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

I'm 43.

Re. shorter hair, it really does make your neck cold! Mine's a sort of bob with a few layers but shorter than it has been for a while. I like it but feel the need to wear a scarf indoors most of the time! I do have a long neck, though.

Must go out - have wasted so much time on the internet this morning. Started with a simple attempt to buy new bath towel for DH - normally would get them from M&S, but there are no bath sheets in stock AT ALL except in horrible colours. So went to John Lewis, ended up buying other stuff & then had to add chocolates to make it up to the free delivery amount . I had no choice! Need to get some exercise now.

I am 40 but I believe I've gone on (and on and on) about that enough this year . I've always had very long hair which I only wash a couple of times a week because it looks better left, I am a bit sad with my thinning straggly mess at the moment but feeling very positive I'm going to get it back through will power on it's own if I have to!

I'm really sorry all of you waiting for scans and struggling, over the last 20 years the governments have all taken a turn at wrecking the NHS. They've cut and cut and cut again the budgets and put in more and more layers of management (who all get the biggest cut of the money) until it's just an unworkable mess. I love my job and I think I'm pretty good at it but they brought in a blanket ban on using staff with my contract so now my department is either open on reduced hours or just closed rather than use me who can be in there in 5 mins when they call, all over seen by a new manager who they employed (with an office and secretary and car and management salary) to make sure no money was wasted. That one still totally boggles me. .

Today (obviously emulating our great leader Pavlov) I have made two loaves of bread, built a new bird feeder station in the garden and made lots of little suet blocks to go on it, and made advent calendars for the boys as the ones on my Tesco delivery didn't come. I hurt too much to eat my lunch. WIBU to eat the left over chocs from the advent calendars and go to bed with a cup of tea?

YANBU Lost. Nor was Berrie . I am firmly convinced a little chocolate is good for you . Sounds like you have been very busy. I am a similar age to Ally. So perhaps we are the grand dames here. Happy birthday Matilda's ds! I have been time wasting (in between little chores) on MN too. I work (very pt )in the NHS too, but know if I stop I would never restart (with my health history I would never be re-employed).
Council cherry picker has just been and fixed the lamp post in our lane! Horrah. I nearly hugged the man! (have both fallen over in the pitch black and scratched a neighbours car which I simply could not see was there whilst manouvering in very heavy rain so was getting a complex). Its been out of action for months and months.

Sorry Ally I'm 43 I had to work it out using fingers
Well done on your bird feeder Lost Will you get anything special on it? (I think I can just about cope with any bird related jealousy on top of beach, river, bleedin' wild flower meadow too I shouldn't wonder)
Today I have put stuff back in the cupboards, layed on the bed reading my kindle, made some very cardboardy mince pies - I am ashamed-still eaten 3 though, been to physio and bought 29 stationary sets and two rolls of wrapping presents for my class and I am now about to walk the dog. That doesn't sound very much does it...
I wonder how Pavlov is doing.

I am 36. The stronger pain killers are working but do make me sleepy. I've got bum nerve pain. But less spasms and made it downstairs today. Waiting to hear if physio will come to the house as I dont think I can manage the walk yet. Its only 6 mins on Google maps. Maybe I need to clench teeth and just get there

sorry berrie ... I guess I assume people with back problems are older ... sadly not the case in here and its a crying shame I say

I am seriously contemplating giving up work ... is don't like the work or the people and life is too short .. been building up to it for a while but need a shove!

I am 27 and I've currently just managed, well I'm still travelling, a round day trip to work. Involved the 0630 train, will get back north at 1930 and have only had two tramadol so far on top of the usual paracetamol and ibuprofen... Rattling train is kicking in though so that will go up! But feeling quite proud - seems like it's been a good day for most of us.

V envious of the wall painting - that takes determination! I'll borrow some of yours Pavlov for the Christmas decorating this week!

ally if you don't need the money then go for it - life is definitely too short! DP was in a similar situation before the accident so I am now supporting him while he works part time for a few years... Partly why I need to be back to speed asap.

Ally Do you have plenty of other things to do? People to see?

Ins Are you the youngest then?
Any takers?

