Back Pain and Internet Shopping. Thread Number 5.

[PavlovtheCat]

Those who have long term back problems know that the best way to help manage back pain is to internet shop for shoes, bags, and back support devices. Those who are new to back pain, these are important lessons to learn.

And here within this thread is where you will learn those lessons.

You will also find other helpful advice on pain management, different treatment options from hydrotherapy and physio to surgery, experiences of others navigating the big and scary medical world, both private and NHS (and abroad from the UK) too, as well as issues around work, being a parent while managing pain and disability, and the impact on the relationships around us.

Between us all, we have a huge wealth of knowledge and experience, and more than the practical advice, the jargon and information, we know what back pain is like, how much is affects everything around us, and sometimes, all we need is to have people listen who Get It.

We talk painkillers regularly, have hot water bottles and wheat bags galore, and hold hands a lot. It's potentially all very Unmumsnetty as we do actually show some lovin' from time to time, although we Never Ever call each other hun.

If you have advice, need advice, need a hand to hold, want to do some shopping, then come in. We are friendly. We talk a lot. Come in, have a and say hello

You will see just how much we do talk if you read our previous threads (where you may glean lots of answers about pain relief, surgery etc, best winter boots etc):
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2049637-Back-Again-Back-Pain-Support-Thread
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 Losty - great to hear from you. Your day yesterday sounds seriously grim. Why so many injections all at once? Are they steroid ones to reduce the inflammation?

Really sorry you had to be on your own afterwards - that's shit, just when you need someone to look after you. We don't have any (useful) family nearby, so I'm really aware that I'd be up the creek without DH. My friends all have kids & busy lives & I wouldn't have anyone else to ask to do that sort of thing either. Is STBXH being unhelpful generally?

Glad the Butrans patches are working for you. Aren't you on NSAIDs given you've got an inflammatory condition - or can't you take them? I haven't had any drugs but co-codamol for a few days & diazepam today to help me get through my 2nd MRI.

The MRI I had a year ago was fine, so I was feeling pretty nonchalant about this one. But it was in a different hospital & I actually had it done in a lorry (mobile MRI unit!) outside the MRI building. The scanner was smaller & much more claustrophobic than the last one & I had a moment of total panic when I went in. Just kept breathing & telling myself the diazepam would kick in soon - which it did, thank God.

Now I've just got to hope my consultant gets the scan images etc. before I see him, which is only in 2 weeks time. The MRI people said it can take up to 3 weeks. So don't know whether I should try & rearrange my appointment, just in case. Wish they could just take care of these things for you.

Hi to everyone else. You take it easy, pink - sound like your line manager is too focussed on her staffing issues to take your needs into account. Don't be pushed into doing too much too soon.

Thinking of you too, pavlov.

Hi Losty, sorry to hear you are in bed and feeling a little abandoned. I hope the injections work some magic soon. Autoimmune and inflammatory disorders are pants. Hope the new rheumy is good.
Pink handbag sounds lovely. Its a while a go but I treated myself to a Red or Dead padded coat from TKMaxx - lovely and light and warm. I haven't been able to tolerate heavy coats for ages. Your name suggests you are too far away to pop around so sending caring vibes to help you feel better supported. Matilda is hopefully away for a couple of days.

I find MRI really scary too Loon, very panic inducing. The one I had I only managed to stay in because I am a radiographer and professionally I would rather take the panic than the embarrassment of failing! The vans make me claustrophobic to work in so I don't think I would like to go in the scanner .

I'm glad Matilda is getting a break, I had a sneaky long weekend in Spain a couple of weeks ago, it was bliss lying in warm sunshine.

Injections were local/steroid as a sort of diagnostic and treatment. I'd never heard of so many at once but my consultant seems very experienced. If they work well I can have all 12 nerves burned or shot or something dramatic at least to hopefully put them out of business permenantly. Can't do NASIDs anymore, I burned my tummy out taking too many over 10 years ago now. Can't believe I have been in pain that long, it's daft!

