellow sciatica sufferer here. I get a bad flair up every time I sleep in my bed (with it swanky expensive mattress )
I find it's one sided, for me it's the right buttock and leg and the pain is horrific! Sleeping on my side with a pillow between my knees eases it slightly.
I hope it passes for you OP.

BashfulClam · 17/04/2022 00:44

Get rid of the hot water bottle and use an ice pack. I have similar issues with my lower back after a few accidents. I bc was told that heat will just make tissue swell. Ibuprofen and an Ice pack for 20minutes ever hour.

RosesAndHellebores · 17/04/2022 00:57

If you are taking naproxen op, do ask for some omeprazole for your tummy.

I have wear and tear in lower back which has seized up a couple of times - 2009 and 2013 and took about 8 weeks to get completely better. Private physio ASAP, naproxen, heat wraps do the trick. I also highly recommend pilates and a good bed.

Subsequently I have fractured two vertebra - naproxen and a good bed and pilates for a strong core.

Personally I don't find 30/500 cocodamol particularly great.

Someone uptrend said severe backpack was worse than labour without pain relief. I assume the person who said it has never laboured with a posterior baby. No contractions just a continuous wall of pain radiating from the back.

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General health

Nat6999 · 17/04/2022 02:24

My back has never been right since I had an epidural having ds & after a fall when I fell over taking my shoes off & landed on my coxyx. I have severe mobility problems as I have peripheral neuropathy in both legs & am numb from mid thigh to my toes. I only have to get off the toilet, clean my teeth & I'm in agony, I can't even stand long enough to boil the kettle to make a drink without being in pain. I had an MRI 7 years ago & they say it is wear & tear.

jessyjo2 · 17/04/2022 02:51

I had fairly similar pain when I had covid. Maybe worth doing lateral flow.

MyCatIsAJerk · 17/04/2022 03:43

This happened to me — it was a ruptured disc and three months later a neurosurgeon removed it.
I was up and walking a day or two later and haven’t had another problem since.
But it was agonising pain — I couldn’t walk or sneeze or do much of anything without an enormous amount of agony.
I hope it’s just temporary, @ChatterMonkey.

lljkk · 17/04/2022 09:31

You have obtained drugs... hoorah!!

X fingers, it turns out to be something relatively manageable & preventable going forward.

Original poster

ChatterMonkey · 17/04/2022 09:47

Had the naproxen before bed and it helped me get a good sleep, the ones i got are stronger than the ones we had inthe house from dp's previous back injury so did the trick, i feel slightly more mobile this morning.

Everyone at the hospital were so nice, cant fault anything about the visit which i was dreading. Doctor was thorough, although i didnt need a scan or anything he talked me through why he believed it was muscular, what the different movement etc meant and how it ruled out nerve injury. Nurses were really nice and caring. Glad i went to get the reassurance that it wasnt anything worse, so thank you to you guys for pushing me to get it seen if needed.

Glad i managed to get there without an ambulance though, nosey neighbours woukd have had a field day...!

OP posts:

Blert · 17/04/2022 10:37

Great to hear it’s starting to be more manageable @ChatterMonkey

Also, don’t let all our war-stories worry you, particularly if it is muscular. You may never get the same problem again!

Original poster

ChatterMonkey · 17/04/2022 19:20

So I'm soo much better today, pain is still there but much lower, and im so much more mobile. But my issue now is that the naproxen is leaving me feeli g awful?

Stomach is feeling totally churny, im bloated and gassy, and feeling a bit nauseous.

Do you think that as long as i keep moving so i dont stiffen up again i can just drop down to paracetamol and neurofen if i need to? Want to avoid the solpadeine as well as im worried about constipation, its difficult enough to go to the toilet atm with the lower back pain, i dont want to add anything to it.

OP posts:

Norgernert · 17/04/2022 19:21

I would drop to nurofen if you are starting to feel better. You can always start the others back up if you need to.

iklboo · 17/04/2022 19:23

Did they give you some olanzapine to take with the naproxen? It counters the stomach side effects.

Definitely keep moving as much as you can. Hopefully it will start loosening up. A TENS machine really helps me when mine flares up.

DragonOverTheMoon · 17/04/2022 19:24

Stop taking the naproxen OP. It causes stomach ulcers. Some people can take it without side effects but lots can't.

LuluBlakey1 · 17/04/2022 19:30

Soft tissue damage. I have had exactly what you describe. Exactly. Started with a slight twinge and within 2 hours all I could do was lie flat on the floor. Any movement was agony. Dr wouldn't x-ray it or scan it. Said it would take up to 4 weeks to start to improve. I lay flat on a wooden floor on a rug for 12 hours a day. I lost a stone in a month. He was right. Once it started to improve he told me to take gentle walks. Took another two months following that before I was back to normal.

greatbittern · 17/04/2022 19:31

I was given naproxen for my back and had to stop after a few days as it played havoc with my stomach. Not uncommon apparently. Maybe not worth continuing with if it's bothering you that much.

Greyingmumto3 · 17/04/2022 19:33

Just wanted to mention as others had about taking the stomach lining tablets with naproxen . I started feeling sick a couple of days after taking them , Stopped and then felt really sick and dizzy the next day (partly due to panicking too )
The doctor said I should have been prescribed them alongside but in reality that only happens once someone’s over 50 .

Gonewalking · 17/04/2022 19:36

I had to stop the naproxen because it made my stomach so bad .

Original poster

ChatterMonkey · 17/04/2022 19:44

Im glad im not the only one thats had this with the naproxen, its left me feeling so rubbish i cant face taking it any more. Will make do with paracetomol and neurofen, both of which i know im fine with.

OP posts:

Pantsomime · 17/04/2022 19:47

I find a sciatic stretch helpful, was warned not to do if blood pressure problems or to stop if felling dizzy. Sit straight on a hard chair and simultaneously, slowly tilt your head back as you raise the sciatic pain foot up, to go from leg bent at knee to straight out in front of you.

DragonOverTheMoon · 17/04/2022 19:50

Another good stretch is to lie on your side and bring your knee up as far as it will go. Then push into the floor with your knee and relex. Keep pushing it into the floor and then relaxing.

Jewel1968 · 17/04/2022 19:53

I don't really get on with painkillers. They dull the pain a bit but I feel sick. I find a TENS machine really helpful.

RosesAndHellebores · 17/04/2022 20:10

Cut the naproxen today but ASAP ask for some omeprazole to line your tummy.

Original poster

ChatterMonkey · 17/04/2022 20:30

We have omeprazole in the house from previous gastro issues that dp had, will taking some ease the current discomfort? I dont plan on taking any more naproxen with or without the omeprazole. But if the omeprazole will help settle my stomach then ill have some of that.

OP posts:

RosesAndHellebores · 17/04/2022 20:35

The omeprazole sorts out the tummy and ime the naproxen works most effectively for inflammatory pain. Give it a combined go lovely. It got younoff to sleep last night and needs to be taken consistently to reduce inflammation.

AchillesPoirot · 17/04/2022 20:36

See if you can get blue syndol at the chemist. It’s over the counter. It’s paracetamol and codeine but it also has a muscle relaxant in it. You need to go to the chemist for it though. There should be an emergency one open tomorrow.

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