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?

Sending hugs op. What an ordeal x

Unnecessary.

Yup, saw that after I posted

Ambulance x

I delivered my third baby with zero painkillers and the gas and air was broken.

I'd rather do that than go through those back spasms again.

Those of you who have experienced this. How are you not terrified of what your body can do?

I had a ruptured disc.
Nobody believed me that something serious was going on, but it got to the point where I couldn’t walk.
Finally, they put me in hospital and called in a neurosurgeon. This was years before MRIs so they did a bunch of unpleasant tests - even a spinal tap & found an infection in my spinal fluid.
So anyhow, he operated (after 30 damn days) and found I had a ruptured disc and removed it and closed me back up and guess what?
That was 1981 and I haven’t had a single solitary bit of trouble since.
Bur it was one hell of a year before that.
I wish you nothing but a pain-free life. ❤️

Have you not experienced chronic back pain before? You kinda get on with it because there’s no choice. How you feeling? Did something happen to trigger it?

After 25 years of ongoing back pain which is normal or due to old age (I was 15 when it started). Take the surgery!

I had major spinal fusion surgery and it left me mostly bedbound. I certainly wouldn't rush to it, it often doesn't help and can worsen things.

Since that surgery I've had several bulging and herniated discs. When my L3-L5 herniated I was left with incontinence, the GP didn't believe me and then it took 4 months for them to arrange a scan. Due to all the metalwork in my spine they couldn't see clearly. I learned to live with it and after 18 months had more movement and less pain but I still can't control my bladder and bowel properly.

Recently it was my SI dislocated and I was left lying on the floor of A&E for 13 hours and eventually sent away with morphine that didn't help. It is terrifying when you can't bear any weight on your legs. My fused area is now causing difficulty with being able to weight bear or lift my torso and I have had moments being scared, but somehow you get used to it.

I've learned to enjoy what I can and live within these limits. It's mostly only other people's lack of understanding and unrealistic expectations that upset me and make life more difficult. For a lot of people they recover and get on with life, I hope you have a smooth recovery OP and that your husband continues to help, that'll make all the difference for you.

It is frightening and I do feel for you. I have experienced it, many years ago, but it went off within a day. I had hoped the same for you, then someone talked about the symptoms of cauda equina and that was scary. It now sounds as though you have a disc problem which can be sorted; it will take time, autieno, but you will recover. I am so sorry you are going through this, it's horrible to be in hospital, helpless, whatever the cause or the predicted outcome; we are so vulnerable at times. We're all rooting for you. I hope you get some sleep.

I've had chronic back pain for 15 years. I've had back spasms before too. Like a fleeting agonising pain that was over in a few seconds. Awful and debilitating but bare able

This was my entire back seizing up with a pain like a red hot poker the whole way through my lower back. I can't undo it and all I can move are my arms which are jerking and my head which is screaming. It lasts minutes until I get moved into a position that stops it. But I can't move my self (unless I fall)

I'm not in that pain now but I guess I need to try not to associate the pain with that outcome

I don't know what will happen now how I will walk, drive, work look after my child. I wonder have access at home to the drugs I have here and I can't take them long term.

It will get better though I realise it doesn't feel like it when you are on a hospital ward.

I have a hip problem that subluxes and that has led to bulging discs because I have been trying to put most of my weight on one leg for years.

When my hip or back go out or into spasm I have very strong muscle relaxants to stop it getting as bad as yours has got. I also have Butran pain patches to keep the pain at a level I can sleep.

For now, try and imagine yourself floating in a warm pool and trick your mind so you can get some rest - hopefully once you think of yourself in a pool you will be able to relax enough to sleep or to move and not seize up

Gosh OP sounds like you’ve been through one hell of an ordeal, glad you’ve been admitted and have a diagnosis. Hope you can find meds that help suppress the pain whilst you recover.

cant believe they won’t consider surgery for such acute pain, but I guess it depends on how much disc compression you have. I’ve had two discectomy ops (12 yrs apart). I never got to the point of A&E admission but nerve damage in leg / foot both times was serious enough for it to happen. Still have permanent nerve damage but acute pain has gone.

It wasn’t PR in Telford was it, their A&E times are awful? In Jan my husband had to sit for 36hrs in a bog standard chair after being blue lighted with stroke symptoms, people in the “fit to sit” space with him were on drips and lots were in agony! He got upgraded to a trolly in a corridor, then finally admitted 6hrs later.

best wishes for a speedy recovery

No it's a requires improvement a&e though and has been for over ten years.

