The Back Pain Emporium is Open For Business. Browsers Welcome. Thread 7

[MatildaTheCat]

For anyone experiencing back pain it can be a terrifying 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 , 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

Previous thread for anyone interested

Pavlov at her best .

Emgee hi, sorry you are in pain. You don't mention leg pain so I'm assuming you just have back pain? That's good in that there's only one thing to focus on but less goos in that the nerve meds and injections tend to be more successful for the legs than lumber pain. I take cocodamol 30/500 x2 as I need to plus one tramadol 150mg slow release and naproxen twice a day. I can top up with oromorph and/ or diazepam if things get grim. Because I micromanage my life around my back it rarely gets grim these days although a day in London tomorrow might change that.

I agree with heat. It's wonderful. And re physio I think it helps to learn some very basic Pilates type exercises which mobilise the spine as well as some to strengthen the core. Even days I wake up feeling as stiff as a board I try to do some and they help. I take my drugs and go back to bed with hottie, tea and ipad then get up much later after a bit and do my exercises. I can see that with two smalls that might be fairly useless information .

Lastly, massage. I go once a week for massage and Pilates with a rehab therapist. I'm very lucky, she's amazing. The massage definitely helps all the knots and trigger points because as you will know back pain can move around at a scary rate. The large muscles can ping pain all around, no problem.

Do keep posting even if it's just to whinge. We don't mind and sometimes even talk about other, more fun stuff. Envious of France. Which part are you in and is it permanent?

you mean writing epic posts matilda

Here here! In the name of pain relief I cracked open the M&S Christmas cake liqueur and I drink to you awesome ladies!

marceline colleges should have more clue about disability processes than many other organisations, small or not, in particular the EA, because they have to make sure they follow it in terms of student applications/attendees.

marceline. I fancy a manhattan, but really, really can't be bothered to get up to ask DH to make me one. But. I am almost out of juice beside the bed, so have to get up anyway. It's probably not a great idea to drink the Manhattan from my water bottle through the night though...

Or. If I flip that. It's a bloody fantastic idea.

Hello everyone and hello to all new people. I can't add any advice since you've had the best already but offer my understanding and sympathy and maybe a little hope. I suffered for many years with back and leg pain until I had an MRI and an emergency discectomy. I had a large prolapse at L5. For me - after about a year - I was completely better and stayed that way for about 7 years. I am only here because I fell in September and injured my back again. At the time I thought it was all starting again but I have mostly recovered bar the odd bad day or two.
What I wish I had known back then is that Doctors are not omnipotent, often wrong and you need to keep going back and telling them what you need. I could have saved myself many many years of misery if I had got the help I needed sooner but I did as I was told...
Good luck!
Pink I am so sorry that your PIL are causing trouble between you and DH. I've been there and it's horrid and but it ends eventually.

I am most unwell mentally but what can you do? Nothing.

Berrie my lovely friend, sending you a gentle hug. I miss your posts but glad you are around.

Hope you feel better soon. Always here for chat if you need distracting.

Hi Emgee, sorry you're in pain, hope you had a better night.

Hi Berrie, that's great you're recovering from your injury. Thanks for sharing your story of back pain with us newbies. Yourself and the rest of the ladies are just fantastic. I really appreciate having found this forum.

Well, here's an update on my visit with the ortho team yesterday. For clarity, I'm in Ireland, a good 4 hour drive from Dublin.

So, the lovely surgeon didn't go into too much detail other than to confirm what the radiographer warned me about - large disc herniation at L5S1 with L5 nerve root compression. Apparently the size would suggest that surgical intervention is necessary. I was offered injection there and then and was told it would have a 50% chance of making an impact on the pain.

I declined the injection just so I could think things over.

I got a referral for an orthopaedic spinal surgeon in Dublin. I researched him when I got home and I'm not sure if he's the one for me. He's incredibly well qualified and well respected but his main area of focus would seem to be scoliosis etc.

So, I've also sent my referral to a neuro who someone recommended to me. He would operate on discs more routinely.

I'm getting ahead of myself here though.

I'm still torn between the arguments for persevering with conservative treatment versus jumping into a surgical solution.

I guess what concerns me more than the pain right now is the numbness in my calf and foot, the absent ankle reflex and the overall weakness in my ankle.

At any rate, I'm looking at a 3-5 week wait for a private appointment

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great day

Thanks everyone - - what a great thread! I shall definitely be checking back in :)

Matilda, am about 40km west of Paris. Here for 'life'. Gosh, sounds like I am talking about prison!

I'm glad to get the tips re stronger painkillers. I do actually remember my old GP prescribing me something with opiates and saying it was a muscle relaxant. At the time I thought 'Oh I don't need that'. Shame I recycled them back to the pharmacy.

Hope you all have a good weekend

Just read your post Schmeegle, more for you

Geez just hit something and my whole post disappeared! As I was saying ...

Hi Berrie I missed you!

