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 am so bored on this sofa!

It does doesn't it! I feel strangely better with a name put to it. I feel validated!

I am waiting for my husband to leave from work and then putting some shit tv on while the valium kicks it!

I once lost my diazepam around the rockpools in St Ives. I was gutted. Wonder what it did to the crabs!
Think on before you go looking for starfish this afternoon!

There's plenty of shit TV on - trust me.

Still it could be worse - 6 years ago it was cbeebies and toddlers.
At least this time the kids are tidying up for me while I watch what I want. (half term here)

Tickle my son had awful coccyx pain and he saw a chiropractor who was very very gentle and did lots of work on his very stiff upper back and neck. It got dramatically better. I know yours is due to injury but by now that must surely have healed. Are you doing the lying down Alexander Technique that I recommended a little way back? I wouldn't be at all surprised if that helped, too. It's quite possible that your other back muscles over compensated and spasmed when you fell and they are still all working wrong IYSWIM?

I haven't tried it yet but I definitely will. I have spent over £600 on chiropractic appointments and it helps short term but I just can't afford to keep doing it

I think I would cry if I lost my diazepam Berrie!

No having treatment that only helps short term is no good. Thing is, without a scan your GP is only guessing what the problem is. It's funny how different our reactions to things are. If I had been told only the physio can refer and the physio can't see you til December, I'd have been fuming! Glad you are pleased, though.

Do check out the Constructive rest, it genuinely helps. Twice a day if you can. Here it is in case you've lost it.

No its not me that is December, I can call to make an appointment in 3 days. If it is a long wait I'm going straight back to GP! Just pleased they are finally doing something!

I will definitely do the constructive rest today while I'm off, thanks for relinking

Was actually ing because December is so far away!

Oh Lordy, I'm so confused! Ignore me...

Ooooooooooooooo my new tens machine has come.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Ooh a new Tens machine!
MSDJ the Phillips blue light pain pach sounds interesting- and very new technology. Have you tried it? I would want to hear good reviews or try one out before forking out that much.I came across lots of other devices. I am hoping when I eventually get to to see a physio they will help me decide on what to fork out on. Berrie that is quite a wait. I anticipate mine will be longer.
Well I found out how to do a reverse curl, so I,ve tentatively added that to my exercise plan. Thanks Ally for trying! The drawings in Sara Keyes book are hard to interpret but I found some utube demonstrations that helped. I noticed another lady doing what I now know are reverse curls at my Pilates class today, (when we were supposed to be doing sit ups- which I cannot do) so I joined in. The instructor noticed and did not object. It felt a much gentler way to work very weak tummy muscles, without jolting my back. I,ve got to start somewhere! I,ve also spent a fortune on chiropractors, so need to find another way.

Hows everyone. I went to work yesterday to see line manager, I said thatt I can come back hopefully after the 12th november, I requested to reduce my hours by half, take on thd new shift which has bit less lifting, told them I don't want every other weekend. She said yes thats fine, I want my good staff back.
have had busy few days, went for breakfast at out local harvester, with dh on his4 off, it wad lovely, been baking cakes, haven't had the kids in.
But today my dd is poorly, full of cough and cold, and its the start of half term. This year wr have had terrible school holidays, dd wad ill over june half term, I was bad all summer holidays now she is poorly again during this one.

Are you pleased with how the meeting went? It's good your Manager values you. Glad too you had a nice morning.
Sorry about your DC. I know just how you feel. We have been on half term this week. Poor kids. They have helped dress me, they've fed me, tidied up, brought me cups of tea, plugged my tens machine in,warmed my gel pack, worried when I shrieked, been nowhere all week and remained in good spirits. I'm so proud of them but I feel terribly guilty.
Am feeling much better today though I'm not sure how to proceed from here...it's been a while and I can't remember the way it goes. Am hoping for a full recovery!
I hope your DD feels better soon.

Berrie, I will tell you how it proceeds from here. Slowly. Very slowly. Remember that good days and bad days are normal but so glad you have turned a corner. You dc sound lovely and won't suffer too badly from a few days of looking after you .

pink, well done for asking for what you wanted and getting it. Stand firm when they start to mess you around, which sadly, it sounds as if they will if it suits them. You sound so much better. Make sure you keep it that way. I would clarify this with your GP but you mention 'less lifting'. Surely that should be 'no lifting'?

