Back Again! Back Pain Support Thread

[PavlovtheCat]

Only right I start the new one seeing as I was responsible for the last one ending so abruptly !

This is a support thread for people with back pain (that does not even cover the description of hell that back pain causes). It's for all types of back pain, for long term posters with chronic pain (including those on the upwards journey to recover), short term advice through tough acute episodes and all the in betweens.

We moan, winge, share successes, guide each other and hand hold through the maize of a million medical routes and options, treatments, investigations. We internet shop as a form of pain relief, drink wine, take strong painkillers, eat cake and we go through lots of heat packs!

We don't always have the answers but we do have a lot to say about it all

Here are the links to our previous threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1871592-The-Back-Story
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1992406-The-Back-Story-Continues
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2023274-More-Terrible-Back-Stories

Hi Buzzard, can you tell us a bit more? Is GERD a gastric problem? Do you have a diagnosis? What have you been given? Sorry for the questions but a bit more info and we might be able to make some suggestions.

Too much food. Stuffed. Thinking tomorrow might not be great.

Happy Easter. Hope you've all had a nice day.

Hi Matilda, yes, it is. I am only ever given paracetamol or codeine (which I have to be careful with because had problems before trying to decrease dosage with shakes and twitches but gp seemed to ignore my concerns. I now only take when absolutely the only option). I fell over today and I am in agony, just got up and took paracetamol...not really going to help I know. I am so tired of pain.

hi buzzard well come and sorry to hear you are in pain. There is a group of drugs some of us are on which are used for nerve pain- Amitriptyline, gabapentin etc- you could ask your doc about trying them, although he doesnt sound terribly wonderful, are there others at the practice? Are you using a hot water bottle to help ease the pain- sorry if you already are. Has anybody said what the reason for your chronic pain might be?

thank matilda we did "make up", / got back to normal. Although i am still a bit peturbed by the fact he felt the need to stay ut all night but says he didnt want to let me down- I had to go out into the rain with both kids on Sunday morning because there was no food in the house and he was asleep. So he did let me down. I guess at a certain point you have to let it go and get on with the next bit as it were but it feels like a load of stuff is bubbling under the surface and left not dealt with.

That must have been a great meal matilda- cant imagine cooking for that many at home, kudos to you. hope you didnt feel too bad last night and got to bed and sound sleep ok.
Hope you are all having a lovely relaxing Easter Monday

Hi Matilda that was brave to have 17 guests yesterday. I hope you feel ok today. We all ate too much too.

Buzzard I am wondering what the others think about you trying Amitriptaline. I read in a different post the other day that someone had been prescribed it for ibs related pain so it must be ok for stomachs, but if it would help your pain I don't know, also it can have some side effects.

Maizie my dh is a night shift worker and it can be difficult, even though it is a different situation and he is very good about helping when he is here. But having someone asleep while you are trying to get on with things is awkward, and in my case dh gets very tired sometimes and that can be difficult. Also he doesn't like dd to have friends round for tea on his work nights so that has made it difficult with some social things. Also we share the car and if he is working that means I can't get out in the evenings if it is too far to walk. So basically there have been a few problems for me with his night work. I think we do make it work ok now though it is not a perfect deal, but if you are organised about it, it can work. But your dh has to want to make it work too.

I will talk to GP yes, thank you for input every one. I just wonder what the 'route' is? Does he refer me to a 'pool' of surgeons in a particular area, i.e. neuro/ortho etc, or to a team who make the decision/where I get to say who I want to see. mailtda I considered london, but firstly I don't have any actual recommendations for a particular person in london although I know there are fab ones there, I would need to start that research. I know tadaa has said to me to see her guy but don't know if he is a 'fusion' type of guy or more of a 'nerve' kind of guy.

I do know this person in Exeter is known throughout the country and people travel to him, and there are several on MN from different parts of the SW who I have spoken who independently saw him, two of which saw him through private insurance, and at least two who saw him him privately for an opinion quicker than the NHS route and he put them on his urgent NHS waiting list and saw them within 3 weeks as they needed it urgently. His reputation is excellent in terms of 'bedside manner' as well as surgically. I should have seen him before now, before last surgery, I was going to pay the £300 to see him privately, but just sort of run out of steam to keep going when I got my appt with this current surgeon, I felt that I should just go with it and be thankful I was going to get some resolution.

matilda wow, you made it through! YEY for you, now, rest ALL DAY today please lady MIL is visiting us in July for 10 days so we have all that PIL stuff to come. She is as tactful as a slap in the face so should be interesting, but I do like her, so looking forward to it.

maizie I know what you mean about moving on but things bubbling under the surface. Not sure how someone can be supportive and unsupportive all at the same time but sometimes my DH manages to do it Sorry you are having a hard time with shit at home as well as dealing with your own pain. Hope his DM gets better, is that likely? Adds so much more pressure than you need right now, as obviously your DH needs support too, but your shit, it's real every single day, there is no break.