Pavlov isn't able to posy just now, she's stuck up a ladder clearing out her gutters. It's not that dangerous, only a small ish gale.

Well, don't know if it been the diazepam, massage, heat, rest or something else but I feel a bit better. Yay!

Ally what do you do? Would you do different work or stop for a while?

matilda
That's the kind of thing I deleted but didn't know if she would take offence!
Glad you are feeling a bit better!

HA! I am obviously jaded and bitter because I am imagining Pavlov not posting because she is flat out in bed on the max diazepam and pain killers as a consequence of forgetting her place in the order of things. Oh dear. . I hope I am completely wrong.

Freedom if you stick with the painkillers (typed whilst praying you don't have to!) the tiredness does wear off after a while, or you get used to it, one of the two. I think the drugs seem to work better after a little while of bedding in as well. Stick with it and it will get better.

Berrie that actually sounds quite a productive day, you've got a good couple of list ticks done whilst having a good lie down as well, have a gold star or something. I don't really know much about birds, just love watching them pootle about. We do get a gorgeous bull finch in the winter months, he's quite an amazing colour, apricot/pink ish. I think he's my favourite. Doesn't tell Berrie about her field by the beach for camping and playing and generally being smug about owning a tiny bit of the coast.

I've got my new rheumatologist next week so I've been compiling a list for him. I sound pathetic on paper. Never mind, I know I'm relatively normal. Ish.

losty ask no tell them you need magic elixir sorry Humira or similar (I went jogging more than once and I can still move it is literally life changing)

not been posting sorry lots of new [biscui faces welcome welcome.my back is ok at the moment but my shoulder is awful so trying to avoid electronic devices outside of work.

pavlov you are a nutter a lovely nutter painting arrghh those biscuits higher up are meant to be here arrgghh

just reading back, what happened the rat did you catch it berrie? inselaffe and freedom can't believe you are struggling so hard to get treatment. Matilda have you had any joy sorting kitchen or should I definitely not ever mention k words??

has anyone had bad I mean huge spots on amitriptyline? I've been trying it again because of evil shoulder pain and coping with side effects better but certain it's giving me massive boils on my face.I can put up with a lot but not a spotty teenage face at 38 (see how I slipped that in )

Freedom is it a 6min walk once inside the hospital? If so just ask for a wheelchair on arrival. That is what I had to do.

I'm 33 (how did that happen?!?)

Glad you had a better day Matilda x

Does anyone ever forget how old they are? I have found myself once or twice this year not remembering whether I was 37 or going to be 37. And sometimes I have to do the same am I 37 or 38? really. these drugs are addling my brain. So, as it stands, I am 37 and a half and DD reminds me when I get confused!

I have indeed been up a ladder I am fully aware that given my poor state of being at the weekend this is a Really Bad thing to do but I want the painting done asap. And I am really enjoying it, for some reason I can zone in and forget/put the pain to the back of my mind until now oooouch berrie I am a determined refuse-to-stop-until-i-am-physically-unable-to-stop type of person, before this shit happened to me I was a high stress, high adrenaline, running about the place type of person, but, unfortunately it means I am absolutely hopeless at pacing. It's all or nothing. I can't do slow. So when I do slow my mood drops to the floor.

I am currently in what I consider must be some kind of 'manic' state. I feel relatively upbeat, I have lots of energy, but, yet I have huge amounts of pain. Unlike the weekend, I can walk relatively straight, but, I have a numb and painful right foot, numbness in my genital area (skin not muscle), and at the moment it feels like my leg is going to snap off if I move it. It's this bad because I have, of course, done far too much and yes, not remembered my real place in the order of things!

I have cut in the ceiling. I can't let DH do it. He is not so good as edging. I didn't lean/reach, stood in the ladder up close, but did a little more twisting that is good for me (i.e., any!). I also did caulking (I love doing that!), bought some liquid filler for hairline cracks so did some prep, frog taped the cooker hood and ceiling light for DH to pain around tomorrow, filled in some more holes. AND. I bought a tester for my Farrow & Ball wall and put it on the wall. It's fucking lovely!!! I shall link you the colour (orange).

