Sciatica & low back pain

[Horseshoebeach]

I was hoping all this would be gone by now or at least easing a bit. But several weeks on the low right back pain, buttock (rump area), sciatica in leg down to the ankle, is quite literally making life hell. First off I thought it was down to a fall I had. The x-ray I had confirmed there was no fracture with a little additional info re osteophytes lower down in the spine. Sitting for longer than 10 minutes is difficult to say the least. Then there's getting up from sitting with muscle type spasm, then finding a comfortable position to sleep. It's always there. Had an MRI (don't know results yet) & I'm so embarrassed to admit I barely made it through (felt panicky). Then at the end when it was over I asked the radiographer if he had all he needed and to take longer if he wanted (had calmed down by then) but he said he had all he needed. Now I'm worried in case he felt the need to rush it because of my anxiety. Many people have it so much worse with pain and illness and I know that. I just feel in such a mess with this and want this thing to start feeling just a little bit better. Has anyone been through something similar that seemed to go on? This is my first time posting so apologies if I'm on the wrong thread (& so sorry for the moody rant) X

You absolutely should have an MRI - medics can't tell what's going on with discs on an X-ray!!

Private MRIs are expensive, however if you have the means and want it done quickly this would be the way forward, otherwise i would get back to your GP and advise that you will put a formal complaint in as it's quite obvious you need a scan. I'm really quite horrified for you.

Take no shit!!!

Sorry, they should read if you are not referred for an MRI you will put a complaint in, I genuinely can't understand why they wouldn't refer you. Alternatively ask to be referred to the neuro or spinal surgeons at your local hospital, they too can send you for an MRI.

Dye isn't normally required for spinal MRI. I didn't have any of that. Just got put in the machine which was less scary than I thought. It shows the radiologist exactly where the disc is bulging, and shows the nerve and spinal cord etc. They do like a cross section scan of each of the 'problem' discs to show how severe any bulge or prolapse is. It was all very simple for me and over with in about 15 minutes. I would really push for one. They are very expensive privately. I was waiting for about 10 weeks for one on NHS but it did show exactly what the problem was.

Same with me my mri was fine didn’t worry me at all and was over in no time worst bit for me was the laying down. Princessanna have had a little laugh to myself I think it’s all the drugs I’m sitting in agony in car as have just tried to do my only bit of Christmas shopping by that I mean hobbling clinging on to hubby’s arm for half an hour and here I am thinking about yoga etc definitely the drugs 🙂🤣

Hi all, hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. How is everyone doing pain wise?

I spoke to my neurosurgeon on the phone today and explained that the pain is not shooting and horrendous anymore. I said I can now stand on tip toes and can walk bit further now. He said it's all sounding really positive and it may be healing well on it's own which is great. I'm to keep taking the gabapentin for now and look at weaning off in a month. If pain comes back I can phone his secretary and get an emergency appointment. But for now I carry on as I am and he will see me in February for another MRI. Must admit I have been very well looked after by NHS and feel very lucky.

User, how are you getting on with the gabapentin? I had to chuckle at you laughing on all the drugs!

So pleased for you princessanna I have had a couple of days that seemed to be better then in absolute agony again did you have days like that where you feel like your back to square one have to be honest your posts have really kept me going 8weeks of hell I just think of you sitting on floor wrapping presents and I know if I can get to that bit I will be half way there had a cry last night it’s just shit when you can’t do anything at all other than hobble around or sit in pain but had a good feeling about how you said you felt you had improved long may it continue doctor phoned me no I can’t take the Gabapentin I have it sitting on the windowsill so annoyed I thought that might happen so managing with very little but hay ho please keep posting if you have time if it wasn’t for your posts would definitely have banged my head against a brick wall thank god for the diazepam doc doubled dose so hope this makes sense 🤪

Hi all
Well we got through Christmas! Now have my daughter's 16th birthday on Monday but celebrations start tomorrow and then NYE by which time I'll probably be back to bed!! Pain for me has been up and down - I have had some better days but never two on the bounce. Saw my physio yesterday and she said I definitely should start gabapentin. We tried a few exercises but lots of them started the pain and tingling off again. Her advice was that the gabapentin would calm the nerve down enough to be able to start an exercise routine which would help. lol you user I also had some in reserve so just decided to go on her advice and start as couldn't speak to my GP. I have a telephone appointment booked for Monday so hopefully they'll understand......
I have to say that I don't think my epidural helped much at all although it can work well for some - I just couldn't see any definite difference.
Sending & to all you brave ladies xx
(At least I think we're all ladies....?)

