More Terrible Back Stories

[Matildathecat]

This is the support thread for all sufferers of back pain. Acute, chronic, agony or niggles, we are strictly non competitive. All newcomers very welcome. (Though be warned, the language can be a little 'ripe' ).

Here are our previous threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1871592-The-Back-Story
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1992406-The-Back-Story-Continues

My story long and grim but basically had failed surgery for disc prolapse, then further failed surgery to attempt to salvage the situation. I have nerve root damage and severe scarring around the nerve at L5 which won't get better. I'm 48, can't work, take a lot of drugs and have a blue badge. Currently battling several different agencies for ill health retirement and other benefits.

But I'm ok, having some fun despite the pain and have made some lovely friends on here.

So come and join us for moans, advice, downright rants or just a laugh.

Thanks maisiemonkey.
Yes I'll definitely mention it.
Aqua aerobics sounds like a good idea.

Oh yes I remember reading that once about the RA improving with pg. Yes you should go back to g.p. Your G.P sounds quite helpful and may be able to advise. I don't know that much about RA myself but a poster on this thread a little while ago said treatment for it is very good and can help a lot. It is also helpful to catch it and start treatment as early as possible, so do continue with testing.

Just a word of caution, mums GP only mentioned a possibility of RA, so not in any way diagnosed. Let's hope it isn't that at all.

mum do ask for the bloods and discuss analgesia should you need it. I'm pretty sure naproxen is a nono. If it's bad they may allow codeine with your paracetamol but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Also maybe try a Velcro belt support?

loon the Wilkinsons patches are 99p for two and work just as well as the branded ones. I know, I've tried them all .

Ooh, is that right (re. the heat patches), matilda? Right, am going into town NOW (have been meaning to since 10am!) so will go into Wilkinsons & get some. Boys at judo so no school run.

yes- I was going to ask the same and also ask what the standard suspension time is, please?

loon I always buy the entire stock because sometimes they are out of stock

I'm heading off to buy a new support belt thingy. Lost mine ages ago and keep forgetting to buy one. My memory again..

Why oh why isn't my tramadol sr working today. It's the full on cricket bat whack today.

mum I took paracetamol and codeine for a bit of my first and a very large chunk of my second. I actually agonised over it because it took a really long time for anyone to give me a straight answer rather than "you can if you have to but try not to" which just made me feel bad about taking it, often didnt when i needed to and the pain set off braxton hix and I ended up in the walk-in ante-natal clinic a few times. They convinced me in the end that it was ok and that being in pain a lot of the time is also not good for someone in pg so that is the point of judgement and don't feel bad for taking it if you need to. I was asked just to wind it down as i came up to labour due date but that seemed slightly non-sensical as the first thing they offered me when i went in in labour was co-codamol. Find a doc that will be reasonable about it, talk it through sensibly with you n not side-step the questions. I arranged for a stool at work, got referred to physio as soon as i had back pain, and the aqua all helped me not have to take it all the time. All NSAIDS are deffo out - they are processed diff in the body and can affect blood flow and therefore oxygen to the baby. I would hesitantly also think you might be at risk of spd (it's v commom anyway) and maybe would ask to get advice from a spec. physio (think they are called "women's health" ohysio in the nhs) so you can start doing/ not doing things that make that condition worse. All stuff quite easy like always sitting to put knickers on etc. Get referred to physio now coz it takes a while.

Rowan at MNHQ,

When the panel of judges convene to pass sentence on frozen may we make a plea for leniency? She's always been very well behaved on here.

Seconded.

Oh matilda, have bought lots of Wilkinsons heat pads - & saved money on my roots touch-up kits as they were reduced there too. Thanks!

Oh I love Wilkies, it's so cheap but our local store has been done up quite smartly and also the staff are lovely. Win, win.

For the evening readers, pm me if you'd like to join the new fb group.

Ooooh! we got a little message from MNHQ how privileged. Well, that means they have read our thread and can see how important this thread is to those who use it.

Apart from making me really bloody grouchy, and spaced, the co-dydramol is not doing a huge deal for the pain.

A massage from a chiropractor followed by a looooooooong soak in a boiling hot bath has done the world of good though I saw a chiro who was recommended to me a while ago but I was scared of seeing as I had been told by a hcp that if they manipulated the spine incorrectly they could fully burst the sick disc. But I am so sore I had to do something, i needed some hands-on stuff happening not just drugs and sympathetic looks.

Her conclusion was, following our discussion of history and examination was that it was very likely disc related and very probably there was a re-prolapse or something significant going on there. She said my entire spine was inflamed, skin hot to touch, muscles were rigid and locked right into my neck which explains why my arms are starting to hurt. She noticed weakness in my left leg, but I said I wondered if that was residue from the significant problems moving the leg when the sciatic nerve was trapped before surgery, she thinks possibly, but doesn't know for sure. leg raise is restricted (ouch! that hurt!) in both legs.