Matilda hi, i cant remember the last time i felt this good for so long. I am still going careful though. Am so tempted to go to the big street fair we have though. Gp did mention no lifting, and to try to find different job, but i will c how i go with what my line manager has agreed. I am actually quite looking forward to going back, i miss the residents. And i like my job. Shd knows i like my job and wants to keep the good ones.
Hows everyone else doing
I told the kids today when they knocked that dd could play at theirs, to which i got told not allowed, when i asked why was that i got told, my mum is busy, or resting, or one was doing her exercises, so i said no to them today, i feel guilty though. But again dh at work as started 4 on on friday and i had jobs to do.

It's brilliant that you've made such good progress, pink - both with the back & with saying no to the neighbouring children!

Hope your improvement has been maintained so far, too, cold? Did you arrange with your consultant what to do if symptoms came on again - would you need to be re-referred, or could you go back on the waiting list for the op.?

I'm feeling good today, too - my new physio (not NHS) did a fantastic mid & upper back massage today, & while it was painful at the time it feels so good now. She thinks maybe my thoracic spine isn't getting enough extension, because I'm (rightly) avoiding it for the most part for my lower back. So I'm meant to bend my thoracic spine back over an exercise ball several times a day.

My ball is another of my newer purchases - got it to sit on really, & it's actually a birthing ball, but I love it already. Just got to keep it away from the cat's claws now. It's been a grim week pain-wise up to today, so I'm savouring every minute my back feels more relaxed & comfortable.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend.

Loon glad your physio helping. Our local nhs physio is pants, but i had bupa physio, i work for them so they give us 12 free, they are brilliant. I have 2 left but after that i am going to pay for one a month to keep muscles loose.
Its been 13 wks since i had the bulging disc, so hopefully keeps improving.
I hope everyone else on here gets a bit of releif as its the worse pain there is.

I'm still straight and low in pain.
Seeing consultant Monday. I'm going to ask to stay under him whilst I monitor things.

Exercise ball was the only thing I could sit on at work for months. It was great.

Anyone waiting for an appointment I would recommend calling everyday for a cancelation. I did and I managed to be seen and have my injection within 8 weeks of going into the acute stage with sciatic pain from a bulging disc.

I had the injection so quickly as I was lucky and was referred to a private hospital. Ask for this as they take nhs referrals. This meant I was seen in the Monday and injected on the Friday.

I would have been a week or so later if I'd waited for the nhs MRI scan which I was booked in for 5 days after the consultant appointment. No idea why as the consultant couldn't review my case without the MRI. Therefore we paid for a private MRI and cancelled the nhs one.

Sobbed all over the GP today after a rubbish weekend and asked whether I should use my bupa and go for a referral after all. She said she would be led by me but that the surgeon would want to fix things and more surgery could to lead to more scar tissue and more problems. She said I have got this for life and I need to find ways to improve things for myself. We decided to change the NHS physio to bupa physio so will get some before December now and then take their advice as to further investigations. Does this sound right or should I go for the referral?

Well it sounds quite reasonable if the bupa physio can decide if you need an MRI or surgical opinion. I'm always wary of any GP telling you what another doctor will say or do. They don't know that. Of course a surgeon will be looking at things from a surgical angle but would consider other options like physio and injections, too.

Th other big factor if you are taking this route is that you have good analgesia to get you through this. Naproxen isn't enough. What are you currently taking. And also, take time off work. I can't imagine any job that is conducive to an acute back and you need rest.

Sorry you feel so terrible.mit will improve but in the meantime there is no need to suffer so much.xx

Thanks
Physio not until Friday but better than December I guess.
I rested all week and was up and about by Friday but after going out (short car ride and walk to the barbers with DS) was in trouble again.

I am OK today in that I can potter about, I am not getting 'stuck,' I am not shrieking when I move, there is no hangover pain after it has hurt and I lie down again. I'm grateful and I'm lucky for it to be so but I don't want to stop my life so that I can remain like this. It's half term in the county where I work so I get another week off this week and then we'll have to see. Hopefully we can come up with some sort of plan a the physio session.

She gave me some more Tramadol as my supply is well out of date. I prefer not to use it unless it is still hurting when I am lying down. Perhaps I should use it so I can move about more though as I am aware that I am getting more and more unfit the longer this goes on...

Thanks for listening. I bore myself about my back but it's hard to ignore.