Unable to walk suddenly

[TROUBLEDMAM]

So on Thursday I suddenly became unable to walk
I could feel my back hurt n giving out n my legs trembling
Ive suffered with sciatica before n thought it was the beginning of an episode
Until Friday when I realised I couldn't walk at all
I called my gp out n she said it was sciatica n a pulled muscle
Give me strong drugs n left
Come Saturday night the drugs weren't masking the pain n I was sure they was something more wrong
I rang 111 who phoned an ambulance
They wouldn't take me to hospital said ring my doctor today
I did this n she said she would call back after speaking to another doctor but never did

I'm in absolute agony I'm pissing in a bucket
I've had muscle relaxers called lorazepam
Codeine phosphate paracetamol every four hours since Friday n I'm still in agony

Any one know wat I can do next?

Green - do nothing that involves lifting. Make sure you get on the list/go to appointments
Neuro. NOT ortho preferably. I had to wait a little while, stopped work at end of March, operated on 11th may. Ask to take any cancellations for either appointments or surgery
It sucks, I was on morphine and screaming but I developed cauda equina 36hrs before my scheduled op date
Feel free to ask any questions (at work so sorry if brief!)

Something has just dawned on me - I have woken up dripping wet in sweat - something that happens pretty frequently due to my age! When this happens I have no idea if I have wet myself or if it is just sweat! I mentioned previously I have had a couple of instances where I have woken and found that I had wet myself - all of which I have mentioned to both sets of drs!

So this is what has just dawned on me - ive been given stronger painkillers one of the side effects so my gp apologised for is constipation - each time I am sent away from a & e I am told come back if lose bowel or bladder control - what I am now questioning is is it possible to loose bowel control when you are on pain killers that cause constipation - don’t they normally prescribe laxatives to help with this?

So do the pain killers block your natural urge to empty your bowels yet I am being told come back if I cannot control them.

The reason I’m asking is I’ve upped my painkillers to function. I’ve had a letter from neurosurgery with new appointment 1 October - whether this is a result of my visit to a & e I have no idea as orthos have not phoned me!

My pain is firmly in my buttocks restricting my ability to move my legs much. I found sitting uncomfortable yesterday and had to lie down! After last weeks farce at a & e where I thought they would take me in for surgery I have done nothing about “complaining” and thought I’ll try and hang out to 1 October

What’s going through my head right now is while I’m on these painkilllers it may not be possible to loose control of my bowels and so thinking that I am ok whilst this is not happening could actually be giving me a false sense o& security.

I can’t just lie around doing nothing all day I have stuff to do - which was my mindset yesterday - just take some more pills dull the pain and carry on. “I’m not pooing myself it’s just a bit of pain take some pills and do a bit more”

What I also realised yesterday is how much I have been asking for help from my kids - help to organise a house that is in chaos due to rat in loft and impending house move. My request for help falls on deaf ears - I’m not sure if this is due to them being 17 or whether this is a behavioural trait learnt from their father! I get a token amount of help before something more urgent needs their attention like lying in bed on their phones normally referred to as schoolwork!

Yesterday I had someone with me that was here just to help me - to lift boxes that I needed moving to “tidy up” - to move items from one room to another - all of which I would have been able to do on my own prior to back issue!

There was no winging, there was no disappearing so I had to shout to get them back they just moved what I asked when I asked. And I realised how calm it was, how simple it was and that it took very little time at all to do! I found myself questioning how much energy have I wasted over the last few months asking my kids for help that really they don’t want to give because to them there’s no payoff even though they hate living in a messy house and it mucks with their mental health - my Dd even sent me an article saying how a messy home impacts on their mental health!

And I also realised how reminiscent this is of their father - a person who chose this house due to the hedges on all boundaries - hedges that need cutting at least twice a year! This was a novelty at first but over the years they became a drag, not to me but my x! And my asking for help to maintain them became “ nagging” purely becaus3 he could not be arsed to do them So if I felt capable I would do them myself, sometimes I woul£ pay someone but this was not always possible, sometimes x would do them but he would be in a bad mood doing them - huffing and puffing and basically making us all aware that he did not feel he should be cutting hedges - just like the behaviour I get from the kids when I ask them for help with something when they really dont want to
I’ve mixed together 3 issues I am currently posting about onMN. Why because I have to make sure I don’t do too much and end up getting closer to cauda equina !I’ve realised what it’s like to have willing help with no fuss and it takes away so much unnecessary nonsense

I’m falling asleep writing this will come back to it in morning

How are you doing OP?? You’re going though unbelievable hell!! 💐

Hope you are ok op. Please push and push and push for help.