Localhero I bet we are all ladies I’m dreading my first appointment on 2nd jan with physio as I can’t move hardly so I just can’t see what I’m going to be asked to try getting out of bed is only possible with husbands neck for me to drag on I’m dreading it any slight wrong move can make me scream out so should be fun wish I could take the Gabapentin hope you keep improving though and enjoy daughters birthday

That’s good news Princess, hope you keep improving.

When I was in serious pain, physio was pointless. I couldn’t even lie on my back and any time they moved anything it hurt more so they had to stop. Once I was cleared for exercise, three months after my operation, I found that Pilates was the most helpful because I started rebuilding muscles which helped support everything. But that was two years after the herniated disc, when I was in crisis shuffling along with a walking stick was a big ask!

@Booboostwo

Just a quick question - did you get numbness around your groin/backside? I had it, then it went in the last week around the front. Last night it came back, it's not as bad today but feels like it's starting to go numb again.. did you have any experience of this? Not sure if I should go back to the hospital or if it's part of the healing process.

It's unlikely to be CE again as they removed my backbone so the disc can't crush the nerves, ah I don't know, I'm just a bit nervous about it I guess.

Sorry to hijack the thread with this.. I'm on my phone and can't remember my password to DM!

If you are in doubt I think you should talk to a doctor, your case seems particularly complicated, but for what it’s worth, yes I still have numbness but it moves around. Different bits around my saddle area are numb in different days, there is no way of predicting which bit will be next. The loss of sensation is less severe overall than at the beginning though. At first there were days I thought I had sat on a tennis ball, now I have to touch the area to realize it’s numb. I also have a vibrating bottom from time to time, as if I have sat in a vibrating phone, but there is no phone there!

Thanks so much Boo,

It's increasing - I think I may go later today.. don't fancy sitting in ED for hours but probably best to be safe 😬

RedDhalia I hope you get answers, it could be just nerve healing and things being a bit messed up from surgeries but always best to be sure. Let us know how you get on. Localher0 i hope you get through your dds birthday ok. I know i was dreading ds2s birthday on 23rd december and I have been dreading Christmas in general but it ended up being so much better than I thought.

Booboostwo, I had the vibrating and twitching bum too!!! Just on right side but it was buzzing almost and then would twitch and jump about. It hasn't done that for a few weeks now but it was weird.

User, I'm glad to have helped you to keep going. Honestly I'm not sure how I've got through it myself sometimes but it definitely has helped having people who understand exactly how it feels but I'm happy if I've helped in any way!

Managed a walk round Lincoln yesterday (still with crutches but more for posture than pain). Things still aren't back to normal, i still get strange pain in buttock and sharp pain in hip now but very little leg pain for past few weeks touch wood.

Must admit i know when I've done too much and the leg and ankle will ache. However i managed a walk round to my Dad's house earlier without crutches (only about 7 minute walk) but i haven't been able to do that for a couple of months. Walked there and back with no real leg pain. My foot still feels a bit strange. Not numb but strange sensation like it's not quite fully awake... not sure if that makes sense! I used to have numbness on side of foot and in toes and raging pins and needles in calf and foot every time i stood up and tried to walk, then the pain in my thigh was unbearable and back spasms would have me hunched over.

Anyway just to give you hope but i feel much better now. Still have pain in bum like i say but it's not constant now. Comes and goes. I still sleep on sofa though which isn't ideal but i think the many anxious and agonising nights unable to get comfy in bed have given me anxiety about even trying to go to bed now. I just worry I'll lay there tossing and turning just thinking about not sleeping and getting more and more wound up and on edge waiting for sleep. So i stay downstairs with the tv on which probably isn't the best but i know eventually I will drift off.

Anyway sorry for rambling. Hope you are all doing ok.

I'll probably regret putting off surgery and it may still end up with me having microdiscectomy but for now I am happy ish to wait and see if it heals. I really did feel very unsure and didn't want to rush into it.

Booboostwo im dreading physio but have to give it a go I suppose just terrified of being in more pain
Princessanna so pleased your doing well gives me hope I know Lincoln we’ll have family there and family in Gainsborough small world isn’t it I’m on the Kent coast and I’m really missing walking on the beach picking up shells with my little one. Must be feeling a bit better as I’ve just used some punctuation 😅 I have not long ago progressed back to bed I know what you mean though you get anxious about getting comfortable, I’m doing it out of necessity as all kids home for Christmas so can’t really kick them out of lounge at 10.30 really hope redhalia that all is ok for you know and it’s just down to healing

How’s it going RedDhalia? Have you been checked over by a doctor?

Thanks guys,

False alarm thank god!!! Went through the scanner today and my scan actually looks better than the last one I had prior to leaving hospital, so it's on the mend. Pleased is an understatement!

Sorry it's taken me a while to reply, I've been asleep a lot - I will no doubt be up very tonight.

Thank you for your support, it's much appreciated.

