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

Really interesting reading this thread.

I had awful bouts of sciatica/back pain for two years that got worse and worse.

At the end of November I was in absolute agony until one day I woke up with a numb lower half. I spent the day in A&E then got ambulanced over to QMC Nottingham and had surgery the following morning. This was after months of ineffectual physiotherapy.

I don’t know whether it was because of the numbness but I barely felt any pain during my recovery and I am so much better. I had my first decent nights sleep in ages and didn’t touch the morphine they sent me home with. I was also up and doing things very quickly - I was able to do most things within three weeks of the op as I have a 18 month old so didn’t have a lot of choice. I was really scared of the surgery before but it was 100% what I needed.

I haven’t had much to do with any Doctors/medics since my op but have follow ups with Nottingham and the Cauda Equina team in Sheffield as I still have one numb leg but I am a world away from where I was before the op.

Forgot to include, my op was a decompression and discectomy of L4/L5. They said it was mostly because I was born with a fused vertebrae (I knew nothing about) which was putting extra pressure on the other vertebrae. I am overweight and have a sedentary job which obviously made things worse. I’d been going to my GP since early summer with terrible pain but sadly they did bugger all and it took an emergency/day in A&E for this to get sorted.

I had painful nerve damage caused by Pelvic Radiotherapy last year which finished 6 months ago and the only medication I was given was morphine which failed to touch the pain but caused me to go gaga in the night, so stopped the morphine. The pain suddenly vanished only recently.
Neither GP nor Oncologist suggested Gabapentin.
I was at a High Risk Assessment last Tuesday for another op
/biopsy and I mentioned my back agony and needing an MRI but was told that was unimportant and bundled out of the room to await his report.
The alternative of having an Epidural was also too dangerous for me, but I had been told by someone who did have it, that it paralyses the leg muscles and he was months before he could walk again.
I can only assume that the Epidural for child birth is a different type which does not paralyse the muscles?

Mine was same as RedDhalia, pain in back from June, was horrendous pain for a week or 2 then just stiff and would ache when I'd been sitting for too long (I assume this the disc bulging) then one day in August I woke up, couldn't bear to put weight on my right leg, shooting pain right into foot and no real back pain. Just stiffness. Main pain now is in butt at the point where S I joint is but still get twinges in thigh and ankle but not constant and never ever to the extent it was.

That's really interesting Red and Princess as I was the same. Stiff and achy with some flare ups since early September then bam! Disc finally went and I couldn't get out of bed. It's funny cos people have asked how it happened - expecting me to have done something catastrophic but I have no answer. In fact the consultant said that only a small percentage come from a one off event.
The pain is lessening slightly. Have decided to stop the cocodamol as I don't think it's doing anything except bunging me up! And I'm slowly upping my gabapentin to 90mg per day. I still ha e up days and down which can be frustrating cos you hope you're on the mend after a few
good days then all you is wriggle your bum a bit when you sit down and - boom! off it goes again
I felt pretty miserable yesterday mainly down to being bored out of my box and a bit lonely even though the family are all around and they're being fab. Asked DH to take me out today but DD starting throwing up last night and is still going so we're all confined to barracks.
Hope everyone is having a good start to the NY? xx

Aww Localher0, hope dd is better soon and you don't all get it. The thought of having to bend over the toilet and retch even now brings tears to my eyes. A cough or a sneeze and the pain shoots into my arse cheek and makes me scream a bit 🙈. I found the loneliness of it a really killer too. Not only was I not able to get out and do what I usually would have, (like I said we were always quite an outdoorsy family, camping, hiking, backpacking etc) but even when people were around me I was miserable because all I could do was think about the pain, it doesn't matter how much support you have, my dh was great but I felt so isolated from everyone because it was me feeling the pain, does that make sense? Other people were great but when it came down to it, I was alone, trapped in this nightmare of pain every day and all day was spent trying to get myself out of pain. That sounds really dramatic now but I've never known anything like it. Childbirth doesn't even come close and that is a temporary thing, I genuinely believed I would never ever get my life back. I could barely shuffle to the toilet, just lowering myself down and sitting on the toilet was agony and left my leg in agony and my foot with raging pins and needles.