I had to attend A&E about 8 times and was admitted for 12 days told I was a bed blocker and there wasn't anything wrong with me.
I had bladder control gone, bowels were ok. Turns out I did have cauda equina and because it wasn't treated in time now my life has permanently changed forever.
Push as much as you need to. Where abouts in the country are you? Can you try having someone drive you to a different a&e closer to a neuro unit? The Walton centre is amazing.

I don't know where they is a another AnE closer
My closest one is James Cook University hospital in Middlesbrough

MY appointment was brought forward to 1 October instead of 31st. I have been holding out for this despite still being in pain and not able to do much. Yesterday I received a phonecall telling me they have had to cancel due to consultant no longer working at nhs. They can’t tell me when they wil be rearranging this for although it will be soon. So the appointment on 31 which i was told was to make sure I did not slip through the net is no longer in place and I have no idea when I will be seen.

If I go back to my gp he will send me to a & e & I will go through the whole charade again.

There is a private hospital holding an information evening on back issues on 11 October - ive booked to go - I can’t carry on like this I can’t do anything, I can’t make any plans as I don’t know where I will be _ had my X not been such an arse I would stil have private insurance - I’m thinking of taking out a loan to cover it!

The nhs have until 11october - I’m not risking my bloody health because they can’t get their act together! This country needs a kick up the arse -so much money wasted over inefficient practises and meaningless priorities!

Who said that? Red Cross loan out wheelchairs. NHS wheelchair service is for more permanent conditions.

Hey @TROUBLEDMAM just wondered how you are getting on - I have an appointment now for 29 October which is just for a chat!

I’ve been trying to get through to PALS - I’ve got this private talk thing tonight.

I have been told off by people who know me for just putting up with it - I’ve got so many things going on at the moment that it’s probably symptomatic!!

I really can’t walk very far you know how you walk on ice scared in case you fall over - that’s me just walking on a stone sends a twinge down my back!

I’ve had my op currently still in hospital but out tomorrow - what swung it for me was getting a letter from orthopaedics which played down my symptoms and visit to a & e.

I sent them an email telling them so and described my side of things and that I had been trying to contact PALS. I got a phonecall Wednesday saying they wanted to bring me in and hopefully op would be yesterday. Even at 3.30 yesterday with all 3 surgeons and a spinal nurse I think if I had been soft they would have sent me home. As it was they were not sure if they could get theatre space that evening.

I had to tell the consultant through tears that he told me I needed urgent surgery within 4 weeks and that this had shocked me. I said if this is not the case do not say it. He told me it was the case but due to resources timetabling etc it didn’t always happen. I said if I had lost bladder/ bowel control would you operate and he said yes - I said I’m not getting to this point. I told him I could not function daily and I think it was only when I said I could not lift a basket of wet washing that something changed - prior to this he was just spouting blurb. As it was I still didn’t know if it was going to happen but within 15 mins aneathitist was up and I went down with the hour.

They told me my scan did not match my symptoms - my scan showed a very large severe prolapse and they expected me to be crying with pain - maybe I had a high pain threshold but because I still had bladder control I did not fit the criteria for emergency emergency surgery!

All I can say is you have to push for this - you know your own body better than anyone and sadly as some have found out they are not always acting in our best interests. The pain I had in my buttocks and legs Has gone I no longer have to be fearful that one false move could leave me very worse off . I know the NHS are stretched to the limits but bloody hell what do we have to go through to be taken seriously

green - glad you got it done! I was crying in pain but the scan said giant herniation, they still reckoned an hour of easy surgery
5 hours it took them. I had a lovely neurosurgeon though who saw the scan and said "poor lass, you must be in SO much pain"

I've been following all your stories, pleased for you green, well done, onwards and upwards now. I've two discs bulging and trapping my nerve. I've been off work a few weeks, never imagined pain like it and totally unresponsive dead leg and foot, but I was doing really well.

I only work a couple of hours a day but it's quite physical, was feeling nearly ready to go back. Got sent to occupational health, after chatting talking about my return, wasn't arguing, decides to examine me, at first ok, he gets me pushing against his hand with my feet, says can tell that leg is weak. Then gets me to lie on bed, lifts my good leg up, then my bad side, really high quickly and I just felt a tug and a really sharp pain in my bum cheek, he says it's ok will settle, well, it's not settled I'm set back weeks in my recovery, in pain again, taking more pills. I'm just devastated.

It's not easy, I hope the op is doing ok.