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

Thanks Berrie - sorry to hear of your troubles too.
I'm getting a standing/height adjustable desk, which is good (I hope.) Whilst I'm sorry you took a year to recover, I am somewhat consoled by that.
I hope you're doing better soon.

tough I posted so many times. What is going on with my posts!

Iam home now hire car, lots of breaks, lots of painkillers (oramorph is my friend ), coffee, DH was amazing, drove to London and back in one day, he is now as wiped as me I think!

Going to sleep now, as spent a few hours puking again today, luckily persuaded them to let me go home still, and am completely wiped from the puking and the journey, plus stairs, etc....

Night night, talk properly tomorrow you are all very welcome, sorry you have the back problems that welcome you here, but do grab a bed/recliner/japanese perching stool, and join in.

for all the support over this last week or so in particular, you are all amazing.

Hi Pavlov. We spoke on the Chat page. Glad it all went well and you're home in one piece! Sleep well....

OMG Berrie I so couldn't do your job - I am in awe

casper - from my own experience you are unlikely to get 100% fit again (which they don't tell you) but on the plus side recovery can carry on for up to 4 years (which is why it feels plateauted as its slow) so you have a long way to go. I am 7 years in and can do most gentle things but cleaning floors, lifting, etc is out for life. Really life is so much better than before surgery - just not what I expected sorry! Also you can talk openly in here and these ladies have a vast amount of knowledge between them so hopefully given your situation someone else can be more helpful! Oh and my leg is still a bit numb but hey ho!

pink - you are not a failure for having pain! Other people will give you a row for that too by the time I finish typing this - don't feel guilty, its not your fault! I second what berrie said.

lol bubby I think we've all been there

So glad you're home in one piece, pavlov - great news. Hope you've been given enough pain relief & are going to be able to take it easy at home. Must be lovely to be with the children again.

Hi to casper & hexie & everyone else. No time to post properly now but hoping everyone gets through the w/end okay.

Hello. I would like some advice if you can help. I've had left hip and lower back pain for about two years now. It varies but I think I get maybe one day a week where I forget about it and three to four nights where it disturbs sleep. It feels like I have a heavy dull rock in my hip area and a burning sensation in various muscles.

Concentrated relaxing helps a bit sometimes. Its not really related to movement and I think I can do most things normally except sit. Which means it's really hard to get paperwork or computer work done. I've thought about if it makes me disabled.. but it more makes me unpredictibly exhausted and my mood always dampened.

It does make work hard as I both get frustrated easily and find concentration wanes, but I have sympathy with people who claim backpain impedes work, but who are then seem playing beach volleyball or whatever as being active actually gives respite compared to sitting, lying, standing etc.

I mistakenly accepted physio advice for exercises that didn't make a difference and didnt push it so had a year of being screwed with disturbed sleep, depression and general anger (! ) I am doing some other exercises every two or three hours which sometimes helps but I still get reverts back to full hip area stiffness and pain. No offer of a scan yet and I have realised that as I imagine 'tear your leg off' pain to be orders of magnitude higher keep saying pain is 3 o n the 1-10 scale which is accurate but doesn't convey the constant presence and feeling that something is wrong.

When should I push for a scan? It feels like some thing needs to click or be pulled into the right place but never is iif you see what I mean. ..

Pavlov you are home! I missed that - hope the puking stops soon!

Hi vinegar welcome!

Not sure what to say but there others here who know heaps more than me. Could it me arthritis? I don't know sorry but watching to see who does.

Yep Vinegar - Welcome . Hope someone can help. My recent bout felt very like that in the hip to start with. I felt my hip was somehow a bit loose and needed to click back in.
Hope you feel less sick Pavlov What is it that causes the vomiting do you think?
Quick question for Matilda if you don't mind - not important at all!
We were just looking at DD's birth photos and I have a drip in my hand. The tube is blood red. I had StrepB and so the drip was antibiotics (woefully late despite asking and asking and poor DD had to have AB's twice a day for a week afterwards though it was nice for me to stay in and be looked after) Anyway - why is the tube red?

Ok, only have a couple of minutes so will answer the easy question , Berrie when you have an IV line in,you have by very definition, access to a vein which transports blood around your body. If you use the hand and push on it a bit etc,you can get a bit of back flow of blood into the tubing. So quite normal, doesn't imply infection or poor practice or anything at all really.

vinegar, here's a question for you. Does the ache in your hip feel like toothache of the butt? Someone else used that expression and it absolutely resonated with me. It's the description of nerve pain, a gnawing pain and it being worse at rest is actually quite typical. Sitting is my very worst position so big sympathy there. I hate, hate hate these Pain scales; your 3 could be my 6 and so on. Pain is a flexible and cunning fiend. It goes away for five minutes and returns with a huge roar. Nerve pain responds really well to drugs like amytriptiline and gabapentin.see back thread for more on these meds. Amytriptiline is especially helpful at night as it is mildly sedative.