I have felt so unwell for a few days, tired wise, fuzzy headed, out of sorts, drowsy - think it was a migraine but without the horrendous headache. Today, huge leg pain, I really don't think it's a coincidence, oh well at least I can recognise it even if the docs think I am talking shit. Typical as I am going for a swim today. And I bloody well am going. 4 small lengths is all I am doing, followed by sauna. I am almost ready to go, just waiting for DH to get up so I can go.

Have a good day all.

buzzard sorry to hear you are in pain. You need to take the paracetamol daily, max dose without a break for it to work effectively especially if you cannot take NSAIDS with it. Also, as mentioned. Use heat. hot water bottle, stick on heat pads, gel pads, hot bath, anything you may have around, and if you have no actual direct heat source like hot water bottle, get one asap (or electric pad but don't use it in bed as you could fall asleep with it!). Rest, which is not always possible with children, but as much as you can.

It would help if we have an idea of the type of pain, location, any radiation into arms or legs, for example? diagnosis, the point of treatment/what the doc says etc then we can help navigate the GP process and any further options.

I realised matilda I didt finish my first/second! "firstly I don't have any actual recommendations for a particular person in london although I know there are fab ones there, I would need to start that research. I know tadaa has said to me to see her guy but don't know if he is a 'fusion' type of guy or more of a 'nerve' kind of guy. and secondly it's really not easy to get to london for appointments time, cost or sitting down for that long wise, travelling back from surgery if that were to happen etc. I would reconsider for the best surgeon in the country though...

And finding out who exactly is the best surgeon is bloody difficult and likely to have stupidly long lists anyway.

You can ask your GP to refer to the specific consultant at Exeter though. Sometimes this is disregarded so it's important to emphasise that it's him you want to see. Think you're having another MRI soon? Call up in advance and ask precisely what you need to do to get a copy of the scan on a disc the same day. Then, honestly, I think I'd see Dr Exeter privately if possible or you could be looking at yet another long wait.

How are work being? Do hope it's not yet another layer of stress. And also, these unwell feeling simply cannot be simple coincidence. Can you ask the GP for a full range of bloods whilst you actually feel terrible?

buzzard do you have a joint/ back diagnosis? It does help me to know what is wrong though lots of others have to suffer without knowing why. As others have said the nerve drugs are good. I've also been using tramadol slow release on pavlov's recommendation and that has been useful. It has taken some getting used to. Are you exercising at all? That can help. I walk and swim (a bit). It helps my mood, anyway.

Waves to everyone. I'm getting up now. Feeling ok considering yesterday. It was great actually. We just have a stupidly big family. That was just DH's side. Good job we all get on.

Thank you all for your replies.:) I have had facet joint injections for lower spine vertebrae wear, I also have sacroi pain and spd that didn't go away after childbirth 7 years ago. I have noticed recently though that even my rib cage hurts when I am trying to sleep and I seem to get tendonitis and strains (my hand from mning at the moment) really easily. All this is masked today by the falling down some steps straight onto my back yesterday as that is winning the pain war. I'm not sure I would be able to take ibs medicine as I do suffer with that too and the over the counter medicine for that is not allowed with my gerd med. I know I need to keep on at gp but they only ever refer for physio which has never helped and takes months.

buzzards, the rib pain could be costochondritis. my inflammatory arthritis involves lots of tendonitis and costochondritis.I was diagnosed when the pains reached my hands and feet but had had other symptoms for years before anyone put it all together. i often wonder how many people never get looked at as a whole person......and all their ailments tied together

buzzard Yes just googled and amitriptyline can make GERD worse, also diazapam which is another thing that can help back spasms is bad for GERD. I think you should go back to GP for something to help after your fall, then (maybe when your back is a bit better from the fall) more tests to find out if there is an underlying cause. There is a non drug gel flexiseq which is for arthritis and is supposed to be very good, you could have a look at that. I don't know if it would be suitable for you. If you think it is apparently they stock it at Lloyds chemists, but not Boots.

pavlov be careful if you have that flu feeling you mentioned. I think Matilda gave good advice (of course :)) about surgeons etc.

