Tips on pain relief for sciatica. It is unbearable :(

[FifiFerusha]

Hi,

I wondered if anyone knew what I can do as I have to wait 6 weeks to get a physio appointment and I am in agony. I also have a 9mo and a 6yo and I am finding it really hard to look after them properly with the pain I am going through.

The doctor says to just keep taking the painkillers but they hardly touch it. The oaharmacy said en to take neurofen and co codomal together. This is the only thing that has worked and give relief for about two hours although I can only take them every four. I am also worried that co codomal should only be taken for three days. .how can I keep this up for 6 weeks? I am really struggling to carry my son around, get him to sleep , bf him(I only do this in the morning now and avoid co codomal at this time although I feed him in agony, he is a big boy). The doctor hiwever says I can take co codomal and bf but am simply worried about affecting him.

The pain is around my bum, in my right thigh and projects down into my shin, ankles and leaves my feet with pins and needles. It is worse in the evening and most nights I am genuinely wondering whether I need to go to the hospital it is bad. I am not a hypercondriac and am a very get on with it kind of person but am genuinely struggling to do that right now. My doctor wasn't very helpful. Any tips? I have tried stretching advised( form the internet) but it actually leaves it feeling worse so am scared to do anything until I see the physio. I also start back at work in five weeks and I am not sure I can actually function. Please help if you can x

Thank you x x x Yes, I have a mei tei sling and it spreads the weight well and he likes it so I may consider to wear that more often. He just always wants mummy at the moment and ai feel so guilty that it hurts me to hold him so I am a sucker and choose to suffer. It is just so agonising that I feel that it needs to be sorted soon ( I know you all have been there) and not in six weeks when I can get the physio appointment. I go back to work in five weeks and am so worried about how my little boy will cope let alone how I will work with my issues. I am a reception teacher so I need to be active. Argh! My step Dad said he might help if I need to go private so where do I go from here to get the best results? . . .and in the next five weeks argh x x

Go private if you can
It may not take many appointments, I struck lucky with an amazing NHS physio who took one look and spotted the problem. Had maybe 5-6 appointments, exercises for at home and all sorted
If it flares (I do a lot of exercise) I go to a private physio who sorts me in one session and that's £30 for an hours physio, acupuncture and massage

Heat packs and massage worked for me when I had sciatica during pregnancy

Paramol, can I get this at the counter? You know, I am not a pain killer type of person. But I guess I have never experienced proper pain like this. I will google bf and pain killers but I have the advantage that I only bf him once a day in the morning so can kind of take meds around that. He is bottle fed the rest of the time now x

Yes over the counter at the pharmacy
It's this one http://m.boots.com/h5/cathub?unCountry=uk&path=%2Fen%2FParamol-Tablets-32-11339%2F

you can take ibuprofen or naproxen with it too

Yes, I have sciatica, and get cramps.

1. start exercising gently to stretch your muscles in your legs, find internet exercises - pretty much identical to the ones my sports physio gave me.
2. alternate ibuprofen and cocodamol so your pain is always under control. Don't forget ibuprofen is cumulative so kicks in after a bit. Bit it will help reduce swelling. So don't worry about addiction at this stage.
3. have quinine based tonic water next to your bed at night. Helps cramp
4. eat a banana a day or otherwise increase your potassium. Low potassium can cause cramp
5. the tennis ball trick works but is painful
6. my tens machine which was useless for childbirth is brilliant. I put it on max at night when going to sleep and after a painful 50 mins or so it works and you will cope for some the next day.
7. throw away all flat shoes and all high heels. Go to shuropady or an equivalent and get one if their helpful members of staff to find you a pair of shoes and insoles.
8. check your mattress
9. check your posture when standing I and sitting. Buy a cushion with a hole in it for the coccyx or a rubber ring
10. make sure you know how to lift and turn with minimum stress
11. make sure you move every 20 mins unless asleep.

Good luck

I had this for over 2 years and it was awful. I felt all the doctor did was give you more and more drugs.

What saved my sanity and health was a great chiropractor. He said no heat, only cold and advised about half dozen ice cubes wrapped in kitchen roll on sore area for 20 mins and repeated every hour.

I feel for you

I saw a chiropractor when it happened to me. It trapped a nerve in my shin and I honestly couldn't physically walk. I am not exaggerating when I say it felt as though I had a knife through my leg. The pain was unbelievable. The chiropractor was fabulous. He knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. Just like a physio might. I saw him for three months and I've never had it since.