Tomorrow, I will be doing nothing in the kitchen. I am going to a knitting group I expect I'll drink wine though, not tea...

matilda I find there are sometimes no rhyme or reason for the lower pain days. I occasionally go 'oh, I am alright today, much better!' and cannot identify at all what's different. Sometimes, I will do something that should have payback, and it doesn't. But, as you also know, equally, sometimes, doing fuck all induces pain that should be reserved for the days we push ourselves to the limits. I am sure it happens to just to fuck with our noodles.

denial how you doing at the moment my lovely? are your new meds ok? How did your review go? I have quite bad skin a lot of the time at the moment, i'm not on amy, but i think the concoction of painkillers has messed my skin up. I did find the amy messed with my appetite worse than any other drug and my weight plummeted. But, my pain levels were also very high during a long acute phase, which probably contributed. Are you still managing work ok?

losty very impressive on the successful day! I am of your bread making. I am not a natural kitchen goddess, but one day soon when the kitchen is complete, I will come and seek some bread making advice from you. And Ins for your round trip to work, a long day, hope you get a chance to recover a little tomorrow? And, a few others appear to have had productive days.

I hope we don't all have payback tomorrow and the good run continues.

In case anyone wants to know why I am still up, I have a coughing girl right next to me. Poor thing. She is barking like a seal Not sure I'm gonna sleep any time soon.

charlottes locke

Pavlov I am worried about you.
You sound as though you are experiencing all the things that should be a red flag to me. I know that your surgery is booked but I came very close to permanent damage before my emergency op...

Oh dear goodness Pavlov, I think the pain has tripped your adrenals into overdrive or something, you sound like me last week when the steroids made me manic! I'm sending you round a bucket of valerian tea, drink it ASAP! Please do some being flat today and be careful, as Berrie just said, surgery or not upcoming you can permanently damage the nerves if you are not very careful. I am still chuckling at you though, I was a real 'let's redecorate this room, what do you mean I can't swim the channel at the same time?' person once upon a time. The fact that I need someone to help keep the place tidy and do any jobs that require moving my arms too much is so frustrating I could scream. Why don't these things ever happen to couch potatoes?

I love making bread, I just learned a new 'no knead' technique which is how they do it in those posh 'artisan' bakeries because they'd never manage to do so many loaves if they had to knead each one 10 minutes a time. It kind of fills the part of me that needs to do stuff and 'have worth' IYSWIM? It's something to show for all my time at home. Hmmm, going to have to go and have some with jam and butter now, it's lovely all soft with big air holes and a crunchy crust .

Lost - that's it exactly - the needing to feel useful and have worth - that makes painting and making bread so fulfilling (if mad). But tell me how do you not knead bread (without a breadmaker)?
We all seem to be active slightly hyper types by nature. I guess there could be a lesson in there somewhere.

Yes to activity feeling so fulfilling, which could be why I feel so unfulfilled.. Driving myself mad trying to do the 'right' things, as previously listed in tedious detail. But nothing of any actual consequence. Nobody in the world benefits from me having a massage (ok,physio does!) or swimming. My world and life has shrunk. Next year I swear this will change. But how??? I am genuinely open to all suggestions. I will start this again in the NY.

Now, for today's First World Issue: tomorrow and Saturday nights we are attending Balls. Yes, real life Going Out. With frocks, food, music and fun (allegedly). Now, one hour of such an event is likely to leave me flat out, but two whole evenings? I'm terrified , non attendance is virtually non negotiable though leaving early is. And I want to go, join the world, have some fun for once. But we on here know that the payback is going to be somewhat worse than a muzzy head the next day.. Please advise, oh wise ones.

Have had a hearty snort or two reading last nights posts. I always miss the Banter Hour . Can sadly report to still getting spots a lot more frequently than I am happy with. Spots and wrinkles, chic, non?

I am very partial to Bullfinches Lost we tend to get several rather than just the one [smug emoticon]
Our most special are probably the lesser redpoll. But we get woodpeckers too and this year I saw a jay which was exciting!
Campsite? Tell me you don't have sand dunes please. We love camping. Are you North , Mid or South? (feel free not to say)