The disc rupture isn't too bad it's the inflammation that is causing the nerve pain

I had this recently. A@e werent interested unless I had symptoms of cauda equina (see google). Always call 111 before going to a&e unless its a heart attack. I live alone and was completely immobile. My GP sent the rapid response team in to take me to the loo. It was awful.

Oh bless you OP, sounds hideous. Take the pain meds and don’t worry about long term. I have a pancreas disease and it’s extremely painful (and had many attacks of acute pancreatitis which is incredibly painful). Yes meds are addictive but i’ve reduced and come off some really high doses of oxycodone and fentanyl. They will reduce you slowly, right now just take what’s on offer and focus on recovery. I really feel for you.

You won't be in this pain long term so you won't need the drugs long term.
Acute pain from this usually lasts a few days to a few weeks. You will be left with some residual symptoms but not the acute pain. It is usually a slow process of fully healing after this because nerves heal slowly as they do not have a strong blood supply. It can take up to 6 months for a full recovery but you will heal from this.
Try to relax as best you can as this helps to relax the muscles.

So you didn't have the horse thing then?

I've had this before. DH managed to get me to a&e and I was perched on a chair screaming every time I moved. Absolutely sobbing and sweating with the pain. Didn't get admitted, didn't get a scan. Got given a pack of diazapam and sent home.

Couldn't sit up for a week, couldn't turn over in bed, dh had to take me to the toilet and sit me down and pull me up, pull my knickers down and up for me.

That was probably 2 years ago and touch wood hasn't been that bad since. I do still have back ache every day mind. I spend a lot of time doing back strengthening exercises. Like 5x a week! Weightlifting and mobility type stuff and pilates. You need to think of your back rehab like a part time job. If you've had back ache for 15 years it's been festering all that time but you can hopefully improve it.

Prior to the episode 2 years ago I actually broke my back 20 years ago. Had back ache after that and did get an mri probably about 18 years ago which showed a bulging disc. Dr said that bulging discs dry out and shrink back.

@DanielaDressen thank you. I've always been active, did a lot of dancing when young, I been doing yoga 6 years, Pilates 3 years. I walk a minimum of 90 minutes a day. I do physio stretch's morning and night. I was doing weights and swimming but I've had a lot of fatigue in past 8/10 months as I'm on peri menopause. Plus when back flairs up I can't do them.

I guess I'm lucky not to be sent home.

@HaveANiceFuckingDay what's the horse thing?

Oh gosh! This sounds dreadful. I’ve had experienced excruciating back pain where I couldn’t move and nothing has helped with the pain but doesn’t even seem to be on your level. Nothing to say except I hope things improve ( and they will!) I remember being very frightened that I couldn’t move or help myself in any way and dreaded going to the toilet. So sorry for you and sending good vibes and positive thoughts your way.

I was in A&E 2 months ago with excruciating back pain, I had an MRI as suspected Cauda equine @autienotnoughty. It wasn’t it was bulging discs and it’s physio, then injections then surgery as last resort.

Like you I’m used to back pain as I was born with a scoliosis not bad enough for surgery but warned it would only get worse with age. I have always walked a lot kept my weight down and and tried to be healthy, type 2 diabetes also runs in my family. I’m 58 now and the body is just starting to wear a little and that’s something that will just happen. I made my issues much worse by pulling DH in to the recovery position when he knocked himself unconscious a couple of weeks later my back had this issue.

I can hardly remember the first two weeks after it happened, I could walk a couple of steps only, needed help upstairs, struggled to eat or sleep. I was petrified. Childbirth was nothing absolutely nothing pain wise compared to this.

Two months on, I have had physio every week expect two but until last week had to do exercises every 2 hours, now it’s 3 times a day. I have seen a specialist pelvic floor physio as well. I’m now back to walking and have managed almost 3 miles in a day though split in to 2 walks.

My physio said I need to change position every 15 minutes.

I've had it for years and then it happened exactly like yours. Hospital, horrendous pain. I feel so sorry for you. The surgery is the last option and it's not a magic solution. I managed without it. It will go. You will be ok but it will take time. I do circuits now, lift weights and only have occasional minor twiches sometimes so it does go and it's possible to walk and live again without pain.