I might re read this entire thread and see how far I've come because sometimes when it does hurt again I convince myself (anxiety!) That it's not getting better and I'll always be in pain. Even though i know this morning I have stood in the kitchen and baked with DS2, I've cleaned and been able to empty the washing machine. I couldn't do any of that even a month ago. We spent new years day walking (slowly!) Around some woodland with the boys... there was some pain but not like it was. Slowly I am getting my life back but it's a long road.

I have an appointment on 31st with neurosurgeon again to see what he thinks and that's still 4 weeks away so hopefully I'll have continued to improve. I am trying desperately to avoid surgery but more than that I am trying to look after myself and listen to my body. My stamina is so reduced and I need to rest laying flat most evenings but I'm so much better than I was. There is hope for us all xxx

Thank you Princess your post was just what I needed. I know I have to be patient but sometimes I just lose it. Today I have horrible hip/groin pain but when I lie down I get a pain in my shin which is effing unbearable 😳 Gah - why does it keep changing?? Saw physio yesterday who is super lovely and was reassuring but again said it's going to take time not surgery.
To top it off DD has suspected norovirus and was so bad yesterday I had to take her to GP who was very nice and checked her for sepsis 😳 luckily she was negative for only one thing otherwise it would have been off to A&E!! Even the GP had a laugh at the pair of us.... anyway she's now improving! No 🤮 since last night so hopefully on the mend. But I am paranoid about getting it so am frantically hand washing Xx

Happy new year, how’s everyone doing, better I hope. I have had first physio and am in so much pain seeing him again Tuesday so will see what he says, he said it would hurt but I didn’t think it would be constant pain and up more in the night just feels like going backwards, trying to sleep is near impossible 3 hours last night 😩

User I found physio of little help to be honest. It was so painful and all the exercises they recomend seems to make my pain worse even now. I think sometimes the herniation is just too unstable and too raw to even try to move and stretch the way they expect you to. I'm not saying give up on it altogether but perhaps you need more time to heal. I think physio is great when you're in recovery or needing to strengthen back up, but the pain you are in now sounds still in the acute stage. I tried doing a 'gentle yoga for sciatica' youtube video when i was in similar phase and it left me crying on the floor for hours. We are all different and I suppose it depends on the individual as to whether physio or stretching will help. Don't give up but do let the physiotherapist know how much pain you are in and which things make it worse.

I am still slowly recovering I think. There is still pain, strange fuzzy feeling in my toes sometimes but not the horrendous shooting pain and constant painful pins and needles. I have another accupuncture session booked in for Wednesday, again, i have no idea if it helps or not but I started to recover around the time I started it and now I'm reluctant to stop! It could just be what people say though and time being the main thing.

Localher0, my pain would change often too. Awful stabbing feeling in thigh so I'd move, then horrible cramping in calf, move again, shooting pain in bum. Next day it would be all in calf or in foot etc etc. Even now it seems to change, today i have had a burning feeling in side of thigh, not constant and not enough to make me stop doing things, yesterday it was sharp pain in hip if I moved too quickly. I don't understand it either but every day I seem to have less and less intense pain and have more stamina for standing up and i can now walk standing straight without crutches or a shopping trolley to lean on! Small steps I know... but it's so good to be able to cook a meal without slumping on to the work top and having to shift weight off my right leg all the time. It's been over 5 months now and being fully recovered still feels like a long way off but I want it so badly. I feel I am moving in right direction now and I am so grateful to not have pain all the time. Anyway, I hope your dd is feeling better now and I am crossing my fingers that you don't catch it!