I may have accidentally bought myself these Fly London ankle boots, they are the same heel as my favourite shoes and I know I can wear them comfortably for a while without messing things up too much. Some days you need something a bit more sexy than Clarkes best orthopaedic offerings .

losty 12 injections?? 12???I had six and was feeling sorry for myself.They kicked in after about four days actually started working a bit before that like the pain dial being turned down.

you need to get the new rheum to get you on biologics I'm like a new woman on Humira i actually jogged the other day JOGGED only eight minutes on treadmill but still

loon is consultant in same hospital / trust? maybe they mean the report will take three weeks but none of my doctors ever seem to put much store on the report they seem to appear to look at images themselves.

losteeeeeeeeeee

losty I am so sorry you are so on your own. What the fuck? why aren't your folks at least popping in? I wish I was closer, if I were, I would be there making you drinks, fetching water bottles etc. In the absence of reality, is the best I can do.

I really hope the injections help a little, shit about the diagnosis, but at least you have one I guess, so you know what the hell is going on. Can you look at the same type of modified meds (can't remember the name of the group of meds sorry) that can be used for other AI conditions, when yiou eventually get a proper rheumy to speak to?

There, denial got there for me, biologics. It was because of denial I thought of them!

dmards pavlov. But I vote she skips them and goes straight to the magic elixir. I really need to check if extreme good humour and giddiness are a side affect because people are getting confused by my chirpiness lately.

the mean doctors make you try all the old stuff (methotrexate, sulfasalazine etc) before you can get the good stuff but it's a little bit easier to get through to biologics with axial disease as lots if the old stuff has been proven not to work.

losty! matilda will be impressed, she has those exact boots! Fly should give us discounts.

loon and others who asked after me, thank you for asking. I am, really, fed up and been feeling really quite sorry for myself. Got surgery in Jan for laminectomy and decompression and don't even want to talk about it any more. I don't want to be sick any more. I don't want people looking with those fuzzy furrowed brows as they see me walking 'aw, you are in pain today aren't you?' 1) yes, always, today is no different and 2) do you have to fucking point it out every time you see me? Everywhere I go, I look and feel like I am in pain and it's just the entire of every part of my life right now.

But, feel a little better this evening, probably as I popped on to say hi here

denial oh no, not chirpy people will start thinking you are all better now if you have humour and smile and are chipper. Then when you have a day when you are not smiling they will be like but you were ok yesterday?

how's the kitchen planning coming?

I can deal with people (i.e.they can all fuck off) I'm slightly at my kids being so amazed that I haven't shouted all week.Onwards and upwards forwards bit backwards etc.

meeting with HR Tuesday to discuss my twenty odd days absence this year and "next steps" that should be fun not

enjoy the zoned out ness I should really sleep

OMG I just saw the time! Doesn't time fly when you are having fun de-nitting children and yourself...

Fucking horrible, yucky little critters. Sorry for foul language, but headlice really are gross little fuckers. (To clarify, in case you thought for a moment I had gone mad and was cussing my own children )

losty enjoy the haze

denial it's sad when kids notice things we didn't realise we were doing. My motivation for absence from internet when kids are up and around was DS jumping with excitement when I saiid I would watch Scooby Doo film with them 'what, you'll sit with us? and not go on the computer or anything?' 'no computer, just us snuggling' 'yey!!!'

I have become more of a shouter than I ever wanted to be and am working hard on that. My tolerance reduces when I am over tired/in high pain and I try hard not to, and sometimes even as I shout I am trying to say to myself 'don't shout!'.

Pavlov we feel your pain .. literally. Other people can drive you mad .. its hard not to scream in their face "YES MY BACK IS STILL SORE YOU EEJIT" .. thank god for this place and all you lovely people though I am horrified at some of the tales of woe and incompetence.

