Calling Lumbar Disc Sufferers...i need to ask some questions...

[PavlovtheCat]

Its me. again. if you are reading this you have probably read some of my umpteen posts about poor old me and my back. feeling very sorry for myself, and yet know so many of you have it worse than this.

Anyway. My back has 'gone' again. However, this time, as well as lower back pain, I have also had a pain in my neck/spine which has eminated into my head, across my right shoulder, and the nerve pain has followed it there into my arm and fingers. It reminds me of when you pull a muscle or something sleeping funny. And then as i have been thinking of this, I remember that I have had this a few times, but not ever connected it, just put it down to sleeping badly. I get a 'clicky' neck a lot too.

So, never gave it much thought, but as my back has been painful so has my neck/shoulder, and the pain in my arm and into my fingers has been at times almost as bad as the right leg sciatic pain, and it certainly feels the same type of pain.

so, given that my MRI has spotted 'several' disc bulges, could this be something that could be a problem higher up too? does that ever happen? could they be linked, or a seperate hypochondriac type problem? The MRI did not go that far, only did lumbar region.

The pain in my neck has subsided now, likely due to all the powerful drugs I have been taking, but the sciatic type pain comes and goes down my arm into my hand/figners intermittently, although nowhere near as bad now as my current sciatic pain.

so thats my first question. is neck related to lumbar pain? or, can it be? (i think I am worried it might be degenerative? this can affect all discs can't it?)

next is:

is there any complimentary treatment or therapy, or food/supplements etc I can take to support helping my discs go back to where they should be/get stronger/stop my back going again. I don't want this to keep happening, as it is affecting my life so badly now. I can't work at the moment, I can't clean the house, pick up my children (esp my 2.5year old), lie down with them. I can just about drive the car. I can't walk far without it hurting, stand up for long without it hurting, but surprisingly I can sit down for a while. I of course will continue with the usual route but nothing seems to be being done for my back that will help - injections not worked, acupuncture not worked, MRI shows no nerve entrapment (think the results might be a little different right now) so nothing surgically feasible. What else have I missed? other than drugging myself up on codiene and diclofenac?

Anything that can help, i am willing to try.

Tramadol not working as well as I hoped it would. Taken 3 today, and where I thought I would be all fluffy and pain free judging by this evening I was premature with my prediction. I am actually still in a lot of pain, even lying in bed as I am now. But. One good thing is I am less irritable! Normally on codeine and still in pain I am a bit snappy and impatient with he kids and can feel myself being that way, but this evening, I was much more mellow and I noticed it! Can't seem to sleep though, thought tramadol knocked you out?!

reeny dd is just 6 and is the most amazing girl ever. Her levels of empathy have always impressed me and continue to do so. I have to remind myself of what I have when I get low. Whatever happens, I still have my children.

I just googled the hand cycles, they look fantastic! Your ds is going to want one of his own though

How are you feeling at the moment with your pain? Are you recovering from the infections now?

an update if anyone is around.
Finally been referred to Pain Clinic at hospital and GP has written in his referral letter for them to consider a further MRI. He now thinks it is very possible that something further has happened (tear has got bigger or another disc has ruptured, or a bulge is further bulging than before) and he says the pain clinic can investigate further as well as helping me sort out long term pain management. Which I really do need now. But is at least 2 months wait. GP said 'light at the end of the tunnel' but agreed he had hoped this would be a 'just in case' scenario but seems more likely that it is going to be a long term need now. He gave me another week off work and a phased return next week, then off for two weeks on annual leave! Although I am not entirely sure I am going to be ready to go back, as pain by monday was ok ish, but just as I improve, it sets back again. Actually really worried about work as I have been off 3 weeks, back for two, but useless for half of that, then off for a further two weeks, then back as phased return so not full speed. I clearly cannot do my job right now.