Thank you so much, you are right, I will go back and try to explain that it is all of me in pain and not specify one area at a time. I have got a mini tens machine that I find useful to use if I sleep in a bed that isn't memory foam. I find it good for temporary pain relief.

buzzard since you've been suffering for a long time and have various problems I'd be asking for a Pain Clinic referral. There are other meds to try, some not so mainstream ( cheap!) that might help you. They are less focused on the ailment and more on providing pain control. I wonder if gabapentin OT tramadol would help. It's a lot of trial, error and also tolerating side effects until they settle. Are you working? If so you can ask for workplace adjustments and change of hours. Lots of us here also have prized Blue Badges and even disability benefits. It's a slog to get all these, though.

Hello everyone, i'm after some advice as to next steps please. I'm currently mid-investigation for: pins and needles, numbness and some weakness in my left leg, and the same in my left arm which was diagnosed as ulnar nerve compression a few months back when it was actually painful.

Several doctors panicked about MS or similar, and set me off to a neurologist who has confirmed that I don't have MS, but is still looking at reasons why I struggle with balance in the dark (particularly walking down slopes). Neck MRI report said "age related wear and tear of C6 and C7 vertebrae", but neuro wasn't forthcoming about what that actually meant, and if anything could be done about it. But, reckoned it would explain my arm and shoulder stiffness and numbness.

I'm waiting for the results of an MRI of the rest of my spine, which I'm expecting will show up similar "wear and tear" of my lower back, but neuro isn't interested in the actual pain I have, which is in the mornings from before i get up till about an hour after I do, right down at the base of my spine, spreading across my left hip. Once I've moved around a bit it eases, till the evening, when if i sit (badly I know ) for more than an hour, my hip doesn't move properly and I hobble around.

I also have a TMI problem, in that if I don't poo every day, my whole lower back goes into spasm, so much so that I can't bend round myself to wipe once i have gone, so I have to judge timings from taking ibuprofen/paracetamol to needing to go.

Once the neuro has discharged me in three weeks (which I'm assuming he will as he thinks whatever is wrong is mechanical rather than nerve) - what do I ask the GP to do? I'm thinking rheumatologist (drip feeding, sorry, but there is hypermobility/Ehlers Danlos in the family), but IME they diagnose and send you back to the GP to arrange physio which will take around 6 months to get on the NHS here, that's even if they accept a referral (been there, done that ).

I also don't know what I should be doing about pain relief, as I don't know how much I hurt. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I had bunions for years which I didn't realise how much pain they caused till about a year after I had them removed, and DH commented on how much less i was moaning about walking anywhere . So because I "just get on with it", I can't tell how bad the general achyness actually is. I would say I ache rather than hurt, but it is pretty constant. I mainly ignore it though (like tinnitus where you have to consciously "listen beyond it"), but its' definitely getting worse, and the fact that I'm hobbling about in the evening is Not Good when I'm only 43 .

Apologies for the length of this, it's good to get it all out, and maybe your experts can help me work out my list of GP queries in some kind of order, rather than just blurting everything out in a complete stream of consciousness

Hello all, wonder if I could stick my head in and ask for some advice for my dh as I've read the thread and you seem to know more than we get from our GP. Sorry you are having such a time of it too.

dh has a c4/5/6 prolapse or bulge which is steadily getting worse. Last couple of weeks his thumb has been tingling all the time and the skin has started wearing off. He's in constant pain and takes prescribed naproxen and ibruprofen/solpadeine etc. He's got a MRI next Sunday to see how much its deteriorated since last time he went to the neuro but that was 2 years ago. Treatment options 2 years ago were either surgery or just get on with it but sureley that cant be right? There must be some sort of more conservative options to try before fusing. I want to help him with some questions for his GP when he goes for the MRI results as he cant carry on like this - he looks grey with pain and lack of sleep.

