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

Matilda im glad you had a great time yesterday. Thank you for your advice, I will try and be assertive but not very good at it. im out to friends tonight for a curry as its Dh birthday so hoping that will cheer me up. Its at a friends over the road so at least I can stand up without feeling like an idiot. Have a great day and rest up.

Hello, me again i'm going to drive you all mad now i've found you. I went to the doctors yesterday after an awful weekend and being sent home from work and fell apart. Doctor has now prescribed tramadol 50mg one or 2, every four or 6 hours and lyrica pregabalin 50mg one, three times a day. As im currently taking amiltryptaline she said take tramadol (plus paracetamol and ibuprofen) for two days then stop the amiltryptline and start the lyrica. Does this all sound ok? I have been referred for a scan as well. I forgot to ask what sort and how long I will have to wait.
I have taken the rest of the week off work as im in too much pain and to see how I get on with these drugs as they may affect how I am. I also have osteopath later and physio on Thursday. She suspects its a disk rather than nerve irritation as im not responding to physio but I dont know what difference it makes with regard to treatment.

Hi Meg, sorry you are suffering so but at least it is some kind of progress. New meds should be helpful with pain but do expect to feel very sleepy at the beginning. Do continue paracetamol with the Tramadol. I still take my nighttime amitriptyine plus the lyrica, not sure how much it adds but my GP felt it was a small dose and helps me to sleep so keep it going.

The scan will probably be an MRI, length of wait seems to vary wildly depending where you live. You could call the surgery and ask for an estimate.

Just to say that on these new meds and your current pain levels you might not get back to work as quickly as you hope. Keep an open mind but it may be a little while. Anyway, hope you have had some tramadoland probably floating on the ceiling if anything like my early days on it ( it stops doing this).

Hello all!
Meg glad you are getting sorted. I didn't reply to the first part of your story -brought back a lot of bad memories of being ignored. Not very supportive of me - sorry! Glad you are getting proper pain relief and a scan. Matlida is right - you might need a while off to get back on your feet.
Which brings me on to my question!
Because DH is now unemployed I have to reluctantly think about getting a full time job. I went to look round a local school which has one advertised.
I just asked one of my referees if I can use her again and she finished by saying she would have to mention my back. Is that true? Do referees mention health issues? It feels unfair since the problems I had this time last year were caused by a fall rather than a re occurrence of the disc trouble I had 8 years ago (although I guess my back may have been more susceptible to the damage than other peoples...) Thing is...I haven't actually had time off while employed by this person anyway. She just knows about it because she is my children's Headteacher.
Is that a required part of a reference? Usually I have to put it on the health screening thing done after I get a job and I get called in to see a nurse because of it who then passes me as fit to work but this is all anonymous and separate from the school.
Oh and the class is an infant one with little chairs and tables...

No, I think she is wrong. She is supplying a reference regarding you as an employee, so reliability. Punctuality,mlength of service etc. hopefully a few lines about how marvellous you are. Your health is nothing to do with this especially if you were never off with it anyway. Hopefully they will send a tick box form.

Perhaps email her with something along the lines of, 'Hi Ms Head, thank you so much for agreeing to act as referee. I am slightly concerned about the need to mention my back problem last year ( caused by a fall) since this will be covered during my health clearance checks and I wouldn't want unnecessary prominence given to the issue since it is now fully resolved. As you will recall I was rarely sick during my time at x school, a time I remember with great fondness. Best wishes, Berr1e.'

I think she's wrong too. My understanding of references is that only positive, true things should be said with no reference to health.
Matildas email response is excellent, if she insists on mentioning your health then you need to look for another referee, even if it difficult, think laterally about other people you have worked with.

Hello there May I join? I have thoracic outlet syndrome On both sides So please excuse the typographical errors As I am having to rely on voice recognition. I would greatly appreciate any advice about nerve compression starting from the neck. It is very difficult to strike the balance between treating the back and aggravating the nerves further. My arm arteries are compressed also but I can deal with that by not elevating the arms.

Thanks Matilda...that is really helpful. I think the problem is the two Headteachers are mates...next door schools so they will talk informally. I can certainly use a different referee but I think it unlikely now she knows I am applying that they won't talk about me...been in tears again at work today. Just not coping at all at the moment with all the topsey turviness and uncertainty in our lives yet alone taking on a new full time role.
Tomorrow is another day!

Welcome MissTriggs Sorry you have need to be here.
I've not heard of thoracic outlet syndrome, could you tell us about it?

Thanks too Mere.
Sorry - long day.

Thanks for asking about thoracic outlet syndrome. It's a funny one. The arteries and nerves that supply your arms meet up within the trunk of your body. Then they have to wiggle under your collarbone through a very crowded space with three bends in it. If you compress that crowded area you can squash the nerves and the arteries with predictably bad results.
There's an interesting feminist angle to it as apparently it is a very under diagnosed condition And it is usually women in their forties who get it! I have it on both sides which is very debilitating. Normal household tasks bring on the symptoms. The only good thing about having it on both sides is that bilateral symptoms in the hands are taken very seriously by doctors so I had the various scans quite quickly and then I was lucky enough to go to a neurologist who recognise the condition (apparently many people go for months if not years without a diagnosis and sometimes eventually losing the use of their arms)

Crikey Mrs Triggs. Sounds awful.