I am taking 50mg tramadol/1000mg paracetamol x 4 daily and 50mg diclofenac x 3 daily. Stopped the gabapentin as it sent me to another planet and not even on a decent dose of that! It is just stopping the pain enough for me to function, but, on a scale of 0-10 pain, I am at around 6 most of the time, on those meds although I can mostly stand straight. I wonder what an earth it would be like without anything now. I missed one day of diclofenac as I ran out and DH had forgot to get the prescription and by the time I went to get it the next day I was almost bent over again, hobbling. I have a now permanent swelling in the middle/base of my back where I presume the muscles are constantly swollen/spasming. And my sciatic pain is constant, but the severity comes and goes. In both legs now

I am going to use this as a diary! good for me to see how it is all panning out and if any more advice and more sympathy

I have a permanent swelling at the hollow of my back now presuming where the muscles are constantly swollen/spasming. I also have sharp pain just a little higher up and a little concerned that is another lumbar disc causing that pain. Pain is constant now, varying between 4-6/10, occassionally higher, rarely lower. started taking paracetamol with the tramadol which GP did not suggest and that has helped a lot. If I stop the diclofenac I am screwed. Cannot miss even one or else I am back several steps. Cannot do anything that exerts myself or pain in back/sciatic nerve increases. Cannot find any position where there is no pain although flat gives me the most pain free position.

it is just not going away. I dont think it will now. I know lots of people are telling me to remind myself that this will heal I just cannot see it now.

lol just realised I repeated myself in the last post. guess nothing much has changed since my last post

pavlov can you get physiotherapy nowadays on NHS for back pain?

My grandad was a physiotherapist, we are talking old school here! Anyway he used to treat his patients at home, so my mother used to see his patients come in when she was growing up. She said that the patients used to look extremely unwell when they arrived to be treated for back pain, but he did seem to be able to help them. I don't know whether treatments have changed much since then though.

Hey fuschia I have (finally) got a PT referral and first appt is on wed this week. I can't wait but have lost any optimism that they will do anything hands on but rather send me packing with some basic exercises I cold rip off the Internet and some Get A Grip advice. No one medical has actually looked at my back let alone touch it in any way for months and months.

Meant to add that this is on NHS.

Sorry this so shit for you Pavlov. No wonderful solutions, I wish I had, but hope you get something moving soon.

Hey Pavlov, I haven't read all of this but I have two bulging disks low down and two in my neck. I have a fabulous physio and it makes a huge difference. She will do acupuncture in an acute phase, and generally massage, manipulate to release the spasms around the discs which is what, for me, causes the pain. She will sometimes also give me some ultrasound (might be wrong name which I think they say now is ineffective but I don't agree). The exercise do help a bit but I think it's more to keep you aware of posture, daily movement.

I find the heat pads you can buy helpful and have volterol for bad times which I'm told you must start immediately because it's cumulative so I might not be as bad as you are because it does help.

I get an acute episode two or three times a year and what I have in place helps me. My GP said that when it, if it, gets to the point where there are more days with pain than without, that is the point when surgery should be donsidered.

I have a good orthopaedic chair at work - it really does make a difference and have always been able to manage it so absences are minimised.

If you need help with the disciplinary stuff pm me and I will run you through the procedure and what they are statutorily obliged to put in place to support you before they should even think about taking any formal action against you.

Thank you, I am feeling extraordinarily sorry for myself, I know that!

Meant to say - for your neck - make sure you have feather pillows, they are much better for making sure your neck is supported whilst not holding your head in an unnatural angle. If I ever sleep on a foam pillow I alwasy suffer terribly within a few days.

marriedinwhite thank you too! I might email you about the disciplinary. My understanding this is a formality to a) address those people actually taking the piss and b) to look at what needs to be done from work point of view to reduce the sick. But, it is the theory of it. The reality is, it is going to be on my record nd they are looking at cost saving exercises, would not be surprised if this now horrendous sick record will be used somehow to identify me for redundancy in the future.

Re pain, most certainly more days with pain than without pain. But how long do they observe that for? Weeks! Months? Years? If I had the cash I would go private at least for the initial conversations re surgery just to speed up the process of having a conversation about it.

Oh I am soo glad you recommend feather pillows! DH is quite anti them but I have always loved them and need new ones. I shall tell Dh it is for medical reasons!