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

Our Last Thread

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

Constructive Rest. A Simple Exercise Anyone Can Do

Wow, lots of posts over the weekend. Thank you BB for your kind remarks. .

One thing that stands out from some of these experiences is that pain and injury level do not always correlate the way we may expect. With true grit BB has ploughed through a nasty injury. Sadly her GP was pretty unproactive about referrals but sounds about normal. It was probably wrong to be discharged from hospital in the first place with no plan TBH. Even a wrist fracture gets you sent to the appropriate clinic. The MRI findings may well be present in a big section of the community. What is annoying is that nobody listens to what we are saying.min this case it's as if BB isn't complaining enough and in others we are making too much fuss about moderate scan findings.

We are all intelligent adults: if I saythe pain is unbearable then it is. If I say it's getting better,support me back to work then that's what I need, please.

The Fuzz, what a long time spent laid up, are you managing to get out and more mobile? It sounds very hard.

Miss Triggs, my iPad comes up with even worse ideas that autocorrect on the voice recognition. . Sitting is my worst possible position so I tend to recline with knees bent and supported, back supported and I
Pad on a cushion on my knees. It's very true that being on mumsnet is a mixed blessing: great support from Those Who Get It but a terrible time waster and procrastination device.

I had a shocking week last week after a trip to the hairdresser. Then on Saturday I took my neice to the theatre which was long booked and have been fairly ok since. Go figure.

Happy Monday.

Sorry, I don't mean MRI findings of fractures but of disc degeneration and bulges.

Certainly Matilda I'm quite shocked looking back at what happened in A&E.

Last year, I went to the Doc with a numb arm, which we thought was a trapped nerve. I ended up being referred to neurology who ordered scans of my head & neck and it turns out I have bone spurs pressing on the nerve roots exiting into my arms (C7). At the time, it was only my left affected. Now I have pain and numbness all the way down the right side of my body and weakness in my left arm but no pain on that side.

I have had a course of physio but I am back to the way i was in spite of doing exercises at home. I am getting a bit frustrated about the wait for another neurology appointment and scan and a little bit panicky, too. I have chased 3x already. Neurologist is on permanent voicemail and booking centre just say I'm on the waiting list. Physio did not call me back either.

So, really, I'm wondering a) if anyone else has had the same and is it serious and b) what do I do now?

Gandolph, I did know someone with the same diagnosis. She was offered either surgery or injections. Like you she waited a silly amount of time between every appointment and her pain continued for ages.

From what she said the surgery was presented as the only option for getting rid of it and was also presented as low risk. For that discussion you would need to see a neurosurgeon. Sorry, I don't know what she decided in the end. Sounds an awful condition to have. In the meantime perhaps your GP could refer you to pain management for injections or prescribe stronger pain relief?

Did you have any positive response to physio Gandalf? You mentioned being "back" where you were.

I am sorry you are going through this.

That's very interesting,Matilda, because they seem very very reluctant to offer surgery. In fact my own GP said it's not always successful

Triggs, I did have a fairly good response as far as pain down my right side is concerned but it did nothing for the numbness in my left arm. The pain is not quite as bad but is still flaring up over not very much. I've noticed numbness and heaviness is still there down my right side too

I think the trouble with physical therapy is that it isn't just "a course", it's a new way of life. Naturally, we can't keep it up by just practising at home, any more than I would expect someone to keep maintaining their violin technique without regular lessons...... their practice would go "off" after a while.

The NHS however offers a "course"....

There is a pitiful dearth of multidisciplinary approaches....

Have you got any money and do you live somewhere not too remote? What are your choices here? My neurologist favoured an osteopathic approach and this has a major advantage over physio in that it does not depend on your own correct technique. now however I have plateaued and have to get really really good at Pilates and do it every day for the rest of my life....you can see why people end up becoming fitness instructors!

Have you considered Alexander Technique?

I work so have a bit of money but don't know much. There are some local acupuncture and physio places. There might possibly might be osteopath as well. It might be something worth looking into if the cost isn't exorbitant

I posted on here a few weeks back and unfortunately I am still suffering with what the GP thinks is sciatica. I basically feel like I have pain like tooth ache in my left hip and buttock that some times continental down my leg and to my ankle I also have what feels like muscle pain in my outer thigh and a stiff knee, does this sound like sciatica to you knowledgeable people and if so what can I do to help this I have been given a sheet with excrsizes on fro.gp and am due to see physio at the end of April I was just confused as I though sciatica was nerve pain can it include muscles as well or could this be something else

TIA xxxx

I thought sciatica was nerve pain too and what you describe does sound like nerves apart from the muscular bit. Mine was quite sharp but have just had tendonitis for 5 months which was more like toothache imo. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along soon. Do you have the right painkillers?

Just saw this thread - have been having a very painful back for the past few weeks after I fell down a hill (dragged down by my neck by DD who fell and grabbed me) and finally went to the doctor last week when it was clear it wasn't getting better by itself. The pain is manageable and bearable with strong painkillers and muscle relaxants but still bad with certain movements. Wondering if I should go back to the doctor and ask for x-rays to be taken?