Is there anything to be done?

miss Triggs,that does sound very unpleasant. I'm guessing you have had physio, chiro or similar? What would the standard treatments be or is it a medication route? Sorry not to be more help.

I believe today is payback day for daring to go to the theatre on Tuesday.

Berr1e, sorry you are feeling so rotten. Perhaps not the best time to be chasing full time work but I realise it's hardly an ideal situation. Keep posting. Any prospects for dh at the moment?

Hi again,

Completely forgot I posted here! Thank you for your suggestions.

I am meant to be seeing a physio but as yet have not heard anything. Just before I ended up in hospital, I was taking naproxen but stopped it to see if it was doing anything. Now I have no idea if it was and that's why my pain flared or if the pain flare was a seperate thing! The doctor who discharged me said that I did not need naproxen just ibuprofen as I had only needed to boost my pain relief with oramorph once that day so my pain couldn't be that bad!!!

As for the Amytriptyline, I am already taking fluoxetine and thanks to a friend questioning me on it, I mentioned it to the doctors who then found out the two cannot be taken together. I had already told them I was taking an anti depressant but hey!

Have had a bad few days and am having to rely on my crutches lots now. Have been sent an appointment for nerve conduction studies on my legs but nothing on my neuro appointment yet. I have an appointment next Wednesday with a doctor and am not leaving there until I get better pain relief!

May be TMI but how do you all 'regulate' yourselves taking codeine etc? I am struggling at the moment!

Why can't we all just be better eh!

Lactulose. . Big slug at bedtime works for me usually. Others prefer movicol, prunes etc but definitely get on it because straining discomfort is the last thing you need.

And yes, sounds like the naproxen was helping more than you realised.

Thanks for the replies! It is comforting
Sorry to hear about the payback for the theatre trip
My thoracic outlet syndrome "should" Be curable but what is depressing is that I wasted time on my first Physio who took far too long to admit that she was stuck. And wasting time is not a good thing… Now I am seeing an osteopath and we are trying to find the balance between treating the underlying compression without damaging the nerves.
Most physical therapists have heard of the condition because you can get it very mildly on one side. I think that's why my first Physio was over confident. In contrast, my GP had never heard of the condition and that is really bad because it means there is no standard treatment and no multi disciplinary approach. Part of the psychological pressure is that I feel there is a clock ticking but I suppose that is silly provided that the nerves continue to function.

and gin lactulose for all of you. Such bloody hardship on this thread.

oh dear Miss that sounds nasty

Sorry to hear you are all having such an awful time ... but progress with Meg at least

Agree re the ref Berrie .. sorry you have to go full-time again

I'm late to the party so I apologise just looking for anyone with similar and advice

I fell down the stairs last July and bashed my coccyx quite hard, for a few weeks after that it was very painful to sit or stand but eventually this got easier. Not long after I was pregnant and the pain would come back if I sat too long on hard seats and that combined with baby weight I thought wouldn't help but again this would come and go.

Anyway DD is 6 months and I'm still getting pain on and off. At the minute it's more uncomfortable than sore but it feels all tingly almost? And like I need a poo (sorry tmi) and when I do have a movement it does cause some pressure. I haven't seen a doctor as all I've read is they won't do anything and it just takes time.

What has been your symptoms after a coccyx injury?

Hello Hot, I've never had a coccyx injury thank goodness because those who have done on previous threads all took a long time to heal. My ds did have a problem for ages and saw a chiro which helped a lot.

As a former midwife I would also suggest that your pregnancy hormones and birth allow the coccyx to be more mobile than usual. In childbirth this is a good thing as it increases the space for the baby to be born. It sounds as if a possibility for you is that combined with your injury your coccyx is still slightly out of kilter. The abnormal sensation could be some pressure on a nerve.

As you say a GP won't have much to offer beyond drugs and physio. Might be worth going for a chat, though and then exploring a chiro or osteopath. If you do then I very much recommend asking friends etc for recommendations because they vary wildly.

Hope that helps.

hot do you know for certain that it was only your coccyx that was hurt? did you have MRI or x-ray to confirm? If not go to docs for further investigation, to rule out other back injury. It's possible with a fall and impact on bottom that damage elsewhere may have occurred due to the impact/compression in the fall. Not saying there is more damage, but if not already scanned, get it done so you know what you are trying to manage for sure.

that is a very good point Pavlov - it's common to assume a symptom is down to a reason we know about, when it could be something else

Hello. I hope you are all ok and having a good week. I have seen the consultant today as I was lucky enough to get a cancellation. He said it sounds like a bulging disk and has referred me for an urgent Mri which I should get within two weeks. He did talk about surgery but I guess we will see what the scan shows. I feel a bit more positive as he was so understanding. Also he hs had sciatica himself and had a discectomy this year so had been through it himself.