A&e, doctors or wait it out?

[autienotnoughty]

Off and on back pain for past 15 years. More on in past two years. Symptoms include lower back pain, painful spasms , shooting pains in thighs. Being managed with physio, Pilates, walking and yoga.

Last six weeks pain has got significantly worse. I keep experiencing weakness in my legs, periods of not being able to stand/needing support to walk and get up.

Today my back has locked three times leaving me unable to walk, getting worse each time. I am now laid flat on my back, I can't sit up. Dh had to drag/walk me to the toilet. I can't walk. I can't turn over. I'm applying heat and cold.
I'm also feverish . I have shooting pains/tingling in my legs plus the back pain and spasms.

Do I go a&e?
Ring doctor Monday?
Ride it out?

At least you know now and they can hopefully give you some decent pain meds and you will feel a bit better tomorrow. Oramorph has never worked for me for pain.

I hope they manage to keep on top of your pain and you are more comfortable soon

Glad they’ve found out what’s causing it. Hope you get the pain under control soon.

Posted too soon
My DS1 has 2 herniated discs and has similar pain radiating through his groin and left leg
A bad flare usually settles in around a week, but he can't sit either.
He's on gabapentin and Amitryptiline, so I do hope yours will settle.

Ahh OP, my friend had exactly this. She was in agony.
Anyway she was sent home with super strength painkillers which did eventually work but took a few days to kick in (gabapentin? Highly recommended as they did work well eventually).
Recovery was slow but steady and probably took about 2 months for her to walk normally again without the need for any pain relief.
She also had a physio referral which helped lots as they were able to advise how to strengthen certain back muscles to hopefully avoid this happening again.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you hope that you will recover & the pain will go. Its terrible for you to have to go through and you have all my sympathy.
Get well soon.

Hope the pain subsides soon and you get some rest. You must be exhausted !

Thank you I'm shaking from the pain which is making it worse. Hopefully there's something stronger on the ward

Thank you everyone the only thing I can do is read my phone. I appreciate the support and advice

I hope you get the pain relief you need soon OP. Not the same, but the pain you’re experiencing reminds me of when I was admitted to hospital for a kidney stone. Excruciating, was passing out from it in A and E, waiting to be seen. anyway, there was a delay getting me scanned, so by the time I had the scan, I’d passed the stone, thankfully on morphine by then. I had bruising and bleeding from passing it, and found that lying on a heated wheat bag helped me after I went home. They sent me home with codeine too. Take care.

So pleased you have been kept in & will now be monitored for pain control.
Get better soon.

Please don't be afraid to ask a passing nurse if pain relief is late
It's important to keep on top of it before your muscles spasm around the discs

If someone was in that much pain the last thing they’d want to do was update mumsnet.

This was exactly the same as me. Considering my symptoms (I couldn’t stand / pain like I was going to pass out / unable to get in and out of car and needed my legs lifted to even move them sideways), I honestly thought they’d find something way worse. How is a bulging disc so bad?!! In time it has improved (steroid injections directly into my back too), but I can do one movement or sneeze, and feel that same instability like I may have another “episode” where I can’t use my legs. It’s so scary so I totally empathise. Hoping you get sorted soon.

Your in the right place OP hopefully you'll start to feel better soon 🌺.

Because we are used to the terminology, but if someone asked how much pain you'd expect if someone poked a major nerve directly with a pin you'd say a lot. It's a bit deal and don't let anyone tell you it's not x

I had same. Only thing that helped me was combination of diazepam and gabapentin.
I know what hell the pain is, and really hope you feel relief soon.

Any update? Hoping you're comfortable.

On the ward. Been given a double dose of morphine to the stomach. I can still feel it but no where near as bad

I'd describe it as a red hot poker being held against my back and my back locks too so I can't actually move.

A&el ortho forgot to put prescription on system so I couldn't get more pain relief until after they moved me

Oh that is difficult. The Ortho must have been busy. I'm glad you're on the ward and feeling better. Ask your DH to bring in some nice PJs and comfort things tomorrow; whether that's smellies like hand cream, books or a soft throw.

I hope you can sleep well tonight.

Good morning OP I hope you got some sleep.

Slipped/herniated/bulging disc so painful I was climbing the walls. Hope you get some relief soon.

That sounds hideous; even in such pain to queue for reception and no help! Terrifying. I hope you get the correct treatment quickly now you have a diagnosis.

Pains eased but something made me sick so now feeling nauseous

That's likely to be the morphine, you might get very itchy too.

Morphine will make you nauseous- as for an anti sickness medicine