Sciatica question?

[Passmeanapperol]

So I went to my GP on Friday as a few days prior to that I was given antibiotics for a UTI. I had this unbearable pain in my back so I assumed it had spread to my kidneys. When I pointed to her where the pain was and described the pain she said it wasn’t my kidneys it is sciatica. She has given me some pain relief but am I suppose to take this every day? I’m in pain everyday and don’t want to be relying on pain meds. I think my question is, is sciatica a constant thing or does it flare up/ease up etc.

im confused at them giving back pain as sciatica..

The sciatic nerve runs across your butt cheek, down the thigh an can either stop at the knee, or carry on to the foot (depending if its one or both nerves affected)

You may have some lower back pain caused potentially by disk issues in the l5/s1 you don't get sciatic pain there. It can flare up. Your Dr is either an idiot or ill informed. if it IS disk issues causing you pain then pain relief might help for an acute issue, if its chronic it needs further investigation.

Sorry.. i'm a bit raw about it this morning, i had issues with it for years and the entire nerve is SCREECHING at me today despite meds, its bleeding through atm. it kept me up til 3am, you can't mistake it for anything else.

I've also had kidney stones/UTI's and the pains are NOTHING like each other.

Where exactly are you in pain?

Kidneys is either side of you back just above your pelvis roughly, lumbar pain is in the very middle of your back just above your butt. Sciatic pain is like feeling someone dragging a knife in pulses across your ass cheek and down your thigh.

It is just at the top of my bum?

ok .

Right, is the pain is there and not going anywhere else, you're not feeling any pain across your bum cheek towards your hip, or any pain travelling down your thigh anywhere? you'd know if you were.. as i said, its quite sharp pain, and it comes in waves/pulses (i can describe it in more detail as i'm experiencing it very badly right this second.. you can't miss it, its breathtakingly painful.)

If not, i wouldn't have said sciatica.. what it could potentially be is your lumbar spine having some disk issues with them being squished.. that can be caused by inflammation, so painkillers and rest for a week would normally be first port of call, then if it doesn't go, physiotherapy.

If it STILL doesn't go after 6-8 weeks it needs further investigation.

If it is your disks being squished, yes it can flare, it can be positional, it can be aggravated by exercise, bending/lifting, it can be fine for a while then flare up.

My disks around the L5/S1 have gone/dried out, so i am in permanent long term Sciatic pain because the L5/S1 is where the sciatic nerve roots are and mine are constantly pinched/squashed now.

The reason i mention is that if after 6-8 weeks there is no improvement then you have to start pushing for more, disk issues often aren't picked up on x-ray and mine needed a trip through an MRI to detect, despite many many years of pain.

Yes it does migrate to my legs and further down my bum. When I described the pain to her she knew exactly what it was. The thing is, does it ever go away?

in my personal experience. no.

But mine is down to the fact my L5/S1 disk basically no longer exists, its dried out/gone, so my nerve root is constantly pinched and will never be better.

If your back is inflamed then NSAIDs can help. NSAIDs don't help with nerve pain, what they can do is reduce any inflammation in your spine which relieves the pressure on the nerve root. IF your disk is slightly bulging, care, fluids, physio rest..etc can help, but you'll have to be cautious for a while.

However, it does need further investigation, if you have sciatica then its only ever caused by nerve impingement, and you need to know if its a slipped disk, a slight bulge, or if you're on your way to my personal hell of them drying out/desiccating (degenerative disk disease) and that can only be spotted via an MRI.. you'll have to push for referral.

I'm on painkillers permamently with my chronic back issues - its better than chasing it with breaks off and on. I also use heat patches as well.

You are happy to “rely” on antibiotics for a UTI, but not on painkillers for pain?

I used to have that attitude myself a bit, but it doesn’t really make sense, does it? Especially not once you’ve really experienced pain. Whatever pain relief enables you to keep moving, is a good investment in avoiding more problems.

The thing I am concerned about is she only gave me 50 tablets? What do I do when I run out? I was just hoping the pain would have gone by that point as I don’t know much about sciatica

if it is Sciatica OP I found Pilates a great help 👍

I also don’t want to get addicted to them

Ditto. I've had two real 'episodes' of sciatica in my lifetime, one so bad that I couldn't sit, stand, lie down or walk without pain; the second I could still move so I kept up my running routine and it faded out after a week. The first episode I thought would be for life but slowly faded over about a month. So sciatica isn't always permanent, OP, it depends on the cause.

But since I've taken up Pilates to a fairly basic level but with lots of stretching, the niggly little twinges in my lower back/upper buttock have gone completely. I do the NHS Pilates on YouTube in the privacy of my own home so nobody can see my very ineffectual leg circles. It's very gentle and can't do any harm to try.

Sciatica can be massively helped by physio or osteopathy. I've had 2 episodes years apart both of which were managed with painkillers, manipulation and exercise.

It is an absolute bastard but I think WinterBones has had an exceptionally rough experience. Yours is unlikely to be quite so brutal.

I suppose I don’t want to ask my gp for more medication.