Those who are regulars will know I treat my pain like an angry lion who lives with me. I have to take care of him all the time. He snarls and I would be a fool to ignore him.he sleeps with one eye open...sometimes he bites me for no reason. No good hating him,mwe are chained together so my job is to look afer him.

Also, it is very common to get pain after doing an activity, sometimes by quite a long time. It can be useful to keep a diary to see where a pattern forms.

Finally, I am getting late, please will all of you struggling to get scans etc tell yor dr this: backpain is not a diagnosis. I am sick to death of seeing this written. It is a symptom. To have some chance of a diagnosis you need a scan.

Hope that helps. Do keep posting.

Well said Matilda

Hello everyone, I hope all of you are as comfortable as you can be

I woke up this morning with no pain, I thought woop woop something had clicked back in place, I didn't take my painkillers or muscle relaxants as I didn't think I needed to, and went downstairs to get some coffee, it was fine, Sat in the chair, a little uncomfortable but nothing major. So I decided to have a bath, as to be honest my personal hygiene had taken a backseat this week (getting to the loo had been an achievement at times) was in the bath, a little uncomfortable but still ok. Getting out of the bath and the searing burning agony started, that's taught me. I will never get complacent again. Somehow I kept calm, just breathing, and got to my painkillers. Ugh. I know I got ahead of myself, and shouldn't have done.

I'm now lying in bed, watching Locke two hours of Tom Hardy should cheer me up lol.

Matilda thanks I hadn't thought they'd done anything wrong but DD asked what it was and I was about to say it was to give me some blood and then I thought...hang on Found I couldn't explain even when I'd remembered what it was!
Long I feel your pain - or rather I did this time last weekend! Blast that red hot, slicing, spear of pain! I was lucky and it only lasted a few days this time.

Hello Thanks for responses. I can't compare to toothache.. as I've never had toothache! It is a bit gnawing though. Sometimes it feels like one little muscle is really tight around where leg joins hip.. sometimes a buzzing gnawing sometimes like a couple of hot rubber bands are across various bits of the joint. Sometimes its in the lower back and sometimes my whole back is tense. The hip area sensations are a massive improvement to how I felt over the last year. Its sorer but in a smaller area so less dominant when its really hot. Sometimes though I get both haunches aching and sore..but weirdly that feels positive though it still disturbs sleep. Do you think I think about this too much ?!

lol long we all do that - its optimism I think

Never had toothache vinegar wow . Still sounds like nerves but been so long since I had it really bad I'd struggle to describe it - now my pains are just a dull ache when I do too much sitting or walking or anything really . As Matilda wisely points out you need a diagnosis!

On the plus side - not only is it my birthday - but I managed to eat cereal this morning woohoo! (for newbies I have had 2 tongue surgeries recently) First day of waking with no pain in tongue! . On the minus side I really can't believe how fecking old I am - although what's the alternative? . The other way round I am pleased to have made it . See I told yis I was nuts haha

Happy Birthday, Ally!

Have you got a nice day lined up? Actually, it's already a brilliant day if your wretched tongue isn't hurting. Still, best err on the side of caution and restrict yourself to cake today .

Am feeling very cross with myself . After a great start at Dry January I caved in last night and drank wine. Feel horrid this morning and it was probably a stupid thing to do with the new patches,too. So feel a bit nauseous and below par and generally cross. No more. And what's more, the increase in dose age has already made a difference in a good way. Blueugh.. Please all line up and shout insults at me.

happy birthday ally

Happy Birthday Lovely Ally!
Hope you have a great day.
You lasted longer than me Matilda
DD is looking over my shoulder and wants to know why I called Ally lovely. I said because she is. DD now wants to know how I know that Ally is not a fat, hairy, lorry driver called Bob So Ally - are you a fat hairy lorry driver?...just so we know?

vinegarandbrownpaper I have inflammatory arthritis primarily in my spine.If your pain is worse at night, eases with exercise, and you have morning stiffness you should be checked over by a rheumatologist. you dint have to tick all three boxes as human beings are not all the same.I will try and find a link from one of the spondylytis charities.

nass.co.uk/about-as/getting-my-diagnosis/inflammatory-arthritis/

www.dontturnyourbackonit.co.uk/about-back-pain/inflammatory-back-pain.html

[berrie] well I am fat!

thanks for the birthday wishes Berrie, Matilda and Festive - you are all lovely - even if you are all fat blokes

we went out for a meal last night for my birthday (in the snow) and I treated myself to a wee glass of fizz too (consultant said I could have occasional drink) - going out for a bit cake later!

As Matilda said- eating properly (finally) is best pressie but did get some jewelry too hehe!

Happy Birthday, Ally . What better a day that your tongue's behaving itself

Happy birthday Ally