Anyway, she is really reluctant (more than that) to touch my lumbar spine at all, as there is so much inflammation and pain there, she does not want to go steaming in, definitely no manipulation to be had for a while shame as I was looking forward to a bit of popping and stretching She is going to concentrate on getting my muscles in upper and mid back moving again, to release the pressure there and remove some of the whole body pain I am feeling. She thinks this is contributing to the Feeling Like Complete Shite feeling I have at the moment. She was very clear that she is unlikely to be able to do anything to 'fix' me, her treatment is likely to help manage the pain by keeping the muscles as unlocked as possible, at least while waiting for the disc to 'settle down' if it does.

She gave me a lovely massage, nice and deep on upper and mid back, light touches over my lumbar spine, followed by ultra-sound. It felt wonderful at the time, just bliss to have some relieve from the tension, but can't say for sure that it did anything outside of that immediate relief, although my leg pain has increased on my right leg. And, this hot bath has helped so so so much. I am still in huge amounts of pain, but muscles feel a little more relaxed so it's probably worked as a combination.

I am a bit nervous about a FB group. Is it a closed group? What is the criteria for joining? If I join, then change my mind and remove myself, please don't be offended, but I have had some security issues recently online relating to my job to am ultra cautious.

mum hello. Welcome and congratulations! I am sorry you are in pain, but you are in good hands with this lovely bunch of women here.

Offers

So glad you have found something that helps a bit Pavlov. The chiropractor sounds quite good and careful.And nice hot bath lovely x

so sorry to hear you are in this much pain still pavlov, but glad you got a little relief from the bath and maybe the chiro. I had a session on saturday and i think it did help- sometimes it feels worse later in the day and then better over the next few days with them. She didnt have much ideas why i have suddenly got much worse pain on my pubic bone, the area is really tender too (how sexy is that? not) yay to your chiro for being very respectful and hands off and making that judgement, but boo to not getting a satisfactory crick and crack session, in time.
yes the fb group is private- or at least it can be, maybe check with matilda or email cherries to check first but i think that was the plan. I am on another private fb one started 2 yrs ago when pg with dd and privacy was a requirement so I know it can be a good option for that. Would actually make it less accessible than MN.
If not i'm sure we will check in here too.
I will be anyways, I look at quite a few boards on here now.
I have to chase up this council lady about schools now because my ds's statement has been finalised but it's unclear when/how they will decide the school he's gonna go to in sept.
he has been continuing the toilet usage while at mil's houe all week so I am very chuffed with his progress coz he only got the hang of it a few weeks ago, to do it in another house is really good. he has even started going up to the toilet without needing a prompt, so that is good.
hope you all have a good restful night's sleep zzzzzzzz

pavlov, have checked it is a secret group

Pavlov, I'm sure if you get a positive result (pain) to the leg raise test in BOTH legs then it's almost certain that you do indeed have a prolapsed disc. Something to do with sensitivity & specificity: not sure I could explain very well, but it made sense when I read it!

The massage sounds lovely, anyway - I wish I could find someone to do that for me. I did see a chiropractor in the early stages, when the GP thought it was simple back pain. He suspected something discogenic, said I needed an MRI & said he couldn't carry on treating me after a couple of sessions.

Hope everyone has a good night.

pavlov your appt sounds good. Massage is so lovely, isn't it? Shame the effects don't really last. The fb group is private but I'm hoping it will run alongside this thread so new people can also benefit. But it's nice to be there and be a bit less anonymous amongst ourselves.

Tonight my son ripped my ipad from my hands and said I was never off it. He's right. I must regulate myself.

Haha Matilda well dont give up on us entirely! it is interesting to see everyone on the fb group, but I do love our thread on here and I think we should keep it going for sure. It was such a big support to me when i was really bad and want it to be there for anyone else who needs it. I expect quite a few would rather stay anonymous as well, when talking about health.

Pavlov - you sound like you have a good chiropractor. My physio was useless as she said the and things (as in it's all in spasm and very warm to touch) but then proceeded to press hard in that area causing multiple spasms. I was so angry but you feel you can't argue when you are in your bra and pants a few weeks after giving birth!

Has anyone used a tennis ball to help with muscular pain? This is my new obsession on things to try and I don't know yet if it's working. Until recently, I haven't let anyone touch my back since my hideous physio experiences but in the last few days I've asked my hubby for shoulder rubs and I've used the tennis balls on a few 'pressure points'

My husband says I am obsessed with knowing exactly what is wrong with my back and I just have to get on with it. I do google things a lot and have re-read my mri results over and over again :)

I think being obsessed with what is causing you abject misery and pain is kind of normal. Trying to make sense of it which you can't so hence the endless circles. So normal but unproductive. I've done the tennis ball thing in pre injury Pilates but think it might hurt a bit too much now though I suppose you are in charge of how hard you press.