Princess you really seem to me to have made really good progress, I know it’s hard to see yourself though. I don’t know what to do about physio I just don’t get the it should hurt bit I get the discomfort of stretching muscles you haven’t used for ages but I don’t feel at that stage and with so little pain relief I can take it’s just so bad especially at night I’m being pressured by husband to keep going to physio as that’s what consultant has said and in his opinion doctors are always right🤔forgets they missed pneumonia in me for months possibly so many doctors appointments I couldn’t count how many told me my breathing problems were panic attacks and depression which I had no history of not had since 😤 men mine is getting frustrated with me as have to wake him once in night to get me up as crying in pain 🤨 poor him, so really feel stuck god I know I said I have never been depressed but think I’m on the verge now can’t drive stuck at home can’t clean or do anything other than dress my top half it’s just bloody great 😁 please keep letting me know how you are getting on process localhero it really helps to not feel so isolated

Sorry meant princess

User I felt the same depression. I promise you are not alone. Always been an anxious person but never ever experienced depression before, certainly not like this with the bleak thoughts of how my life was just not worth living. I never want to go back to that. Crazy that it was only 4 or 5 weeks ago. A lot has changed.

I understand how isolating it feels but I am lucky that my dh has been very supportive and when I first started sleeping on the sofa he slept down in living room on the floor on a roll mat just in case I needed him. I told him in the end it was bloody ridiculous and it was a long term thing so he needed to go back to sleeping in bed which he did eventually do. No point in us both being tired and uncomfortable!

With regards to your dh pressuring you with physio, only you know how it feels. I know my physio exercises were so painful they would make it hurt for hours afterwards and i would be crying after doing the exercises at home. Thankfully dh said one day 'you need to just rest. Why have you not noticed how much worse you are after these exercises??!' He was right. I was listening to the medical advice and not my own body. Every day I was forcing my poor back into positions that it just wasn't ready for. Lifting my legs and stretching things that were just needing more time. Only you know how it feels. Only advice I have is listen to your body. Incidentally a few days after stopping the physio I mentioned to the osteopath who does my accupuncture about physio making it worse and the mckenzie stretches were becoming impossible and he said same as my husband, that it was just too tender and sore to be risking destabilising the disc. Rest and gentle walking when can manage it is all he advised. And since then I have very gradually improved.

I am still a long way off being better, i am currently laid on sofa on my back with leg propped up but I have walked a lot today and managed to have a really good last day with kids before they go back to school. Just 4 weeks ago I was dreading christmas and not knowing how I would cope but I have made such improvements and had a great time with the boys. It's so hard to see when you're in the middle of it and for about 4 months I seemed to have no sign of recovery at all. Everyone was advising surgery as being only route but very gradually things are changing and I am hoping to avoid it now. I really hope you see some changes soon and I am here if you need some company!

Oh user I know how you feel. Being stuck at home and totally dependent on others is so demoralising and depressing. But I do think there is light at the end of the tunnel- we just don't know how long the bloody tunnel is! and that makes it much harder to try to keep positive. I agree with princess that you need to listen to your body. I don't do the exercises every day - I tried but they made things worse. I mentioned this to my physio who said "well just don't do them! Don't do anything that triggers your symptoms. The disc is just too hot right now" (am paraphrasing but you get the gist )
My physio sessions are mainly massage to relieve the tightness and spasm from elsewhere plus a bit of dry needling. But I'd love to try proper Chinese acupuncture - Princess how did you find yours?
And don't always trust doctors - they're fallible too! Last year my mum had a series of small strokes - she lived miles away so I got a neighbour to call an ambulance. They said she'd just had a panic attack, made her tea and left. Later that day my brother called me and said he'd been speaking to her and just had a bad feeling. So I drove 4 hours and let myself in. I'd been talking with her for 5 mins when she had another stroke right in front of me! Called 999 and we got blue lighted in. Luckily they were minor and she's made a great recovery but she couldn't have the special clot busting meds as her first stroke was over 9 hours earlier but had been missed!! So long story short - always trust your instincts!!
You probs already have a load of stuff to help you be more comfy - I can't remember if you're on crutches? They help. Plus Amazon is doing a roaring trade - I have a wedge pillow to raise my feet when lying down, a fab electric heat pack, a grabber for picking things up, I'm thinking of stealing my mums sock putter-on gadget as I can only get my right sock on!, a full body pillow, get some CBD oil if you can't take gabapentin - I got gummy bears from Love Hemp as the oil can taste a bit yucky.
Thanks for being here ladies - we can be truthful with each other and that helps a lot. Xx

Ahh yes CBD oil, hated the idea of it but it really did help in the early stages when the leg was spasming and felt like contractions in my leg (can't describe it in any other way!)... haven't needed to take any for a couple of months now.

