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

Ok I see .. hope the MRI makes things clearer and its something fixable. How disappointing that the 1st surgery didn't last .. you must have been beyond gutted at that time. Makes you wonder if it would have been better to do it all at once after all ... no point to that though I guess as its done.

I know you will do all the research before doing anything else. Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight ... craps night sure do not help us!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't visited a while, I am back at work, we have a new manager now and to be honest he seems to want to shake things up, hopefully for the better.
My mil is in hospital with her dementia and uti, things got quite bad lately with her.

I am still applying for other jobs as our place has got so bad now, its not care anymore.

we had cqc in for couple days last week, unannounced, we were all honest and of course line manager hit the roof.

dd breaks up on tuesday so at least no more school runs for a bit.

Apart from the bulging disk I have they think I might have sonething wrong with piriformas muscles as well.

I actually think my Friday night glass of wine was a very bad idea. I felt proper bad in my stomach the next day and today too. I didn't think it would have such an effect now that my Gabapentin dose is steady.
Has anyone else risked a couple of glasses of vino whilst taking Gabapentin?

I really do feel for you Pavlov, I'd probably be inclined to request a meeting with new manager to give them a full and frank statement of your current situation. The level of pain, the drugs you are taking, how the pain impacts you daily. New manager has probably just read personnel file which doesn't give enough info to understand your suffering but they need to know and will probably be sympathetic.
I think? I would hope.

pinkola hope work eases a little with the new manager. Any ideas whether you can move into reception work permanently with the new manager here? My DC have broken up for summer already, they get 7 weeks this year!

cain my direct manager, and my ACO are both supportive about my health problems, am protected to a good degree under the Equality act as disabled, but, my back problem has gone on for more than 3 years now and has taken a huge toll on my sick leave. I have been much much more leniency than I would have if I did not have a disability and many measures have been put in place to help me stay at work. However, since the government privatised 70% of my profession, the other 30% are now governed by centralised HR. I have never met, and am unlikely to meet, the person who is now in charge of managing my sickness absence. I have a HR rep assigned to my 'case' and any time I take off has to be reported to that person by my manager, and my manager is directed as to what action needs to be taken. She has much less wiggle room now. It's about stats and scores and legalities rather than personal wellbeing.

But, to be fair, I have had a good run, and a private company would have fired me by now, so anything extra right now is a bonus.

My manager also has first hand experience of back pain too. She had a prolapsed disc last year and some vertebral fractures were found, but she was fortunate in that (for now) she recovered enough to have manageable back pain now, she says mostly pain free as long as she keeps moving - took her 3 months off work and another few months back to get anywhere near normal, so I guess she is sympathetic as I'm gonna get! She knows what meds I take (minimise it a little, don't want them to think I take too much as they might send me home if they think I am too 'stoned' to make rational decisions). She lets me go early if I am really and if it's an hour or two, she'll not expect me to work it back (as such, I rarely take her up on that, maybe 30 mins occasionally, but need to be really bad to leave an hour or more early, but have done). I can come in late - the deal is 9:30-10am start, 2:30-3pm finish, with wiggle room in start time as long as my work doesn't impact on my colleagues and my work gets done/hours get done overall (apart from when I leave early sick then she just counts it as worked).

I have done hardly anything today. bit of tidying, but mostly organising type - kitchen cupboards organised for example. Sat and watched a film with the children, helped DD set up a blog for writing about the summer holidays, had an hour without any children. Pain is higher than it should be for a pottering day. But, it's still a break.

Burnt my fingers three times cooking bloody fish fingers when my back couldn't manage my bending slightly to get the tray from the grill, followed by a shooting pain of sciatica that made me yelp as I was picking up a fish finger from the tray and it made me jump and hit the hot tray! Ouch! And I bloody burnt the fish fingers. I can't even cook fish fingers any more, my kitchen skills are gone

cain how you feeling today after your stomach playing up, btw? (sorry I withered on without commenting on that! rude ) do you usually get stomach pains with wine and meds? Awful if so, although, I rarely drink these days due to all the meds.

