Chronically fed up with chronic back pain.

[KitKat1985]

Hi all.

Hope everyone is well. Not really sure what I'm asking for here - some advice or just need a whinge. Long story abbreviated: Badly burst my L4/L5 disc in my back about 6 years ago. I have some nerve damage to my right leg because of it (although that doesn't really bother me that much - it's just numbness in some areas). Spent several months in agony living on strong co-codamol, ibuprofen and diazepam just to get through each day. Things have gradually improved although I've been in chronic pain ever since, although I have better and worse phases. In my worst flare ups I get severe back spasms and end up 'tilted' to one side. I've been to a doctor several times over the years (including 2 different consultants in back pain) and I've had 3 steroid injections in my back, done physio (and still do physio exercises every day now) and I'm still in pain. It's manageable on a daily basis most days with physio exercises and OTC pain-killers but it's not ideal. I was pregnant last year which obviously didn't help, and now that DD is getting heavy (she's nearly 1 now) things are just getting harder. I refuse to let it stop me doing things, and have only had a handful of days off work the past 6 years (and they've been days where I pretty much can't move) otherwise I just take pain-killers and get on with it. I don't even talk about it much with friends or family as I don't want them to think I'm just whinging. However I do a physical job and my maternity leave ends in just over 2 weeks and I'm dreading that aspect of it. I'd be lying if said I wasn't fed up now. It just seems never ending and after 6 years I feel I've reached a point where this is going to be life-long and I'm only 30 so that's a pretty depressing thought. I've considered going back to my GP but honestly not sure if it's worth it (plus getting an appointment there is a nightmare). I'm not sure there's not really much more they can offer me. I can't afford to see a chiropractor / osteopath right now (scraping the last few saved pence of my maternity pay) and I just don't know where to go from here. Has anyone else been in the same boat? Did anything help?

It's really crap isn't it. I'm in a similar position with a very active 2yo. I'm sure lifting her sometimes doesn't help but you can't always avoid it. The endlessness of the pain, even when it's not that bad, feels very draining I find.

This week I decided to go see a podiatrist to see if it's actually the way I walk that causes the pain. He suggested insoles - he would make me some nice bespoke ones but suggested I try off the shelf first as I was self-funding my appointment. Could your GP refer you for something like this? You never, it could help.

I find it difficult talking to people about it too because I don't to be defined by my bad back.

Thanks TheFuture. Have some for you too.

I hate talking to people in RL about my back pain. I'm always worried (because I'm still relatively young - sort of!) that people will think I'm just whinging and it's not that bad, or that I'm just trying to get a sick note or to get out of doing heavy lifting or simillar.

Yeah I suppose I should try and see a GP again. To be fair the last time I saw her was last year when pregnant and she basically said there wasn't much she could do whilst I was pregnant apart from advise regular paracetamol and make a physio referral, so I guess there might be a tablet or something I could try now I'm no longer pregnant or BF. The insoles sound interesting - hope they help you. x

It's not a cure, but Bio-Freeze (roll-on) helps with my chronic back pain, without adding to the list of usual medical painkillers.

Can the go refer you to a chiropractor, or start saving to see one.

Oh thanks EmNetta I'll look out for that. Can you get it at most chemists? Trinity I'd really like to try a chiropractor, but money is tight right now. Maybe once I'm back at work and have a few pay packets under my belt again I'll give it a try.

Anyway just to update I popped into my GP's again today to try and get an appointment and by luck they just had a cancellation for 20 minutes time so I took it. The GP was nice and has given me a stronger prescription for when I have bad days (codeine) and have agreed to refer to the consultant again. I'm not sure anything will come of it but at least I know I'll have tried.

Bugger chiropractors and the like. If you have been in pain this long, you need to address it in a different way.

The problem is doing the things sequentially rather than all at once in a massive, supervised blitz.

I think you need a referral to a pain consultant - this would be done via another consultant, something called a tertiary referral. They can then put you on a pain management course, which will be full-time for about three weeks and gives you the kind of medical support normally only Olympic athletes get. Hydrotherapy, physio, gym, cognitive therapy, psychological counselling, instruction in pharmacology, instruction in pain gate theory, occupational therapy and a group support environment. Bloody fantastic. I went in as a complete cynic and came put a new woman. And I was a right bloody mess, as people on here will tell you. I could barely get from the house to the car.

Speak to your GP and try to start off the process. DM me if you like.

Wow that's amazing BoffinMum. I'm not sure it's available where I live though as I've never heard of anything like that around here sadly. I'm pleased it's helped you though. It's really good to hear positive stories. xx

Do you need surgery? I had a massive herniation at L5/S1 which severely incapacitated me. A discectomy sorted it out like you wouldn't believe - I wouldn't say I'm totally pain free, but I can do things like run 10km races so I must be fairly OK

Chronic pain programmes mentioned

Hmmm it came up before SlipperyJack but the opinion of my consultant was that discectomy's were only really particularly effective at curing sciatic leg pain rather than back pain per se, and since my leg doesn't really bother me (well not anymore) he didn't recommend it.

Oh thanks for the link BoffinMum.

Aha, I see. My problem was mainly sciatica and numbness/foot droop, so I guess that makes sense. However, if your back is spasming due to nerve compression, I don't really see why surgery wouldn't be effective for that too?

KitKat these things tend to be insider knowledge so finding the right route to the pain consultant is key.

I'm not sure either SlipperyJack. Guess I need to hear what the new consultant says (although I'm sure it's going to take a few weeks to get the appointment through).

BoffinMum yeah I can certainly ask the consultant when I see him / her and ask if they have anything similar running, thank you for the advice. x

All back pain sufferers please feel free to join the Back Pain support thread. Heaps of experience, advice and other chat. The poster who was advised that surgery before back pain was not successful was correct. I wish I had met such an honest surgeon. Back pain can be managed if not cured.

Regarding Pain Management courses,mthey aren't all full time. I did one which was eight weeks of Tuesday mornings. It was helpful but many participants were of the opinion that their pain was 'special' and the taught techniques could not work. I gained a lot. No medication reduction but some good tips. Getting a referral to a Pain Cliic is a good start, many hospitals have them though they are woefully underfunded.

I was going to say what Boffin said - you need to see a pain consultant who can completely review your meds etc.

Longer terms finding some sort of exercise regime in addition to your physio will help and also stopping things that aggravate it such as hip carrying a toddler - have you looked at using a hippy chick??

You may need to push push push for the help you need but in the long term getting the proper help is cheaper for the state than fobbing you off with pain relief and not a lot else.

KitKat, I have to order the Bio-Freeze and it costs about £10, unfortunately. The chiropractor I saw made me yelp with pain, so I wouldn't see one again, and after years at two Pain Clinics there was no reason to continue, although I did learn some pain management techniques at the time. Sorry I can't be more positive, but good luck for future.

I forgot - have you tried a Tens machine? It's wonderful if it works.

You can get TENS machines for around £30 for back care and the use completely different settings from labour ones.

Thank you for all of your advice. I will have to see if there is a pain management course on around here. I've never heard of one but I guess that doesn't mean that there isn't one. I've used TENs for labour but never thought of using it for my back pain. So thank you, I'll look into that. x

Dual Channel TENS

This is the type hospitals use for chronic pain and you need to get advice on pad positioning and pulses, etc, because as I said, you are trying to do something very different from manage labour pain.

You can leave these machines on for hours and indeed the more you use them the better they often work.

Where are you based kitkat?

I'm in East Sussex. x

Course near you

Not as intensive as mine but still looks good.