Wow amazing about you trusting your gut and the strokes. How weird is human intuition sometimes?! Just shows though that the medical professionals are I'm sure doing their best but it's not fool proof. If the exercises hurt then I don't see how it can be doing good. It's not like muscle pain where it probably is no pain no gain, in my opinion where nerve pain is concerned if it hurts it's causing something to push on it that shouldn't be so stop! Like I said, I learned this the hard way after 3 or 4 months of trying to do everything the physiotherapist said and making no improvements at all.

Today I had a minor breakthrough but it felt huge, I managed to walk the boys to and from school without crutches for the first time since November! Little bit of pain this evening so I'm resting with my leg up again, i seem to spend most evenings flat on the sofa but in general I'm feeling so much better.

Keep going everyone. It's good to have a place to offload all this. I wish I'd have had this thread in August when it started.

Thank you localhero and princess I had physio yesterday was awful have been in agony since so I’m not doing it again, I can’t understand what he’s saying as he says I can’t do any more damage no matter how much it hurts but then tells me to keep an eye out for Equis syndrome thing sorry can’t remember exact name heads all over place on 2 hours sleep because I am having bit of trouble he wee out. Everything he says is a contradiction to how I feel I keep saying I’m in constant pain but just doesn’t listen so I’m going to give acupuncture a go princess like you have. I am so low at the moment really struggling to get through each day made me cry when you said your husband had slept on floor to help you mines been horrible shouting and screaming at me to get on with it as he has to work, but when kids were home for Xmas he was better in front of them so I had 3 weeks of him being nice, just so hard when the pain is so bad thanks so much for all the advice I’m willing to try anything just wish I could take the Gabapentin as I think like you princess I would be able to drive or at least get more sleep thanks so much

Princess were do I get CBD oil from and sorry forgot to say how awful for you localhero they often get things wrong I have been in that situation that just get shrugged of it’s nothing then nearly died of pneumonia so I don’t have much confidence in any one that tells me somethings normal when your not feeling ok. How great princess that you walked to school that’s amazing isn’t it funny how something like that can be such a big achievement something we used to take for granted

I got CBD oil from internet. It was off amazon and it was the 20% stuff not the 2% you can but from health food shops. It wasn't magic but it did relax the really unbearable spasms and contraction like feelings down the leg, but the nerve pain remained :( I'd give it a go and see if it helps. It's such a shame you can't take gabapentin. It really took the edge off the nerve pain.

I'd look into acupuncture. I was very sceptical. Never tried it before and after first session I felt nothing but after 2 or 3 sessions I was recovering. I've had another session today and he said my muscles are no longer in spasm. It's not all locked up any more so mechanically my back is as it should be, not hunched over and stiff....so in theory my back should continue to heal itself now I can move correctly and walk upright. All positive really.

I'm so sorry your husband shouts and screams at you to get on with it. Is this typical behaviour for him? It's really not acceptable at all and it is the last thing you need. You are in unbearable pain right now and need support. I can't complain really, my husband was amazing through the whole thing. Sleeping on the floor for weeks in case I needed anything, taking the kids to and from school and changing his work hours to fit, cooking meals, washing school uniforms, basically everything. I was just so disabled by it. I still have bad shooting pain sometimes, usually after sitting then going to stand up and it still takes my breath away how intense it can be but it was constant before. If you're feeling anything like I was then you need your husband to be on your side with this because you're in crisis right now. I've never felt anything like it or felt so alone and down in my life. I think someone shouting at me would have pushed me over the edge!

