Crippling back pain

[talkingtoclarry]

A slight twinge in my back yesterday morning has now turned into excruciating back pain which has left me in bed, unable to move for nearly 24hrs. The only thing I can think caused it is the cold I had, I did some pretty violent sneezing. I didn't do anything else which could have caused this.
I've been taking Solpadeine Max but it's not really helping. I can't even sit on the edge of the bed without nearly blacking out from the pain.
Will an out of doctors GP prescribe stronger painkillers or will they expect me to carry on with Solpadeine? I've had to stop BFing due to the Sopladeine so I might as well get the good stuff which will actually give some relief.
Poor OH has spent the last two days looking after me and our 1yr old DS but he is feeling ill himself. :( emptying my 'saucepan' chamber pot can't have helped!

Yup, am all sorted drug wise now. Another box of Tramadol along with two boxes of Naproxen which is to help with the inflammation I think. I am taking the ibruprofen but to be honest I liked the gel better, maybe it's all in the mind though!

Am going to try a bath later as I haven't had a shower/bath since Friday and I am a stinky mare! My hair looks like I have dreadlocks

Definitely won't be overdoing it on the exercise, I keep needing a lie down after every wander to the loo or kitchen so I know my limits!

Yuk! Hope you feel fresher now, although I haven't sat in a bath for months and still dread it, all that curving of my spine. Not sure I will ever bath again!

Naproxen is a form of Ibrufen, that works better on the nerve pain, I wasn't so sure, but everyone raved about it (Dr friends). Glad it's sorted, now just the Physio and you will be on your way.

Keep us updated

Wishing a speedy recovery. Worth asking physio to check your tummy muscles. My back was knackered after the muscles separated having my son and didn't knit together until I had physio literally years later.
Walk. Walk. Walk. Best for bad back.
And lie. Don't sit down.
It sucks. But you can recover.

Naproxen is the BEST thing ever! I feel human again! DS was crying in the night and I was actually able to in and comfort him without 20mins of wibbling and rocking in bed. Have had a shower, washed my hair, put in my contacts and put on some make up! Hurrah!
I may even have a walk to the post office, about 10mins walk. Will probably use the buggy as a sort of Zimmer frame though! Feeling mucho positive today.

Careful with overdoing it on the naproxen. Dont sit for too long (perch on a stool if you can) and do not lift your children or do housework (partic hoovering/reaching).
If and when you see a physio ask them to check how you engage your core for the pilates. I had been doing it wrong for years and actually damaging my back. Ended up with a disectomy op to fix the torn disc.

Btw i'm sure you know not to take ibuprofen and naproxen together? Can cause severe stomach problems.

Glad it's working. You MUST still get to a Physio.,

Icoc is right Naproxen or Ibrufen, not both.

I have my stitches out tomorrow from my Disectomy, don't let it happen to you, do the right things!

Hi op - excuse me if i'm repeating myself but really don't want anyone else to go through what i have with my back!

The naproxen is absolutely wonderful but please remember that this has essentially relaxed all your muscles which tightened and went into spasm to protect your back by reducing movement.

You COULD be one of the lucky ones that just has a single incident that resolves itself but i wouldnt take any chances!

My experience is that despite the wonderful relief that the naproxen has given you:

1. theres probably an underlying weakness remaining that needs to be addressed such as core strength / bad posture etc - see the physio for this. Worth paying privately if you can.

2. it also means that you could make things worse now as the naproxen allows you to feel much better so you assume your back is better and you have all this housework to catch up on!! I remember deciding to clean my gutters on it. Cue another 4 weeks off work flat on my back!!

Do try to avoid any heavy lifting (shopping for eg) housework, rigorous exercise, lifting kids in and out of carseats and cots is particularly bad. I have rarely lifted my children once they hit 12 lbs which is a bit sad but critical for my back. The odd time i lift them i do it very carefully the way my physio showed me. I have a standing desk in work now. I only side roll out of bed (never sit up). I don't spend any time slumped sitting on the couch - i always lie down. Sneezing/coughing also causes me problems, if you try to hold onto something in a brace position then the sneeze causes less damage!

One you're passed the acute stage, if you have any niggles I find taking the naproxen at night is best and then not taking it during the day it gives relief so you can move/do your physio exercises but doesnt mask the problem so that you cause more damage.

And again, ice and heat are remarkably effective for some, me included.

Hopefully you won't end up like me! Don't take your back health for granted!!

Afternoon! Sorry I went AWOL!
I've actually ventured out of the house today. Go me! Though it wasn't my back that hurt as I slowly made my way to the Post Office, it was my right hip. Really sore. Must have put a lot of strain on it since injuring my back. Still I made it and even though I am now back home having a little lie down, I feel so much better for getting out.

