Endless Back Stories. Support For Back Pain and Sciatica. Thread 8.

[MatildaTheCat]

Sadly there seems to continue to be a need for this thread as many of us continue to suffer from back related pain. There are many causes, the pain and misery is shared here and hopefully some comfort derived from knowing we are not alone. We are strictly non competetive and newcomers most welcome.

We can offer advice on medication and effective drug combining plus other methods of pain management.We have used different treatment options from hydrotherapy and physio to surgery. We can share our experiences of navigating the big and baffling medical world, both private and NHS 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. . We are not doctors just people who have trodden the painful path of obtaining a diagnosis and dealing with our conditions.

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.

If you have advice, need advice, need a hand to hold, want to do some shopping another skill obtained along the way , then come in. We are friendly. We talk a lot. Come in, have a and say hello

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Cauda Equina Syndrome. A must read for severe acute pain with Red Flags. Please Read

Constructive Rest. A Simple Exercise Anyone Can Do

Yes,that sounds great. Don't make any promises to your employers right now, just see how it goes, it's a nasty injury.

Now rest.

One thing I did insist on at the docs was a physio referral. She was a bit "hmm" far too soon and you don't know if you'll need it. So I asked about the waiting time and was told two to three months. I said in that case I wanted to be referred now and could cancel if necessary later on. I felt best to get on that list asap and she did refer but I was surprised when she told me if I cancelled they'd be charged anyway so please go. This is where the system isn't joined up isn't it?

Yep sounds about right .. good to hear they are working

I was unspeakably stiff this morning and it took me ages to get up and moving. However, have rested for most of the day, gently doing the dishwasher and having a little shuffle round from time to time. Carefully timing my pills. I treated myself to a little pill box yesterday to keep tabs on the 30/500 co-codomols just in case. I'm allowed a max of 8 a day and don't want to get mixed up. Eating little and often and having plenty of fluids. Almost feel stiffer today and have noticed a humungus bruise on my leg that I didn't even feel when I fell!

With love to all x Oh, and need to name change back really.

Beaufort are you Just?

After my back injury it took a good 8 weeks to even be able to potter so think in the medium term about your recovery.

One thing to be aware of is how you are sitting when resting. It is so easy to cross your legs or curve your spine. Get plenty of cushions, heat pads etc and try and get a good seating position that supports and straightens your spine.

Yes, it's me.

Am feeling absolutely floored this morning. Had to go back to bed.

What I don't understand is that the Registrar at the hospital said just conservative treatment all straightforward, take the painkillers and keep mobile and just carry on as usual. I'm beginning to realise that just isn't possible.

I'm also surpised that there is no follow up appointment. Last summer when I fractured my 5th metatarsal I was made a six week follow up appointment - when I fracture a vertebrae it's nothing .

Where the break must be doesn't seem to hurt at all; most of the pain is around my bottom which I fell on.

I've found heat pads helpful but have just read that you shouldn't use them because they increase blood flow to the fracture which is bad. Yet, the GP didn't tell me not to use them when I went for my meds and I had one on then.

I actually feel worse today, a bit woozy, but perhaps that's all the meds building up.

I'm new to this board but have had long term back pain on and off for around 13 years which hugely improved by taking up pilates.

However, I've had increased pain in my hips since the summer and eventually x-rayed which has shown up bilateral FIA and lumber spondylosis.

I have been offered physio and told to take ibuprofen and codine.

Does anyone have experience of FAI where physio does work, after a bit of research it seems that the physio will point you in the direction of pilates, which is something I already do. So it does feel a bit .

I'm hopeless at being assertive at the doctors. How long do I give physio before pushing for the next step. I'm just fed up of being in pain and being brushed aside by doctors.

I'm sorry to hear that patterkiller. I found Pilates fab for my back and was supposed to start the intermediate class last Wednesday and then this little episode happened.

Am feeling a bit better now. I eked out the co-codamol until 1.30 and then just took one. I'm ekeing them out as long as possible tonight, will take two at bedtime and might give plain paracetamol a whirl tomorrow.