They might not go for that as the general rule for back pain seems to be "wait and see" and to be fair most issues resolve within 6 weeks. You can try it from the fall angle and see if they will x-ray but I assume GP examined you and didn't think you'd done any real harm? This of course coloured by my many rubbish experiences with my rubbish GP practice ... you may have more luck!

I think she might have ordered an x-ray when I went in there if it had been during working hours when the x-ray was open but I went in the evening so all she could do was check that I could feel my legs and move my feet. It seems to be quite hit and miss with my local doctors, whether they will investigate the cause of some pain or just tell you to keep taking painkillers.

I haven't even been given painkillers from GP did discuss the pain but they wouldn't give me anything so just having to manage myself it isn't helped by the fact that I need 2 wisdom teeth out and they hurt too I am that despair ate I have even been go ogling can wisdom teeth cause sciatica lolx

Urgh that's pretty rubbish of the GP not to give any painkillers! Though I suppose I might not have been given any prescription ones if I could take NSAIDs but I can't so Panacod was the only plausible option really as paracetamol alone doesn't sod all for the pain. Anti-inflammatory gel on the back works well though, wonder if that would help for sciatica?

You can buy co-codamol over the counter but its a lower dose of codeine than the prescription ones. Sorry you clearly have a rubbish GP too lozwil. I think the gels do help a little or maybe its the massage part?

Thank you both GP is a big surgery so it's pot luck who you see I will try the gel to see if it does anything if not its a good excuse for a massage.

Hope everyone has has a good and as pain free weekend as possible.

They don't sell co-codamol in my country.

I find piroxicam gel works better than voltaren gel.

I haven't posted in a loong time I hope everyone is having a 'good' day.

I have learned that I have a bulging disk at l5.

Well in November my pain was out of control, I'd been told to give it time, have physio, take ibuprofen and paracetamol. It got to the point where I was taking 32 neurofen plus a day. I went back to the GP and told them, they prescibed me codiene to stop taking the neurofen and gabapentin. Also baclofen for the spasm. I ended up losing my job because I was in so much pain, a job I only had for two weeks because I left my old one because it was affecting my mental health.

Two weeks ago I had an mri and have had a phone call from the spinal clinic and they have said that I need a nerve block.

Now I haven't worked since December, I got a new job yesterday and start next week, yay I've told them that I will need days off for the nerve block.

However I know that my pain is going to increase because I'll be moving a lot more and on my feet for 8 hours a day. I've got a Dr's appointment on Friday, so I can explain all this, but I'm worried that because of my history with neurofen plus, that I'm going to be told that I need to take paracetamol and ibuprofen. They don't touch the pain.

This is a good job with a good company, that could lead to great things. I'm scared I'm going to screw it up because of my back

Anyway it was good to write that down.

and for everyone in pain tonight.

It really is a GP lottery. Lozwil, yes, this is sciatica or, as it is most often described now, leg pain. Honestly...see any number of neuros and pain experts and they ask you about leg pain not sciatica. The further down it goes the worse, apparently but that toothache of the buttock? It's agony.

So, on that basis why the actual fuck has your GP not prescribed you any analgesia? A helpful physio sheet is all very lovely but then again not likely to enable you to function. Go back and get upset. Although you will probably be offered either anti inflammatory meds or opiates nerve pain tends to respond best to meds like amitriptyine, gabapentin or the pricier pregablin. For me, as described above, a combination helps. Then you need a diagnosis so an MRI might be useful.

Thisis, well done on the new job. Let's hope the nerve block comes through soon and helps. Good luck with your GP appointment. Hopefully your MRI results will help them to prescribe correctly and monitor you closely to help you with the right doses. I'm sure you know this but you cannot mess with these meds, you simply have to keep going back if the pain is uncontrolled.

I've had a shockingly bad pain day but a nice meal with my family and my weekly fix of The Night Manager .

Do hope you are all ok.

Thanks for the reply I am going to try to call the GP, it's a nightmare trying to get an appointment with them without it clashing with the school run and I can't have any more time off work just been off sick a month no buttock ache this morning thank god but pain above my hip. I am starting to wonder though if it is something else no extra pain on movement or restricted movement and surly I would have one of those too been investegatwd for ibs type symptoms maybe it is something to do with that ?????

Hope you get an appointment soon and get some better help with this.

I'm not feeling too bad today so I'm going to wait it out for a bit longer and just renew my prescription and see how things go.

Thank you, I am glad you are feeling ok today.

Hi hope everyone is ok still suffering with sciatica but getting a bit desperate now I have been woken up at 4 every morning this week because of it not getting anywhere with GP's. I have health cover with work but I need to be referred for an mri which would then be free if by a consultant I was wondering as my gp won't do this as they think it isn't necessary would I just be able to phone a private hospital and get this arranged cos I rely need to know what is causing it and to rule out anything sinister as my gp puts it