That's brilliant RedDhalia. Hope you can now rest and recover fully.

I'm risking sleeping in bed tonight...as you can see it's early in the morning and I'm not asleep so it hasn't been the best night! Not sure why I can't get comfy in bed. I'm not in agony or anything, just can't seem to drop off. Still pain in my bum when i try to lay on my back so strictly a side sleeper with a pillow between legs so no different to when i sleep on the sofa yet I can't bloody sleep!

Anyway hope you are all doing ok. Oh and yes User I had days where I would obsess over the pain and believe I was healing cos the pain wouldn't be all the way down leg, only in thigh and I would feel a bit better, then it would come screaming back and i'd be on all fours the next evening crying with an ice pack. Truth be told I still don't know if it is healing or whether the Gabapentin is just making it feel better. I suppose that's why the surgeon is keen to wean me off the medicine or doing another MRI before operating.

So pleased for you Red - you must be mighty relieved!
Princess I know what you mean about up and down days. I've had a good couple and managed to really enjoy my daughter's 16th. I didn't take to my bed ALL day! But then last night had excruciating leg pain. Had to get up and hobble around. Then when I went back to bed I found pulling my knee to my chest helped so did that for about 10 mins and the pain eased off loads so I was able to get back to sleep. I too am a side sleeper but I wake up with my good leg hurting sometimes too. I rooted out an old full length body pillow I had from being pregnant and it's really great to stick between legs and cuddle to stop you rolling too far over. Poor DH feels very excluded though I also accidentally hit him with it last night when wriggling around!
My GP was really nice about me upping my gabapentin dose - I had expected an argument but he was very supportive so that helped.
My physio was also very nice and showed me a series of MRIs which showed how the body does reduce the prolapse over time. So its really a case of being patient and getting the pain under enough control to function and if possible do physio. No quick fixes here I'm afraid ......
Oh I also got some lidocaine patches. Not all NHS areas will prescribe them but you put them over the nerve root and I use them at night.
Going to have a quiet day and maybe make it to midnight but ever since 2003 our NYEs have been pretty quiet- it's a rubbish time to have a baby
Happy New Year to you all and here's hoping for small improvements that lead to big changes. ❤️

Good that they would up the dose of gabapentin Localher0. I have found it very helpful but then it could just be time like you say with these prolapsed discs sometimes it just reduces over time. Also the accupuncture I had seemed to coincide with when I started to improve so I really don't know what the answer is or whether it's just a mix of everything. Like you say small improvements lead to big changes. I really want one of those full length pillows! For now I am making do with a cushion between my legs and a normal pillow that i hug with my arms to prevent me from rolling over. Like you though I wake up with pain in the good leg or hip sometimes from always laying on that side.

Had letter from neurosurgeon today, he's made an appointment for 31st Jan to start weaning me off gabapentin and to assess me again so we will see what happens. Still hoping that time will be a healer!

Had a lovely moment today though, drove out to near by town with my boys to meet up with a friend and her kid and they were all happily playing together and I had been sat for 2 hours talking with my friend and the kids with no pain whatsoever. None. I know that to most people doesn't sound like a big deal but after 5 months of constant pain and sometimes incredibly intense horrible pain, to be comfortable sitting for 2 hours was huge. Such a break through. It went so quick that I realised only afterwards that 2 hours had passed and i should really get up and move and try to keep my back mobile. But anyway it was a lovely day. Just to feel like me again.

Anyway, happy New Year to you all. Lets hope 2020 brings lots of recovery stories!

DH had a few months of it earlier this year. In desperation he went to see an osteopath who recognised he was pulling to one side and did some manipulation and described some exercises. He was better within a week. Cost £40.

Happy New Year to you all.. here's to a pain free 2020 🥂 x

Happy New Year all. I managed to see it in from the sofa with a pint of Baileys
God how I wish a quick trip to the osteopath would fix it all!! No luck with that!
Just wondered if anyone else has this weird thing where it's not really their back that hurts but the leg pain is the worst? My back pinches and sometimes hurts but it's by far the leg pain that's the worst - and the weakness which means I can't stand/walk straight and my hips are shifted left. If I try to straighten then the leg pain and tingling get worse but I know I need to be straighter....

@Localher0

I know my experience is slightly different but your post resonated with me.

Prior to the leg pain my back pain was consistent and made me incredibly stiff. As soon as the disc prolapsed fully the back pain went and I had horrific leg pain. From that day my back hasn't bothered me once! Really strange.

The leg pain is just awful 😫

Mines awful spasms in leg can’t put wait on it at times have to walk to relieve it, but pain wise the pain in my lower back like a knife digging into the nerve takes my breath away, I had to get up so much last night can never decide on bed or chair have physio today I’m terrified