The Back Pain Emporium, Internet Shopping, Drugs and Dealing with Doctors. Thread 6.

[MatildaTheRedNosedReinCat]

For anyone experiencing back pain it can be a very scary time. What is wrong? Who can help? How long will this last? We,on this thread are here to support you;offer empathy and help to navigate the almost impossible task of getting a diagnosis and the right treatment.We are not doctors but people who have trodden this path slowly and painfully. We also chat a LOT and welcome all newcomers. It is strictly non competetive regarding pain and no niggle is too minor.

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. Not to mention the pain of dealing with claiming disablity benefits .

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,sometimes drink wine , 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 brew and say hello

This is our 6th thread, here is the 5th, which has links too the others:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/a2203923-Back-Pain-and-Internet-Shopping-Thread-Number-5

mulled I took disposable underwear but only because I had a load left from giving birth to DD and wasn't able to pick them up after getting them off so easier to just to hook with my crutches and lob into bin.

I also took wet loo paper. I dunno if wet wipes are the same. And a bag of prunes.

ins I see you have had excellent advice which I will just support with don't take any shit (said in encouraging way- I know navigating system is hard) get your neuro surgeon 2nd opinion.

Matilda interesting what you wrote about swimming, my surgeon told me ti walk as you said, not swim but you explained beautifully why.

In terms of jobs- I have a telephone and computer based job - post sales. I'm getting a standing desk for my return after maternity.

agree with matilda - own pillow is a must - wished I'd had mine

cold I got some lovely ankle boots in Cotton Traders sale (burgandy with furry tops but come in black too) - feel like slippers on and so cozy

Thank god for internet shopping eh ladies?

Feeling less sore today thanks ladies ... tramadol is good but makes me one of the walking dead but sleep is good too so the odd day like that is actually quite nice - am so missing toast and cereal - running out of ideas for brekkie so today was a smoothie after I said I never wanted one again he ho - might make myself something like bran muffins

sorry me again...didnt take any pain killers yesterday and got through ok prob did little too much - cooked a meal and washed up. Woke up this morning quite stiff and first time I feel as if I have a weird feeling in the top of my thigh...it's like a dull throbbing - same side as where I torn my ligament.

i know some of you asked if I'd got a pain in my leg and I hadnt a week ago but today feels like I say a throbbing not massively painful but uncomfortable.

I was hoping to have a drink today and selfishly thought try and stay off the diclafenac but maybe might have to take some if this continues

it almost feels likes a dull period pain in my lower back, top of thigh area

hula, keep an eye on it. Is it passing through your buttock? My leg pain came later. Anyhow, maybe yesterday you did do a bit too much so scale down again and see how you are tomorrow. It might be worth keeping an activity and pain diary so you can try to work out what triggers pain. As I said, I almost always have a time lag of 24-48 hours so for example, we had family for dinner on 28th and although I had lots of help, it still involved work and sitting. I was wrecked on 29th but I knew I would be but had made the decision to do it anyway.

Also, no reason not to drink on diclofenac. As with all these meds, the warnings are way over the top. At the very worst you might feel the effects slightly quicker, so cheap date!

Hi all!
I've FINALLY been referred for an MRI after seeing the spinal specialist this morning. She says I have coccydynia and possibly a bulging disk. She has also put me down for an injection in my coccyx.
She listened! I love her!
She pressed really hard on my coccyx though so am in bloody agony today, but at leaSt I'm getting somewhere :)
It was a bit weird tho, I've been having horrible leg pain and pins and needles, when she did the reflex tests my right leg did nothing at all?! Is that bad?

Thanks tough

Hula, my leg pain started later than my back pain and is steadily becoming worse. And last time my knee reflex was tested it was fine and then today nothing.

Happy new year to you all

And a Happy New Year to all of our merry band of back pain sufferers from me, too. I am glad to know you all and I will never underestimate the value of the support and advice I have received here.