Ladies I am looking for some help please (I am sleep deprived as hubby has been coughing in my ear for a week so might be a bit pathetic):

1. Apparently during my op 7 years ago my thighs were crushed against a joint on the table and when I was woken up that was the sorest thing (worse than my back) and has troubled me occasionally since and the last few nights have been bad. Last night was awful and even tried the pillow between the legs thing which is annoying and didn't help (bizarrely my numb leg is worst). Its like growing pains - a dull ache which becomes unbearable. Am shattered but pain better now I am up - it tends to be mostly at night. Only thing I did different is walk a lot yesterday and my legs were struggling at the end.

2. My neck has been sore on and off for a year or two but now is not going away. I do have a trapped nerve (frequently) which is easing but still sore but this is different. I get a sharp pain which can be relieved by moving until it cracks (v loudly) and a permanent ache at base of neck and across shoulders and down back a bit. This also prevents me sleeping (or spending too much time at computer) and I spend every evening glued to my hot wheat pillow.

Dr Google has been useless - how about Dr MN? Only thing I can think of is that I am pretty fat at the minute (blame the ) which might explain the legs thing. Have mentioned neck to GP and get fobbed off with diclofenac which does help a wee bit - didn't bother mentioning the legs as until this week sporadic. Arthritis?

Am so tired am eyeing up the tramadol but still remember how ill that made me .... maybe have wine instead but try to wait till afternoon lol.

Help!!!

Schmee 4 hour drive - yikes and ouch!

DD called me quick this morning to share her delight in spotting a mouse beneath the front window running back and forth from it's hole. I could not entirely share her joy as I was deeply suspicious that it was not a mouse but BABY SON OF THE RAT! Hmm.. it's obviously gathering something isn't it I mused as we watched it go into the bush and back to it's hole over and over again. Then I noticed that it was coming out of the bush and into the old tumble drier vent in our porch. I could then see it through the glass running up the freezers presumably to get the bird food on top! Bastard vermin! All the way to school we had to discuss why I don't want mice in the porch...yes well I do wee too - but in a loo...no we can't make a mouse toilet...no we won't be leaving out some cheese.

Oh dear Ally remind me what the Tramadol did to you?

Allypally999 You're probably right in that maybe you walked to much yesterday. Re your neck - you've probably done this already but have you tried changing your pillow or sleeping in a different bed if you have one to see if your mattress doesn't suit you?

Berrie that would completely freak me out - can't stand mice

Emgee I'm slightly jealous of you living in France. Worked a couple of summers over on the coast in Vendee when in my prime (!). Loved it.

Thank you Matilda and Ally

baby rat!

Oh you maybe missed this Berrie but I had a bad reaction (took 4 the day before whereas before had only 2 in a day) and was very sick and shaky with horrible headache and crazy heart - sounded like Seratonin syndrome and fits as I also take Sertraline and Amytrip (have cut back on Sert but still too chicken to try tramadol again).

Hope its not the bed schmeegle as its only 3 years old and was our 3rd attempt to get the right one so cost a fortune in the end ... have tried 100s of pillows lol the attic is full of them but thanks!

Neck could just be old age (otherwise known as "wear and tear") but legs I feel should be able to sort out.

Off to get the shopping in now while I am still awake enough to drive

Is internet shopping a common side effect of pregabalin?!

I'm this close to buying a pair of dungarees of all things.

They look so damn comfortable......

Nay not pregabalin just pain reducing your entire world to the sofa/bed/whatever...still...dungarees are you sure?
Oh Ally that's rather worse than twitchy/itchy which is what Tramadol does to me...wish I could help!

Isn't shopping a side effect of being female?

And what Berrie said. I get the itchies too. I get all side effects lol.

Think I have cracked the thigh pain - Dr Google finally mentioned having an injury from legs akimbo and I remembered when I was getting my nails done yesterday (yes I know - high maintenance ) we had the heater under the table and both sat with legs akimbo for a bit until it hurt too much (she has a bad back too). Yeehaa - was all over sciatica and osteoarthritis but like this one much better.

No idea re reck though

reck? neck obviously

shutting up now

Ha...not sure I would have known how to spell akimbo!
You glamour puss you! What with you and your nails...matilda and her eyelashes shmee and her dungarees...I'm beginning to feel a little frumpy!

it's all over for me and the eyelashes for now. They cause too much damage and I'm not probably not going down the route of going every two weeks. Did have my nails done yesterday,though. Another high maintenance one. Going back for another session of electrolysis later, god, it's changed my life. Bastard chin hairs no more! Apparently I would make a good case study in successful treatment ( she had to put the machine on it's highest setting. Did it hurt? Yes).

Ally. Are you doing your constructive rest? My AT. Teacher does lovely things with my neck though it's not even sore.

Berrie, I'm not sure if this is good or bad???someone told me that rats and mice never coexist in an area. So if it's a mouse then that's good because The Rat Family have left home. Or it might not be a mouse.... Had to snort a bit at him sneaking in through yet another appliance route. Has he got a map of your house?. No doubt your DH will be able to fill the gap. Or maybe do it yourself .