I'd just finished seeing him when I got a letter from my GP to say the physio department could see me now.

Awful bloody thing - sciatica. I hear ya!

For me, as well as painkillers (cocodemol, diclofenec, tramadol), I had a low dose of diazepam. I can still remember the relief when they kicked in and the spasms relented, like my body gave a big sigh!

Google sciatica exercises, there's s lot of stretching type you can do.

And, I second a good Physio to get you sorted and then regularly to maintain you.

Back to Dr tomorrow - get some meds!

Feel better soon

Private physio/ osteopath worked wonders with my sciatica. No waiting for an appointment, sorted in 3 sessions , total cost about £120. Hope you get it sorted soon .

Hi, I'm breastfeeding and am currently on Naproxen for muscle spasm , apparently the amount that gets passed into the breast milk is not significant.
I was previously on Diclofenac and was told that is safe too (though obviously not both at the same time!)
My GP marked my physio request as urgent and I was lucky to get an appointment within 2 weeks, but she had advised me initially to see a private physio asap rather than wait. I had a couple of sessions before the NHS appointment came through and found them really beneficial.
Hope you're feeling better soon.

I agree with everyone saying see a physio if you can afford it. I tried an osteopath but no luck. The only thing that finally sorted mine out was a cortisone injection.

I found a sausage-shaped cushion in the small of my back worked wonders. It restores the natural curve. Always when sitting and driving. Often I felt better at the end of a car journey than at the beginning. A rolled up towel is a good substitute till you get hold of a purpose-made one.

Good luck!

You are all being very kind to take the time to advise. Thank you. I am stretching everyday. Haven't tried the tennis ball thing. . .gotta buy one. Last night I was in tears. It is the pain in my shins that really gets me and DS waking a four in the morning habitually. So, my doctor would not up the cocodomol and I literally cried in front of her. The meds I am taking have literally stopped working now. She said because I was breastfeeding she couldn't prescribe any stronger but I have done research and it seems to imply that it should be fine. I even stated that I wouldn't take it around the time for his feed but she didn't seem to trust me. Maybe she thought I was a bit to eager but you all know how desperate the pain makes you feel. She has prescribed me amitriptyline . Just one tablet a day. .so I will see if it works :( feeling very sad.

Glad I found this thread. After months of chiropractic treatment for PGP which was helping, I'm having a flare up of the sciatica again and just could not find a comfy position to sleep in last night.

The tennis ball does help and in the end I had to go downstairs to find it and spend a few mins on each butt cheek. It's a pleasure-pain thing as it kind of hurts but feels good at the same time.

I've been wracking my brains trying to work out why I've flared up when I don't do much each day (maternity leave) and after reading PP it seems it's down to my flip flops! I've had them on all the time lately and never even thought they could be the problem. Back to proper shoes today to see if that helps - thank you all!

ok, things are quite bad now. I cant walk or stand for more than 30 seconds without great shooting whirling painful pin and needles spreading up and down my leg so I have to sit down quickly. Has anyone else had this? I really cant last on ibrofene and cocodomol...they dont touch it now and the other med she gave me doesnt work for a couple of weeks apparantly. Do I need to go to A and E? I really am scared of trying to walk. god knows how I m going to look after the kids.

I haven't directly been diagnosed with sciatica but this was my presumption. there is a sharp pain at the front of my shin also.

Here is evidence based advice on BFing and painkillers from the excellent Breastfeeding Network - many doctors are very fearful of prescribing medication to lactating mothers as there is little hard evidence and lot of it is balancing risks versus benefits. I am a GP and I use this resource a lot - I'd also welcome a patient bringing this kind of info in with them.

I am sorry to read you are no better.
If you have any bladder or bowel function problems, seek help as an emergency.
If you have lack of sensation around your perineum or you are unable to feel or control your bladder or your tail end, seek help immediately.
If you have weakness in your legs (you cannot move it actively or it feels 'heavier' than usual - I don't mean pain on movement but an altered ability to move it).

Amitriptyline helps with nerve pain but not immediately.
A+E will assess you and make sure you are safe, but are not the best place for the management of sciatica tbh, but I can understand that you feel desperate for pain relief.

You say you are not sure what your diagnosis is: what did you doctor say? Did you ask?
I'd say, phone again tomorrow and be seen again. Stronger pain relief can and does be given even when BFing, but nerve pain does not always respond to 'conventional' painkillers. Have another conversation about it.