Tickle, good news and I hope the MRI will finally get you some answers. You have waited long enough. The pins and needles plus lack of reflexes could indicate nerve compression, perhaps from a disc prolapse. Hopefully the scan will clarify this and lead to a resolution of the pain. On the meantime be aware of any change in your bowel or bladder function or saddle parasthaesia ( numbness of the lady bits).

Happy new year to you all, hopefully next year will be a bit more painfree for all of you.

Happy new year to all my lovely new pals - hope 2015 is less painful for us all. I do read everything just not very good at keeping up and remembering who has what.

Still eating lots of cake here (soft) as developed absess now round one of the remaining stitches (look away if you are eating) which keeps filling up and bursting (nice!) - am having such a fun time but have finally been to the loo which I am really happy about as have problems there and painkillers don't help - good start to 2015 for me honest it is!

Never thought I'd share this kind of thing lol @ myself!

Happy New Year to you all too!
Did anyone do anything nice last night?
We never do - we just go to bed and the huff and puff when the fireworks go off for ages and ages!

Thanks for the boot tips. Think I need to go and try as I'm tall and with size 8 feet and strong (!) legs need to check width. Excited to have some dosh to buy with hardly ever shop these days.

I was in bed feeding just before midnight so not very rock and roll. I was out until 1am nearly 6 months pregnant last new year so there is balance.

Happy New Year all x

Happy New Year to you all. Ally, I am going to risk expulsion, or even arrest by the MN Police and send you a huge, soft hug. I feel so bad for you, this hateful operation is just taking way too long to heal. Have you seen someone about the abscess? It might actually be better with the offending stitches taken out caveat ing that by adding I know absolutely nothing about tongues except they hurt easily.

We made a last minute plan and went to our local posh fish and chip restaurant with some friends we made via the dog ( middle age equivalent to meeting people through your dc!) I had lobster and chips which was bloody lovely ( Sorry, Ally ) We were home by nine, watched a film and just made the fireworks which we thought were awesome. I wish random home fireworks didn't exist, the poor dog was a nervous wreck. Long sleep this morning and now facing the inlaws for lunch. DH just called to say Waitrose shut...oh dear, he will have to wing that one .

Back? Well, let's just say it's still there. May 2015 bring us all better things.xx

Happy New Year everyone! No time to post more ATM (yet another fecking great meal to sort) but I'm so pleased you've got a scan at last, Tickle - & sorry your tongue is still in such a bad way, ally.

Thank you everyone for your support last year, too.

Aw thanks Matilda .. I don't think the MN police bother with us
It hadn't healed enough for the stitches to come out when I saw him last (next appt 13th Jan) but might try easing that one out myself soon. He did say (both surgeries) not to worry if I was bleeding or oozing green goo so managed to achieve both of them 2nd time without freaking out haha! Mmmmm lobster and chips! Have had to watch hubby wolfing down all my fave stuff (crisps, nuts, etc) and even some of the chocolates he got for me as they are too hard ffs!

Thanks loon also.

I have a supply of muffins and soft rolls and can manage pasta so that's all 3 meals sorted for a few days although I would kill for a Chinese takeaway (which we normally have on Xmas eve but still not managed) ... soon!

Happy New Year to my favourite ladies. I honestly don't know how I would have got through my last few years without the support of MN and since this group has started, without you all. I love being able to help when I can, to share my experiences and help people take some knowledge into the medical world as they navigate it. I also find myself missing posting if I can't, and when I have a bad day, or need some cheering, it's here I often come to first.

You are all amazing, strong, courageous women who take on so much, and despite having bad days, weeks, months, keep going and even have some fun with it.

I am starting my 2015 in quite an auspicious way I think, with surgery to give the rest of my year to recovery. I am no longer naive enough to think it's going to be plain sailing, or that I will ever be fully recovered from all this now, but I feel optimistic that I will find, with hard work, enough improvement to enjoy my life more than I have this year. Although, don't get me wrong, I have had some amazing times this year, but they have been negated somewhat with some horrendous pain.

