My DP taken by ambulance to A&E with crippling sciatica

[BG2015]

He's been suffering for a month (can't get off the bed) can't walk, he's not been downstairs for over a week.

Naproxen, diazepam cocodomol ibruprofen- none of it is touching the pain.

He's now struggling to wee and was vomiting all night. Something is definitely not right.

I took him to A and E last weekend and he was checked over, prescription for Movicol and a promise to push his referral through quicker. Then he was sent hone.

This morning we both had had enough. I rang 111 (for the third time on 2 was) sobbed on the phone and she said he needs an ambulance and help with pain management.

He's got a slipped/bulged disc which he had a steroid injection for 5 years ago. But this time it is 100 times worse. He's beyond the physio, osteo route.

If he were an animal he would be treated better. I love the NHS but they've failed him.

Praying he gets some help so that he can at least sleep.

I really feel for your DH. The NHS can be amazing but at others they're awful., especially back pain issues. Ive been suffering for the last 3 years with upper back pain and lower back/chest/knee pain for decades meaning at times I can't even brush my teeth, but they can't find anything enough physical that causes us so it must be ok someone suggested fibromyalgia today and I've been referred but otherwise I'm constantly told nothing they can do.

And you think, awesome I am just surviving here and you're washing your hands of me.

Really hope he gets some solution soon

@Christmasfairy2020 I don't see where the OP says they ruled out Cauda Equina? @BG2015 did they specifically confirm it wasn't this?

You have my sympathy. The lack of care given to back issues is remarkable.
I have a slipped disc and sciatica and ended up in hospital a year or so ago when I was pregnant.
The consultant couldn't have given less of a shit if he tried. His thoughts on the matter were that anyone over 30 probably has a slipped disc, there's nothing they can do about it unless you've been paralysed for months and then they might consider surgery, but in most cases it's a no.
The pain killers don't touch the pain when I'm having issues, but they refuse to give anything stronger. When I said I'd end up losing my job, I was told to 'just get a different one' .
They did originally think it was cauda equina in a&e and couldn't help me enough - once they realised it wasn't they just left me to suffer.

This was me 3 years ago. Niggling sciatica which got worse and worse and ended up with me being in bed for 3 months.

My doctor wasn't interested, prescribed all the same drugs your husband is on over the phone because they wouldn't come out for a home visit and I couldn't get out of the house.

They did refer me to the local physiotherapy service and he was amazing, there wasn't much he could do but it helped every time I went and I tired so hard with the daily movements he gave me although usually I was crying through the pain.

I eventually had an MRI and saw a spinal specialist who said I was a candidate for surgery but was reluctant as it's such a big operation... by this time I had seen an improvement so I found on osteopath who helped enourmously and the pysio service ran exercise classes which I went to.

I am now fully healed, I do Pilates every week which has been amazing, small movements that help keep the muscles stretched and the sciatica at bay.

I am so sorry you are in the middle of this, it's traumatic and sounds like your husband is being given the same lack of care and understanding that I was. I hope that there is some sort of relief for both of you soon,

20 years ago I had five months off work with a slipped disc! Amatriptaline (sp!) Helped me to sleep. Mostly I lay then walked a tiny bit everyday. I slept on the floor - I couldn't sit or lay in bed - this went on for the entire 5 months.
It slowly got better. I used ice packs and very gentle exercise. Then I saw an osteopath every week for the next year. Now I maintain that by going every six months.
It's a slow process. I didn't want an operation because I hadn't heard great things. You just need to rest and totally give into it for a while then hopefully it will start to ease.
I'd try and get an osteopath to come to the house.

What did they do about his urinary retention? This is a red flag for cauda equina syndrome and can result in paralysis if not treated/managed correctly

He didn't have cauda equine that was ruled out at a & e.

The urinary problems were due to the diazepam.

The only good thing from his visit to a & e was he had an MRI which we could then give to the private consultant and the injection happened quicker - not that it was much use.

His GP only actually saw him this week, they refused a face to face apt!

Physio is pointless for my DP, it won't do any good because of how the nerve is compressed.

I feel so sorry for your husband. Back pain is treated like an inevitability for people as they age and doctors don't take it seriously enough. I've been left with permanent nerve damage from mine. My doctor, who should have been concerned with my foot dropping and pulling to the right diagnosed me over the phone, prescribed painkillers and told me it could last for months. They only ever diagnosed over the phone as I couldn't physically get to the surgery. At one point the pain was so bad my husband phoned an ambulance only for them to push back on sending one. He wad told they wouldn't be able to do anything, it would hurt more trying to get me to hospital and I'd most likely be sent home after a long wait.

Physiotherapy was only arranged 6 months after the initial attack and I was told it was too late for the nerve in my left leg and foot. I'm lucky I can walk normally, with a bit of a drunken gait, but my back has never been right since and I'm still paranoid about caude equine. My doctor couldn't have cared less.

I really hope your husband recovers well, I think once they rule out Caude Equine it's thrown over to long term pain management rather than trying to resolve a root cause.

I had a disc prolapse and crippling sciatica and IDD therapy was a life changer for me. I was waiting for surgery but managed to avoid. It was expensive , around £1500 iirc, but you are already paying for private treatment so maybe you are in a position to consider it. You should be able to have a copy of the MRI sent to you and they will be able to see if it is a disc. Gabapentin also helped me a lot, I had that and naproxen and amytryptaline (which made me feel awful)

@LegoCaltrops you only go to a and e to rule out cauda. This is done via a PR to check reflexes and then if needed an MRI. His urinary retention was an indicator of this. But as mentioned it wasn't and was the diazepam. He needs to keep moving gently til he sees neuro

He can only walk with crutches. He tries to walk around the house as much as he can.

It's so frustrating for him (& me) as we are big walkers. We live near the Peak District and usually do a 7-8 mile walk a few times a month.

I've also got some recent health concerns too so it's all very depressing.

@BG2015 you've both got my sympathy, it's very easy to say keep moving but much harder in practice. The painkillers don't help, I remember feeling just foggy and out of sync with everything else, plus I wasn't sleeping as Amytriptiline gave me horrendous nightmares and I couldn't take it. It can be such a long drawn out process recovering to, frustrating for both of you.