What I'm now wondering is if there's any disk damage lower down that couldn't be seen on an XRay.

Hi Patter sorry I can't help .. my area of expertise seems to be post-surgery in an old git lol

I would say that anything which strengthens your core has to be good though ... if I stop my exercises (holidays, depression, blah blah) I soon pay for it big time!

Omg I am suffering today after a day out on Thursday and a fairly long period of sitting yesterday evening. I'm struggling to move though I did make it into the park this morning. My friends are so kind and walk at my snail pace but must have wondered if I was actually standing still. Hey ho, tomorrow is another day.

Hi Patter, I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with FAI, what does it stand for? Probably something stupidly obvious. I'm a huge fan of Pilates and massage and frankly, my rehab therapist who teaches Pilates was much more focuses on my back and particular parables than the many physios I saw. In terms of 'next steps' what is the next step? So many back problems aren't really fixable, more a management issue.

Beaufort/Just, hope you are feeling a bit better. The fall itself has probably caused all sorts of bruising and internal strain so do take it extremely easy. I imagine the doctor was saying 'it's ok to do things and you won't injure yourself' rather than saying that you should be able to do things. I doubt they consider more than the one actual injury they are advising on. Also, docs see people when they are acute and frankly have little area of how their patients are doing a few days or weeks later so just do what seems right as opposed to what you feel you ought to be able to do. It is a bit odd that there's no follow up, maybe query this with your GP. I doubt they would do more investigations like an MRI until you 'should have' recovered from the fracture and then have problems. Discs don't show well on X-rays.

Hope you are all wrapped up warm. My hottie is firmly attached.

Does anyone know what's likely to be making me feel woozy please. Is it the Naproxen or the Co-codamol. Have started limited the co-codamol to just one and might see how I go with just paracetamol? I think I erred this morning by forgetting to eat with the naproxen but am finding juggling my meds a bit .

This morning I struggled up at 7am with any painkillers to take my risedronate and sat upright for half an hour. Then took a co-codamol and paracetamol. before going back to bed. Got up at 10.30ish and took an omeprazole and a naproxen - then felt woozy and remembered I hadn't eaten.

Haven't had any more pain relief yet but have been sitting doing almost nothing except mumsnet. Need to have something to eat and take my Adcal and possibly two paracetamol. Then might get dressed and walk to the end of the road - that will be easier than round the garden where there are too many steps and I don't fancy muddy lawns and mossy paths as that's how I slipped at work. It's a short road - only 8 houses .

Will try and last out pain relief wise until bed time. I am at least sleeping. Am hoping to feel up to rescuing the car tomorrow if DH comes with me.

Co-codamol is causing the wooziness.
One can develop a tolerance for higher doses but you'll be feeling it full force.

Welcome Patter I'm another one that doesn't know what FAI stands for. Looks like you'll be teaching us.

Have had two paracetamol instead of the cocodamol and a bit sore but feel better.

BeaufortBelle e you new to the risedronate? I was put on a similar drug to counter the effects of high dose corticosteroids - and it really upset my stomach to the point it took several days to eat anything even after coming off it. I find co-codamol tends to make me woosy, but sometimes needs must. Hope you are feeling better. Falls always leave me sorer (and finding new bruises) a couple of days down the line too - and that's without a vertebral break.

I've been on risedronate since the beginning of September. The first medicine suggested was Alendronic Acid which is the first line but I refused it because it has a much higher risk of causing stomach problems to which I am prone. The Risedronate has been fine actually, I was a bit "tummyish" for the first couple of weeks but then it went away completely. Prescribed after a DEXA scan last summer after I fractured a bone in my foot after a fall. Osteoporosis.

Am taking omeprazole to counteract the upset tummy the naproxen causes. Have taken naproxen before for back pain.

Have only had one co-codamol today. Been taking paracetamol instead. Am a bit sorer but think that's better than being woosy. It also makes me feel safer because I can't over bend or stretch if there's some pain present.

Yes, it's the cocodamol. There are lots of ways to be creative, though. You have 30/500s? So you can buy 8/500s over the counter. Then as long as you do not exceed the paracetamol dose you can mix and match your doses.