Have you tried TENS? That might just give you a bit of quick relief.

PS Whatever you do, do NOT take more than 8 Cocodamol in 24 hours - it's the Paracetamol that can be life threateningly dangerous in OD.

Are you sure you have sciatica? I think you need a private physio appointment.

I thought I had plantar fasciitis. Dr kept giving me painkillers. Eventually got an emergency appointment with a physio as things were so painful. Turns out I'd cracked a bone in my foot

Pacific dog thank you. The info you gave me was useful and it seems I can just a slightly stronger dose of co- codomol although I am not sure it will l have an effect. The pains are in the front of my shins and my hip feels twisted. when I lay down my foot naturally faces outwards with the leg. I just said to the doctor that I thought it might be sciatica but no assessment or tests were done. I got the usual bladder control questions to assess seriousness and then it was a case of referral. I can hardly move so am not sure how this doesn't warrant a bit of an emergency. I am not sure how to do the school run let alone make it to the surgery(I don't drive either).

I am starting to wonder whether this isn't directly sciatica and that there are other things at play here too. I will sleep on it, I hope, and if I am this bad in the morning get a friend over to look after the kids and try and get the doctor to do a home visit. I m not sure all of that will work out though :(

Definitely get it looked at asap. It doesn't sound like your pain is under control with whatever you are taking.
I got Tramadol and Diazepam when my herniated discs were acute. I was on it for 6 weeks, had physio/osteopath appointments from week 2 (privately) and did back exercises 3 times a day.
You have to get help, it won't get better on its own.
An MRI should be done really. Try to go to a good physiotherapist. When I had my first disc problem, I was sorted within weeks.
(I'm now on my third incident and will need to do daily excercises forever).

I really feel for you, OP. I had a herniated disc a few years ago and the pain was excruciating and relentless. It stopped me sleeping, apart from when I was so exhausted that I would drop off for an hour or so, then I'd awaken with a jolt as soon as I shifted position. The severest pain was during the first two weeks. Standing up was agony, and felt like an electric charge was running down the back of my leg to my toes. I used to dread having to get up to go to the loo. It was nearly a month before I could sit for more than a few minutes, and about six weeks before I could leave the house. I started physio about two months after the start of the problem.

I took tramadol and paracetamol for the first two weeks, but they only dulled the pain slightly for a couple of hours at the most. After that, I was prescribed Celebrex for another two weeks, then diclofenac. I saw an orthopedic specialist, and had a scan done on the first day my disc herniated.

If your pain is getting so much worse, you should probably have a scan to confirm the diagnosis.

So, awoke at five in the morning. DS still sleeping. Odd, but happy about that and felt immense pain so tumbled to get my medicine. I was on all fours in pain. I couldn't put any weight on my leg.
The worst pain I have had to date. I panicked and rang 111. So, friend came over swiftly to help(seems partner refuse to take the day off to help, another story, won't think about that one for now) and I got a home visit at lunch time. They have upped my cocodomol, and taken the amytripiline away and decided nortriptyline(can't spell) would be better. They have also prescribed me naproxen to replace the regular Ibrofene. Has anyone had any experiences with nortriptyline?

I am ok at the mo if I stay sitting but I know come 4pm the agonising pain starts. It seems to go a little in the day but comes back biting come evening time. Wish me luck. X

Also I am seriously considering a private physio session, even just to assess what is wrong with me. Found somewhere that does a home visit for 50 quid it isn't as pricey as I thought.

I was advised to wait before beginning physio, in fact the pain was so intense that I couldn't have done it anyway. But during the acute phase, there is a very real risk of making the problem much worse.

Also, I'm not sure if a physiotherapist would treat you without a doctor's referral as your pain is severe.

Maybe there's a MNetter who is a physio, who could advise you about this?

Yes, I think the stretches I found on the internet harmed me to be honest maybe too much physio isn't right just yet. So I guess I am just desperate for someone to tell me what is wrong with me. This morning the pain was all around my inner thigh, spreading to outer as though it had been twisted. I am not sure what is going on. . .just want someone to tell me argh.

I am sat on the hard floor now with a heated beanie. The extra strength co codomol has improved but not taken away the pain. Also realised that the dose of naproxen given is quite low. I told the doctor that I could quit the morning bf as I think me being more functional for my son is more important now. She said I could still bf though. Oh well, I am wittering, thanks for listening, just hope all is ok tonight x