Last night we had a couple over with their child and their baby, another friend came over for a couple of hours early evening, but left early as she is going on holiday today. DS and baby went to sleep at 10pm or so. DD is poorly with horrible cough, again, and had a fever, went to bed early but didn't sleep. Friend's little one who is 5 would not settle, and became grouchy, so they left at 11pm. DH and I stayed up for another drink, but I flaked by 11:30pm. He tried to wake me up, normally a light sleeper, at 11:55pm like I asked him to so we could watch the fireworks out of our skylights, and apparently I was unconscious! (painkillers and alcohol I suspect!) slept through noise, fireworks, cheering, DH shaking me...oops! Woke at 4am with all four of us in bed quite nice actually.

Out for lunch today with same friends and the children, had a carvery, was gonna do a walk, but DD too poorly, so back home with hot chocolate, and going to watch films with duvets and jimjams on.

I have found, this last week or so, the amount of support and help in RL has increased. I have made efforts to go out and participate in christmas events, and on a couple of those days I have been pretty bad shape. I think people who know I have a bad back but only see me on my better days have seen the full extent of how things are for me right now. I feel, for the first time in a while, that I have some good support in RL. Not loads, but genuine, real understanding and caring, and some from people I don't know that well. Makes me feel quite loved, and that is something I don't feel very often. I don't have a high opinion of myself, I am not always good at making friends, i think I am a little aloof and odd, serious, boring, and often wonder why people like me, so it's nice to know that people actually do like me. I know, that sounds a little self pity but not meant to be.

ally meant to say, you poor thing, it must be so hard this time of year with all the yummy food around you, not able to eat it.

If you can eat pasta, and you like chinese, can you eat noodles with a nice sauce, or Miso? how about something like cottage pie/shephards pie/fish pie? you might already have this sorted/tried it, but they are soft food that are yummy in cold weather.

Poor Ally if it us any consolation we had a chinese last night and it was horrid. I am goibg to write on tge nenu 'dont bother' for next time we fancy one! Could you liquidise your favourite foods?
Hope lunch went ok Matilda.
Mulled I could have written those last few sentences myself about me!
Got shed loads of work to do tomorrow and dc still at home. Give me a kick up the arse if you catch me on here!

How was your lunch Loon?

Something I have learned since starting these threads ( which, of course I could never have imagined becoming what they are today) is that it actually is possible, to make real friends whom you have never met. Mulled, so glad you are feeling loved. Since I have met you several times and spend some excellent hours in your company, may I say you are being very harsh about yourself and you are a great person.

Life can be tough with constant pain. It's good to be friends with people who understand and to get advice from others who have trodden this weary path.

Cheers to us all.

Happy new year and a big thanks to all for your help and advice in the last months of 2014.

Ally so sorry about your tongue. Really hope it gets better soon.

mulled not surprised you are experiencing some RL love - you are lovely. Thinking of you and hope surgery is helpful and successful.

Matilda extremely jealous of fish and chips - I miss that meal a lot.

Hope you are ok ins. Cold I am also tall with size eight plates. I wonder if the tall are more susceptible to back pain. But I think it is non discriminatory.

freedom a colleague of mine had back pain before christmas last year, lots of time off work, found she had several crushed vertebra, no known cause, did osteoporosis tests, all ok. She is very tall, wondered how much her height had to do with it. Nothing conclusive. And, to thrown that theory to the wind, I am very short

aw fanx! for saying I am lovely. I don't always think I am. I can be a bit rude sometimes when I don't mean to be. And I don't always make an effort, I don't like talking on the phone, and I don't always like having physical company, where some of my friends like to pop in and stay for ages. It's not that I don't like their company, I just sometimes (often) prefer to be on my own, so I think maybe people think I don't care. And sometimes, when I am in pain, or concentrating on something else, i frown/scowl (before pain, used to be as I was always thinking of the next thing I was doing).

Oh and yeah to fish and chips!! I have actually fancies fish and chips all ove this holiday period as it's not on a traditional christmas menu. Smothered in vinegar and salt, eaten with a wooden fork, by the sea. gonna have that when I am back from surgery, although maybe in bed not by the sea as I won't be able to sit for that long