Anyway, do try cbd oil and acupuncture if you can. Again I have no idea if acupuncture has been the miracle cure but I feel so much better. Could all be a coincidence but I think it definitely helped relax the muscles to at least help me to stand and walk around and encourage natural healing.

Oh User - that's really crap on all levels. Firstly though if you're having trouble peeing then that is a red flag for cauda equina syndrome so ring your GP and get it checked out. Secondly I'm not sure the physio is correct in saying that your can't do any more damage - your body is trying to protect you from further hurt - that's what pain is all about. There's a really good book called Explain Pain. I had physio today and she said that there's no point trying to do exercises when the body is all locked up. The muscle spasms have to be released first like Princess says. Can you try a different physio??
I had a good day & brilliant sleep on Monday but then I think I overdid it yesterday and I am back to being a crooked lady and in more pain 😞 my physio was lovely and just tried to release the muscles rather than do any exercises but she also checked the strength in my feet which is another red flag. I've lost range of motion but strength was ok.
Thirdly - no it's not on that your DH is not being sympathetic. It truly is the WORST most disabling pain and d set one how he needs to understand that. I'll have a word with him!!
I got my cbd from love hemp website - they do it in gummy bears. And also from the health food shop near me. The gummy bears taste nicer!!
I definitely want to give proper acupuncture a go too. Gentle hugs to you all xx

Thanks so much both of you, relationship wise it’s not good he’s never been very nice in situations when i have needed him which hasn’t been often I am very unhappy with him and promised myself that if I felt the same this Christmas as I did last Christmas I would start the process of ending it, well this had really confirmed how bad my life is with him he has been vile but lovely in front of kids as he always is this is all making it so hard to deal with I am in so much pain having on off support from him depending on who’s in the house is just crushing me I can’t thank you enough for answering my post if it wasn’t for my little girl being so young I think I might be having thoughts of ending it all I honestly feel so stuck in this sea of pain

Oh God User, that's shit. Going through this with little or no support must be even worse. I know it doesn't help you right now but please just keep going. Maybe look at ways to end the relationship but for now just keep battling through. I know the sea of pain well. I was drowning in it just a few weeks ago but please hang in there. This right now is temporary. Everyone says 'this too shall pass' and when you're living with this pain it's hard to have any perspective at all. Everything is hard work and the days of pain just lead into the nights of pain and there is no relief. I have been there. A lot of us on here have and you are not alone. This really won't last forever. There is help out there if you want to talk to someone if you are honestly wanting to end it all. Please don't suffer in silence. When I went to my first acupuncture session I ended up sobbing just describing to the man what I was feeling. How desperate and isolated I felt. He said it was all very normal. That when you are in so much pain it dominates your thoughts and every thing seems so bleak. He said 'i can not un herniate your disc but I can promise to get you through this point of crisis and hopefully help your body to heal itself' and just getting it all out on someone who has seen other people at that point of desperation helped so much. This really will pass. I never would have believed it a few months ago. I also had such dark thoughts about my life just not being worth living. All the days were blurring into one, no sleep to break things up, nothing to look forward to. Painful physio sessions, followed by nights on the sofa crying, doctors appointments sitting uncomfortably in waiting rooms. Everything in my life just made me hurt and I was so miserable. It's horrible but we will get you through it somehow!

Thank you princess for taking the time with me I don’t have any one in RL no parents or anyone really, only distant relatives I feel very alone right now. I think if I could get more than 2 -3 hours sleep a night I would be able to handle the pain more even when I’m asleep I must be dosing virtually because I can still feel the pain if I could find just one position to lay in that would take the awful pain of the nerve I would stay there forever😴 you make me feel so much more positive have contacted someone about acupuncture and am getting someone to pick me up some CBD oil won’t get it until the weekend as one of my boys girlfriends is going to get it for me but just focusing on that and acupuncture helping makes me feel better. Mentally I think the continual pain I think around 10 weeks now just messes with your head. It’s my little girls birthday on Saturday have booked local play area all I have to do is get us ready and turn up with the cake so it’s as easy as possible just hoping I can manage to get through it plus’s I look absolutely awful. Thank you again it’s all I have to hang on to at the moment.