Lol at Pavlov and the fish fingers. Its good your boss has had back surgery so she does understand. I used to get the look when I complained (which I always interpreted as we don't believe you) at work ... thank God I left - I'd have gone mad there.

Lol at Pavlov and the fish fingers. Its good your boss has had back surgery so she does understand. I used to get the look when I complained (which I always interpreted as we don't believe you) at work ... thank God I left - I'd have gone mad there.

oops posted too soon trying to do a paragraph!

Hope you are all having an ok day. We are off on a long car trip trying to fit in a few relatives .. and yes I have plenty of drugs with me... will let you know how it went eek!

Pavlov, I spoke to new manager today about reception work, I explained my previous history and was basically told no. I need to think if its the right environment for me, then I went on to say about my line manager and that today we were short again and I didn't get to do personal care in someone tilafter llunch and was told well what could you di better, I said nothing as I hadnt stopped and then was told maybe all our floor need to work as a team, to which I replied we do. So not sure whether new manager will be worse than last.

Sorry Pavlov, a bit of teaching granny to suck eggs from me there re your work.

As for stomach probs, I hadn't tried mixing wine and meds before but I suppose I've learnt a lesson. It's not worth it!

Has anyone tried the exercises recommended in Treat Your Own Back by Robin McKenzie? I thought I might give them a very tentative try and see if it helps at all. I found it when researching sciatica and have bought it on my kindle.

What are the exercises, Cain? I've done the basic bending backwards for my lower spine for a long time and it has helped greatly, until my back went into meltdown a few months ago when it was excrutiating to do.

I only managed a quick scan yesterday as I've been fairly busy but it seems to be sets of initial, ongoing and then emergency exercises to recondition the spine and correct posture.
I saw a recommendation on a runners site and thought it would be worth a look. He seems to have good credibility in the medical world so I didn't think it was some kind 'Dr' Gillian McKeith fad!

I've not read that book but have read, and still dip into Back Sufferers Bible by Sarah Keys which sounds like a similar philosophy. Acute, sub acute and chronic pain management.

I personally avoid cobra exercise like the plague after a physio insisting I did or else find I won't ever stand straight. Insisted regardless of the pain. My leg pain went from not great in my right leg to horrendous pain and numbness in my left (central broad based disc bulge) and my scan went from mild bulge to prolapse impinging on the nerve. It happened within days and I am certain it was doing cobra while in an acute phase of pain. So proceed with that exercise with caution.

Yeah, McKenzie seems to recommend starting very small with that stretch, basically just lying on your stomach so many times a day over a few days. You also have to monitor the pain as the aim is for it to move away from the legs and be just in the back. If it continues in the leg or moves further down the leg then you have to stop.

If anyone reading this thread wants to try that, please buy the book rather than trying anything I describe as there seems to be more to it than just adopting a position.

I would hate to be responsible for further injury and it's only £8 on the kindle.

I've got nothing on today so am going to read it properly and give it a go.

I had to drive yesterday, just a half hour each way with a bit of a walk in between but I'm in agony today. I had to have a lie down afterwards although I'm not sure bed rest is always a good thing.

Will take it slowly and report back. It would be nice if I could report a miracle cure as described in the intro but I'm reasonably sceptical!

I personally would be wary of trying to learn and do exercises from a book unless you are a very experienced exerciser. I did Pilates for years pre injury and did basic back care exercises from a sheet initially. Then I went to my old Pilates instructor on a private one to one basis and she watches my every movement like a hawk. Would it be possible to have one or two private physio sessions?

I continue to see her once a week to keep my doing things correctly. She also does a great, if painful massage.

I need to see her ASAP as I'm in pain from my left shoulder down to my foot , luckily I have an appointment in the morning. Had a busy few days and this is the price I have to pay. Hope everyone is okish.

