Sciatic pain - 111?

[Vebrithien]

Posting for traffic here.

I have severe sciatic pain, in my left buttock and calf. I had a telephone appointment with my GP on Monday for lower back pain and sciatic pain. Was prescribed naproxen, but nothing else, as am still breastfeeding (10 month old).

Saw an osteopath on Wednesday, some relief on Weds/Thurs/Fri. Friday evening, bent down twisting, and have never felt pain like it before.

Now, no back pain, severe pain down my left leg. I can't weight bear, too painful and feels like leg is buckling. I can feel all my 'bits' and I'm using be the toilet okay. Often feeling a spasm, flicking type sensation all down my buttock and leg.

Some relief when I lie down, but have 2 DC, and DH is waiting for an op, so can't lift anything . No family locally.

What do I do? Am thinking of phoning 111, no minor injuries here, just A&E and urgent care.

Glad you have been checked. My physio gave exercises including the piriformis stretch, and also recommended heat ( hot water bottle) plus whatever painkillers work. It was telephone physio, that was all that was needed - the exercises were emailed over. Cold packs? No way!

It will ease, hopefully before too long.

@Vebrithien

Will be back onto my GP tomorrow for a referral for physio, can't have diazepan. My osteopath is also a (Olympic) sports therapist, so should be able to help with the exercises.

I saw someone similar, I actually had SI joint pain - have a look, I wonder if you have that too. I always assumed mine was sciatica too.

He gave me really gentle stretches and exercises that worked.
I also found that sitting at an absolute right angle helped.
I couldn't sit on the sofa for 2 years because my bottom would sink down.
Don't sit on anything where your bottom sinks lower than your knees (beds!) and make sure it's a firm surface.

here, have a gander. It's too 'easy' for doctors to palm it off as sciatica

Agree about SI pain. My doctor originally thought I'd snapped a SI ligament when I described what had happened. He sent me for an MRI which confirmed the prolapsed discs, nerve impingement & osteo arthritis in my hip. What joy

My osteopath has already diagnosed SI issues, but it is on the opposite side. This is very much pain down my leg. All dosed up, hopefully a good night will help.

You have my complete sympathy. I had sciatica start just after Christmas, by Christ it hurt. Every time I got up I'd have to hold my breath and lean on something as it was so painful, like a hot concrete post going from my bum to my ankle. Surprisingly walking for a long distance and staying on my feet as much as possible really helped. I had exercises from a physio which I did religiously and I was so close to it being better.
However, my little granddaughter ran over to me when I was squatting down and knocked me off balance, landing flat on my back/ arse on a hard floor. Bugger me, that's put me back several stages, not as bad as it was at the start but it's very dispiriting. I've now got pins and needles in my foot tho again, that's improving.
I've got amitriptyline as well, it works as a nerve pain killer.
Sciatica is a bitch.

Amytriptiline in addition to naproxen did help when I had severe sciatica, although it did make me feel a bit drowsy. I couldn't tolerate physio until acute pain eased but it did help longer term and have not had a recurrence since.

I'm over a year into sciatica and now on 50mg amitriptyline, cocodamol and ibuprofen. I also use CBD oil which helps slightly - few drops under the tongue when you have a spasm as well as the TENS machine. Still waiting on being seen by Physio but it was so bad I was pacing outside from about 2am after going to bed at midnight. I'd manage about 2 hrs sleep on the living room floor and pace inside and outside the house until I got the 4 hr mark for the next dose. Amitriptyline does take about a week to take full effect so don't be disheartened if you don't get and immediate improvement, you may also have to up the dose - I've gone from 10 to 50....still chugging away with exercises I was given previously aswell.

No solutions but I feel for you, it's horrific - there are meds that will help but I know that at its worst it seriously affects your mental health you'd take quack option for just one night of sleep! Take care x

I hope you can get some immediate relief from the pain, OP. Sciatica is, in my opinion, the worst pain.

When you see your GP to talk about how to deal with this moving forward, please don't let them fob you off. I was fobbed off and felt my pain was ignored. Now I have permanent nerve damage in one leg, along with a dropped foot.