Don't worry icoc, I haven't been taking both ibruprofen and naproxen. I'm taking three a day and I do find it helps though you are right. I felt like a new woman yesterday and did far too much. Loaded, unloaded the washer, dishwasher. Picked up my hefty DS. Definitely sorer in the middle of the night when everything wore off.

The physiotherapist is just up the road from the Post Office so popped in to make an appt. am booked in for Tuesday. It's £48 which I can well do without but needs must.

Hope everything went well with the stitches removal calm!

Stitches pretty painless thanks, but then with all the drugs I have been taking, anything is going to be painless - I kid you not - I got bitten by something two days ago on my leg, normally I blow up like a Balloon and need antihistamine, I didn't even notice until putting on my socks (that's not an easy task either) and saw the now almost gone mark!

Whilst you have started your drugs, I am trying to reducing mine and had a few twinges over the last few days, nothing like the excruciating leg pain, but a reminder of what it feels like, as Icoc says, don't let it happen to you.

I am really pleased you have booked for the Physio, one or even two appointments will give you a good start and then pester your GP for them, some GPs can refer you to the Physio you see, it's worth checking. I am seeing my fabulous Physio on Wednesday too, let's hope we both have success.

Be cautious, take things easy, hard it know, but honestly if you bigger it up, you will have months doing nothing, not just a few weeks!

Hi OP

Sikence is good, as it means you are getting on with life! Hope your Physio is OK today and you get some further relief, let us know what they say.

I am presuming you haven't gone back to work, how were they about it?

Remember, I know we are all saying it, don't push it, even if it feels better. The inflammation will start to go down and that means your disc is still vulnerable, more so, as the pain isn't there to remind you.

Just back from my physio. Mortified is not the word. Naively thought that everything would be done with just my leggings pulled down a tad. Nope, I was stood there in my Bridget Jones pants and grotty nursing bra whilst she observed my back and posture. :(
Hated every second. Though she was lovely to be fair and didn't flinch at my stretch marks, mummy pouch or unshaven pins.
I've been given exercises to do and she used a couple of machines which were quite nice and soothing. I'm not 100% sure what she said was wrong, something to do with L3 and my sciatic nerve (though it's not sciatica), could well be linked with my terrible SPD. Walk home was pretty painful but I'll carry on with the exercises and see how I get on.

Glad to hear everything went well calm.
I'm not back in work no, should have been back from mat leave last Thursday so my self cert will expire tomorrow. I'll need to get a sick note from then on. I definitely need at least another week as even getting to work would be super painful. Obviously I can't drive but waiting for a train and the squeezing onto the 8.20 cattle truck would be a nightmare, not to mention then sitting at a desk for the next 8hrs.

I am so glad you went, and perhaps we should have said what to expect!! I am sure she will have seen worse or maybe not . Quite possibly next time it will just be leggings down a little, at first appointment or if anything major happens, they need to see how you stand, weight distribution etc., It sounds like she was really good.

I usually just lie down now, my physio presses on my back, to try and open the spaces in between the vertebrae and then I get a lovely large, warm Tens pad put on and she leaves me with a few acupuncture needles in, you can't feel the needles, so don't fear them if she suggests it.

L3, is one of the vertebrae in your spine, they are numbered from the bottom up, L stands for Lumber. I had a disc herniation at L4/5, which means the squishy stuff between the vertebrae had pushed out the normal space which can then press on the sciatic nerve, this is a nerve that runs down the back and then down the legs into the feet. If the nerve is pushed too hard, then the pain down the leg can be excruciating (Sciatica), but it comes at various levels, sometimes the disc only protrudes a fraction, or just gets bruised and causes only back pain, sometimes the nerve is touched a little and you get burning in your bum cheeks. I am sure it is linked with your SPD and also pushing during delivery. If you are on your back it puts a lot of strain on the spine, then you go home and lift a progressively heavy weight for years!

Do the exercises religiously, but only as far as you can, don't think the more you do, the more you will heal it, it doesn't work like that, if it is painful, stop. However, you do need to keep moving, ideally walking.

I hope she was positive about it, don't read too much on the internet, I managed mine for 30 years (God that makes me old), with only a few glitches. Do it right now and you will strengthen your back and won't have any!

I had a cleaner come today, she did a 3 hour clean, it was weird having someone clean your house and some of it wasn't done as I would have liked, but I wasn't brave enough to say so! I need to get one weekly, as even though she didn't stop, you can't tell and I know my othe rhalf is gong to come in later and ask what's the difference!? Men don't notice, skirting boards, toilet bowls and kitchen cupboards!