All pain management experts will agree that you absolutely should treat pain regularly rather than letting it build and resisting the meds. Then the increased pain is harder to control. Your injury is very new so feeling a bit woozy and odd is worth it to control the pain and rest. You so must eat with the naproxen, even a milky drink or yoghurt to line your stomach.

Try to accept a bit of enforced rest and relaxation and find a box set.

So, is it OK to take one Co-codamol and one paracetamol together?

I was OK with the co-codamol the first day or two and thought it might be it all building up.

Co-codamol does build up with me too till I can hardly stay awake (which is ok sometimes) ... now I have separate 15 and 30 codeine which I mix in with the paracetamol if required

Beaufort, yes, exactly. So you can mix up the doses to give you more or less codeine but with a full 1000mg of paracetamol. I think you might have been a bit lucky to have avoided any side effects with cocodamol initially as what you describe is totally normal as its a strongish med. After a while the sleepiness does wear off though the pain relief continues. Everyone seems to react a bit differently.

Acute pain is giving your body a message to protect the injury and rest it. Many of us on here have chronic pain which is very different and why we talk about saying 'sod it' and doing things that hurt and sucking up the consequences.

Relaxation and Mindfulness are great for non drug pain relief and worth a go but still only when resting and Pacing.

Thank you. Were you PavlovtheCat once upon a time?

No but we are friends.

Feeling a bit better today. All the stuff from the National Osteoporosis Society was reassuring. I got out of bed more easily than I have been doing but then felt uncomfy but all was well after the first hour and the pills had kicked in. Went back to the doctor who has signed me off for two weeks (eek). Am going to collect dd from an afterschool thing tonight now I have liberated the car. Actually the car is the most comfy place I've been in since this happened. Thankful that I have an MPV because so easy to get into and out of compared to mini cab saloons.

I asked why there was no follow-up and he was very non commital. I pushed it and asked why I was followed up six weeks later in the fracture clinic after a teeny crack to a teeny bone in my foot but not when my spine was fractured. I was told foot bones are more likely to deform and they wouldn't usually refer a back until the end of the recovery period if it was still aching. We had a bit of a so, if it's still aching in 8 weeks and something might be wrong it's reasonable to expect me to wait another 8 weeks then? Got the well we wouldn't normally face so countered that, bearing in mind I have to work until I'm 67 and am only 55 now and it's best for me, my family and actually society for me to work as much as possible until then I don't understand why the NHS isn't doing as much as possible to make sure I stay fit and well enough to work. He sighed and said it wasn't personal (I know that) and he'd make a non urgent referral which would take about 8 weeks for me to see a back surgeon/specialist. But that was after some guff about the fact that I'd been referred back to the GP for aftercare - which is about as great as the GP saying "we don't really know to all my questions". Likelihood of further fractrures, when bisphosphonates likely to kick in, bearing in mind the hardness of the fall - was it the osteoporosis or the fall because I wouldn't like to call it, wouldn't it be helpful to know the state of my back now when deciding what to do in the future if there are future problems.

It's like pulling teeth and to me it beggars belief that there's follow up after a fractured metatarsal but not a fractured vertebrae.

Omg, I feel your pain. When my disc first prolapsed it felt as if it must be an extraordinary injury with no real treatment plans o referral pathways in place. I basically had to research and ask for every single thing. Including paying for my own MRI. Like you, I was off sick yet appointment waiting lists were at least 4-6 months to even see a consultant let alone get any kind of treatment. There must be so many people who just give up and lose their jobs and end up on sickness with chronic back pain.

When David Cameron had his disc prolapse he went straight to one of the top places in the country and had an injection before resuming his holiday. Funny that.

Anyway, glad today was a little better. On no account overdo it at this stage as it will set you back. Slow and steady will win this race.

Did he pay for it though?

Poor Dave . I believe that days after this he was flown back to the Nuffield for the injections then was able to carry on with his hols. I think this was used as a shining example of the nhs providing wonderful care. Which it does, just not very often quite so swiftly or accomodatingly.