Well it's a very definite No to McKenzie for me at the moment.

My back has been pretty bad today, I think due to driving yesterday. Whilst I managed my usual walk, it felt like I'd been kicked in the spine for most of it so all I did was lie on my stomach for a short while this evening.

I began to notice that what was pins and needles in the toes of my right foot changed to a burning sensation. I changed on to my back fairly quickly but my toes and the top of my foot near my toes are now alternating between burning and cold sensations and I have a lot of back and leg pain.

I will leave that experiment alone for the time being.
Oh well .

Self inflicted suffering here and just having a self pitying whinge. Had a far too busy week. Out almost all day today and despite doubling up certain meds am feeling complete lock-up of the spine coming on.

Oh, and I absolutely have to go out tonight.

Told you so, whine over. Hope everyone else is sensibly avoiding the rain and doing good, quiet activities.

Matilda I hope your back has back-tracked on its lock-up and that you're feeling much better today.

Cain I meant to say earlier that you're probably as well trying any exercise when relatively pain free. I find lying on my front with my upper back problem (fractures) agony. Do you have a gym/birthing ball? Doing extensions against that (when the time's right ) I find much easier, standing up against the wall. Also very gently rocking against it can be very comforting when in pain. Hope you're feeling better today too, and everyone else of course

hiya all, haven't posted for ages sorry- half busy and half forget to do things when i think of them.
hope you are all having a n ok day. hope your back pain has gone off a bit matilda it can be sod's law sometimes that you have to go out when you might feel if not duty-bound u would have stayed in. did you have a good night i hope?
I have been in that situation lately but i dont have anything much i can double up any more. am in the habit of taking 30mg codeine every 2/3 hrs which is max as its 60 every 4hrs. this is due to slashing the diclofenac and reducing ami and pregab a bit as the cognitive sides were getting too much.
positive note I have ended my 1st year on 72% so i am well happy about that- mediocre essay marks but made good with high ones in the 3x multiple-choice q ones. am reading a book about EEG experiments and should get some experience soon.
I have heard of the back bible but not this Mackenx=zie one- maybe worth a try? do give feedback those who are reading it.
I have always burnt fishfingers even since yrs ago and being a chef too makes it even more shameful, i always forget about them!

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Oops posted too soon ... I am currently fighting with my pillows .. can't decide on one I like ... we have a loft full of them but might buy some more to try ... any recommendations?

I was using a very firm one (which took months to get used to) but my neck is killing me so might try with 2 soft ones then am stuck.

I use this pillow Ally - it's fab. Expensive, but worth it. I got it when I was having problems with my neck but still use it as it's so comfy.

I feel so uncomfortable in bed, my pillow situation is a Nightmare!
Two pillows give me a crick in my neck but if I sleep with one my lower arm seems to shift in the night to up under my head and my shoulder and upper arm hurt when I wake.
Has that pillow lasted and stayed in shape Hexigone?

I had my MRI scan today, it was fine but involved driving 20 mins each way so tonight I am sore.

I've struggled with the side effects of drugs today, sometimes just making a cup of tea feels like a struggle. I'll open the fridge to get milk and then my mind will wander and I'm standing there staring dumbly, wondering what I went in there for and close the door. Some time later I will go back to the kitchen and realise I never did make the tea! sometimes it all feels a bit surreal.

Sorry, I've just scanned that back and it's nonstop moan.

I hope everyone enjoyed the nicer weather today?

Oh I have a positive to end my post on ... I've lost nearly a stone on the pain diet. I should write a book and make my fortune!

I already tried something very like that Hexie and hated it .. kept going back to it but its in the bin now ... glad it works for you.

I am currently road testing a cool pillow from Dreams which was £50 so fingers crossed. I have exactly the same problem Cain - 2 is too much and 1 not enough. I'll let you know how this one works out.