I get your pain at trying to protest whilst in underwear. Not easy or dignified!

Not a great day yesterday but hoping for better today. Also hoping for better today as have stuff to do. Can't loll about forever and am taking ds' accusation of ipad addiction seriously.

I get the obsession with pain too.

Like I've said before, the pain isn't just in your back, it gets into your head constantly niggling at you, so all you can do is think about the pain.

Pavlov do come on over to the FB group, it's less back pain focussed and more "normal" chat which is very refreshing ( and a support to Frozen whilst she can't post here.) I'd love to put a face to your name.
Your chiro sounds good. I saw one initially, before I had my MRI. He was happily cracking away my back and I'm sure he made things worse. The NHS physio I saw afterwards was really loath to touch my lumber region too, having the benefit of the MRI results. She did some gentle massage, ultrasound and - oh- the thing sticking needles in- I'm brain dead this morning! Anyway I'm waiting for my referral to go back to her as I just can't risk seeing someone who has no access to my records.

Fizzle what do you do with the tennis ball?

Sarah Keys advocates the tennis ball technique to ease muscle tightness. For lumbar spine area she suggests rolling your back against a wall with the ball in the curve of the spine to ease out tension. She also suggests the back block, or using a couple of books under the curve of the spine while lying flat on the floor to stretch the back out. I might dig that book out again, might find it helpful to remind myself of how to manage acute, sub-acute and chronic pain as I am feeling a bit messy with it all right now.

I chose this chiro as one of the people who recommended her has significant DDD problems and is getting progressively worse, told there is nothing they can do for it surgically and she swears by this chiro who she says keeps her mobile. She sees her every 2-3 weeks, as well as the odd occasion outside of that to manage a flare-up.

I took my last two diazepam last night. I was going to take it a week or so ago but didn't want to waste it. So, last night, took it went to sleep, woken at 1:30am by DD 'i'm gonna be sick!' and she was! So, the good side is my muscles felt LOTS better so I could get to the bathroom quickly, the bad thing is I felt like fucking shite for being woken from what I had hoped would be a chance for all the magic done to me yesterday to work. Poor DD though, she is upset as I kept her off school as it's toy day today. Then, DS woke at 5:45am as his sister was not in her bed and he was scared. DH got up with them both at 6:30am and I went back to sleep by 7am, only to be woken by DH again at 7:45am to ask me if I thought she could go to school! GRR! Muscles feel tight again, leg pain is worse in right, but there in both.

loon interesting about the leg stretch meaning it's most likely prolapsed disc. It did not go as far as 90 degrees before I yelped! And when she put them back down (really bloody carefully!) it hurt more than raising them. My GP said it would be better for it to be a prolapsed disc as fixing it is easier. BUT. Consultant has already said that if it prolapses again, it means it will probably keep on doing it and he will want it taken out completely. I am going to ask him to do another MRI as whatever is happening now has got so much worse from the last MRI.

I just feel so unwell. I wonder if the disc has broken away? That can happen? Maybe its toxic. Regardless of whatever the GP says, I have read that the disc material is toxic and so on that basis, if it's not where it should be, it would be 'poisoning' the rest of me, right?

I got to get myself ready for hydrotherapy. I don't really want to go. I am not sure it's going to work. It means getting changed twice, and driving there (30 mins away) and back when all I want to do is go to sleep and pretend I am not disabled.

OK. FB. PM me the details. I will come over to it. I wonder what you all look like?! I know what Matilda looks like, but the rest of you…so interested, that in itself is enticing me

One of the physios I went to suggested a tennis ball. I tried it once and that was it.

The idea is that you roll a tennis ball around your back by pressing up against a wall. But it fucking hurt, so why would I do that? !

I have date through for my MRI scan at end of month so that's something. my fear is that they won't find anything and it will just be 'unexplained'.

Going to demand stronger painkillers from Dr today. Very bad night last night - I took 10mg of Diazepam just to get some sleep which I know is not ideal

I'm piling on the weight too because I'm always hungry (meds?) and barely moving!

nancy I felt like that (still do every time I get a 'result') that there is nothing to see and it's unexplained. Each time I got my results I was 1) upset that there was a disc prolapse and 2) bloody pleased that there was a clear cause for the pain I was in. The second MRI I had in particular I felt like that as I knew the disc was more prolapsed than before due to increased pain and numbness in my leg. But, I felt worried it was all in my head, that my tolerance was not high etc. So when the spinal pathway guy said to me 'I need to refer you to neuro as the prolapse is more pronounced (para)' I was so relieved. So, so relieved. The thing is you know your body. you know something is going on here. And MRIs are not offered because someone has a little bit of pain. It is offered because there is significant pain and indications of something more than 'non-specific pain' going on.

Pain is such a head fuck.