Any advice welcome and thanks for listening x

Hi guys I have been reading these threads with such interest and much nodding of my head in sympathy and acknowledgement and hoped it was okay to jump in. I was hurt in a runaway lift 10 years ago and have been left in chronic daily pain ever since. I had a few years off work which drove me nuts and have managed to retrain to a job where I no longer need to type. I now work approx 10 hours over a week face to face and about another 5 hours at home. It's a balancing act of pacing, lots of morphine patches, panadine forte, hot water bottles and curling up in bed going woe is me. Right now I am in a flare and have to go away for three days with work in the morning and have no idea how I am going to do it. Staying at home is not an option as am self employed. I will make it - I always do. Anyway I just wanted to say hi and join this inspiring conversation.

Hi to leaping, auk (dh)and doc sorry to read about all your problems and pain but you will certainly have a good chat here. We always have and often which is a good anti inflammatory! I'm not the most knowledgeable on the more complex problems that all three of you have so will just offer drinks until the others turn up.

Auk I don't know if your dh would like our girlie chat but he is welcome to join in :). If not maybe he could find a more manly forum as it is such a help to have someone to talk to, and have a moan at, who understands what the pain is like.

Hello everyone, nice to meet you. Newcomers are always welcome and if you stick around we can all benefit from the collective experiences we've all had.
leaping, goodness! you do seem to have a lot going on. So glad for you that ms has been ruled out. The wear and tear is, I guess arthritic change and disc degeneration which leads to pain and in your case nerve compression. I know very little about cervical spine problems but know they can self resolve just as lower spine can, too. The lower pain radiating into your hip sounds like nerve entrapment. Does it go any lower, ie your shin or foot?

Anyway, injections can be helpful here so your neuro could refer you for these and also consider nerve blocking meds like amytriptiline or gabapentin. The side effects are tricky but do wear off. For problematic constipation a daily slug of lactulose does it for me but we all have our difficulties and solutions with that. Any codeine based meds will make this worse so you must combine some kind of laxative in the mix.

Heat is your friend. If you haven't used heat patches and hotties do so right now!

If the neuro does discharge you ask what he recommends. Don't get fobbed off. It is really hard to get looked at as a whole.

Regarding your feelings about pain and not knowing if it's there or how bad it is maybe try scoring it a few times a day to see what you think. It is a real head mess sometimes trying to work it out.

Hope that helps a bit. Keep posting.

awks, sorry your DH is suffering so much. There are certainly other options. Injections can be wonderfully useful for some. Acupuncture is also great if well done ( proper Chinese acupuncturist).

Also meds like amytriptiline and gabapentin are great for nerve pain and help with sleep disturbance. Other meds need combining and taking regularly for full effect.

Ie

Cocodamol and or tramadol
Naproxen plus Omeprazole
Gabapentin
Amytriptiline

Best effect if all are taken as they all work differently.

As above heat patches are fab.

I would very rarely suggest this but he could also consider a chiropractor or osteo but ask the docs about this.

So there are options. And my brother who has similar troubles to me had a neck disc problem and it got better. So there is hope, too.

Hope that helps.

doctor, hi! I'm in awe of you retraining. Can I ask what do you do now and where was your injury? It's so hard to think of any work I could do. Other than a lying down job that I don't really feel up to .

Do come and join the chat. It's great to find people who understand.

How to get through the next few days? Drugs, heat patches, wine and steely determination. With chronic pain I find it helpful to remind myself that my pain is not harming me and it will pass. If I chose to do things that will make me hurt well, hey, I can rest another time. So I hope you have some downtime factored in for after the busy days.

For all of you I found a Pain Management course very helpful and got me doing things I'd been afraid to tackle. And Pacing. Always Pacing.

I was self employed until they took my blue badge off me because I refused to fake it on a good day so can no longer park near enough to my clients to unload. Can't claim benefits either as we are accidentally landlords as we needed to move and house sale fell through. I am living off zero income as now too ill to work most days and have zero confidence. I cannot see my way out if this rut. Just paying for prescriptions is a nightmare. I miss work too.

Has anyone tried Tramadol and Codeine and if so which is most effective?

Anti-inflammatories do nothing for me. Paracetamol only helps a little. Amitriptyline didn't do much and caused weight gain.

I'm on codeine 30mg tables of which I can take two at a time if required, but the constipation side effects are unpleasant. I feel like my lower back is in constant cramp/spasm at the moment.

Pain management in this area not very helpful. Suggested amitriptyline and discharged me. No resources to offer other help.