So .. the Alexander Technique. 2 sessions in now - first session a bit strange but made sense and after standing in correct position for so long my nerve pain in legs and hips was a little better. 2nd session found out how to sit, stand, walk and rest which I am trying to do (though its difficult to get right or remember to do as you just get up, etc) but sadly nerve pain in legs and hips is quite bad this week .. last night even felt like it might spasm somewhere which scared the bejeesus out of me as the only back spasm I ever had left me screaming blue murder and hubby calling a doctor out (lovely drugs jab in bum and 2 weeks of recovery) - might have been worst pain ever (right up there with surgery). Still going to keep going with the AT as I have had sore upper back and sore shoulders (unusually) too so must be doing something different just not sure what. Jury still out but tried osteo, chiro and physio so this is all that is left. Also he said to stop some of the exercises I was doing (which the others had ok'd) so trying that too. He did also say back surgery only helps for a few years as you continue to try and use parts you no longer have. Scary and not sure its true. 7 years post surgery for me .. anyone have longer?

Sorry if repeating myself or boring the pants off you (which we then can't bend to pick up lol). Some days this week have been days where anything that falls on the floor stays there till hubby gets in.

Just spotted the tardis image below .. why?

Ooh, so there is . Makes you wonder!

I am very tempted to get one of those grabber things so I don't have to bend over but I fear the descent into buying from those catalogues will end up with me in rollers and a house coat and never wearing my lovely Fly shoes again . Spasms are the absolute worst thing in the whole wide world, there's no pain like it IMHO.

I am so shouty at the children at the moment but they just don't listen or help and are incredibly messy and unhelpful and it gives me the rage. God knows how bad I would be without the drugz.

I had a really lovely sleep anyway but woke up to the heavans opening and was outside at 7am helping my neighbours who were flooding, so far we've been lucky here but it was close this morning, so fingers crossed. Also now the road to the village is flooded and only really passable in a 4x4 so I had to go and do a Tesco shop instead of holding out for the van getting through tomorrow, I'd rather do it now that wait when the forecast is miserable. Got a lovely man to do all my lifting for me and put my bags in the car and they can stay there until my slaves children get in from school and help me out.

Lost hope you are ok and the rain has eased.
I had to go back to the gp today as my note out, i was going bk to work next wk, thought he wud give me a fit note, he has told me due to severity of my injury he thinks maybe a bit longer, its an occupational hazard in my job. He said i have a weak back, i could do it again at work or could do it at home or may never do it again. Think this time i was lucky not to have surgery. He has told me if i could go back and do reception that would be fine but care assistant job not good as he doesnt want me to do no lifting, told me to go bk and see him next tues and let him know, i am due back to work thurs. He is more than happy to sign me off again or if i go back and find it too much he is more than happy to sign me off
I have a headache from trying to think about it.
Any advice

You only get one life but there are other jobs. I don't know all the ins and outs of your situation but it seems to me that you owe it to yourself and your family not to risk injuring yourself again. Imagine how you would feel in two weeks time if you are back at square one pain wise. Take the extra time off and look for other solutions.

DH took a day off today and we went out for lunch which was lovely. Actually going out was lovely - my actual lunch was served in a wooden crate and the chips were in a plant pot Next time - should I go again- I shall ask for a nice clean plate!
Any way - guess what - turns out my Mum's mate is an Alexander Technique teacher and says I can go along to one of her classes she is doing soon.

losty i got a grabber. It's fucking awesome. It picks keys up as it's magnetic at the end too. And the children use it to 'help' and it means I get the rogue socks from behind the tumble dryer that I can't reach. I still wear my fly boots!

Back has gone badly. In town. On the one day I decided to go in alone while DH took kids to a friend's house to play with their child, have an hour or two to myself and get the bus back. WTF was I thinking. I am now lopsided and bent forward when I stand, or else it feels like my leg is gonna snap off. I am a bit worried a disc might have 'popped' or something. Fucking fuck.