Just keep hanging on. I hope the acupuncture helps you but time in general definitely will. At 10 weeks I was still in agony and I know exactly what you mean about feeling the pain in your sleep! I felt the same! It was like there was no rest from it at all. Dh would say I was snoring and asleep yet my mind was still focused on the pain so it didn't feel like I'd had any sleep at all. I also only used to get between 1 and 3 hours of sleep a night. I've only started sleeping for longer stretches since New Year so that's quite a recent thing for me. I had 7 hours sleep the other night and I felt fantastic! Amazing how much you value sleep after experiencing something like this. After 21 weeks of little or no sleep I don't think I will ever take sleep for granted again.

I hope everything goes ok with the party. Try to do the bare minimum and don't worry what you look like! You are coping as best you can with the worst pain imaginable. I wish I could offer more help. I have no family or friends really to rely on, just dh and my cousin who lives about 70 miles away so not local but I spoke to her often on the phone just for a moan and a cry.

Where abouts in the country are you? If I was close by I'd come sit with you for a cuppa and a cry. It's such a shit thing to go through on your own. You will get better. This will end.

Oh my what an angel you are how lovely I’m in Canterbury kent so I expect miles away from you, how funny that would be if you were close by. You would be greater by me collapsing in your arms sobbing though I’m sure before you’d get tea back and spasms allowing of course. Just can’t thank you enough for being so kind have acupuncturist calling me tomorrow with appointment. Wow 7 hours sleep that’s amazing long may it continue really sounds like you have majorly improved so pleased for you and giving me so much hope

Ahh damn, I'm in Yorkshire so quite a long way off from Kent! Otherwise I'd be quite happy to pop round and hold your hand while we drink tea and moan about how fucking awful sciatica is! Kent is lovely though. We went on holiday last year to the Isle of Sheppey and did a full tour of Kent. The coast down there is lovely. One day you will be out enjoying it all again I promise!

I hope all goes well with the acupuncturist. It's well worth a go. I was really sceptical but was desperate and just thought I'd give it a go as a last ditch attempt to try and avoid surgery. Unbelievable that I came within a week of having surgery. It was all booked and I'd been for the pre op assessments and all ready to go. I'm sure some people do need the surgery and I wouldn't hesitate to get it done if the symptoms became unbearable again but for now I'm so happy with my progress.

To give you some more hope, I walked 7000 steps today according to my phone... still not up to the recommended 10,000 a day but considering I was struggling to walk 20 paces to the toilet only a month ago it's pretty amazing. I couldn't go outside without my crutches because my posture was so bad and I needed something to lean on.

I'm still trying to take things slowly but today was a really lovely day. I did the school run this morning walking normally and just loving being out the house and not in agony. 3 people stopped me and said 'are you better???' Or 'you're walking better!' And it was such an amazing moment of knowing that these are people who I bearly know really have seen me limping for 5 months, even clinging on to gate posts and struggling with crutches and they all noticed how different I am now. There is plenty of hope for you. Just get through these awful days and you will come out of it eventually.

Oh User it really is a shit show isn't it? I totally get how you feel as the pain is relentless and takes over your mind. I "joked" the other day that I had enough painkillers to end it if I wanted - everyone was shocked, and yes maybe it was a bit of black humour but it showed my mind had been there so you are not alone in wishing it all over. It's totally understandable. When I can't sleep cos of the pain I have a relaxation track on my phone that I listen to - it just helps to take my mind off the pain a bit more and allows me to doze off. You've got to find the right one though as some can be very wooooo if you know what I mean!!
I think we both have to be heartened by Princess's story - that it will just take time and some how we have to find the patience and support to get through it. User - It doesn't sound like you have much (any) support around you so Princess (hope you don't mind ?) and I will be your support group. Lean on us (but not too much - we've got bad backs 🤣) and we'll help each other through.