Herniated disc agony....help please!!

[AnSionnachGlic]

3 days ago, out of the blue I got the most severe lowerback pain which radiated down my left leg. The pain was so horrendous, I couldn't sit, lie, walk etc. I spent hours pacing trying to relieve it by taking strong painkillers ( palexia) which I had from previous surgery, but nothing would relieve it. Finally my dh brought me to A&E where it took hours to try and get relief from the pain. I got an MRI which showed nerve compression on L4L5 disc but thankfully does not need surgery. I was advised to take Lyrica and Solpodol for 6 days and told it should settle down. I am at home now and with meds can achieve pain relief , by lying on my side with pillow between legs. However, when I attempt to walk , within few minutes the burning pain into my left leg is v severe, until I lie down again, We are supposed to be flying to Spain in 6 days time for a 9 day holiday. Realistically, does anyone who has experienced similar, think this is possible. I feel that if I can walk, I can manage it, as don't plan to be too active on holiday. We are meeting our family there and really don't want to let people down, but likewise I don't want to be in agony and a misery to everyone. How can I speed up recovery? Do I rest or try and walk through the pain? I'm desperate from some advice from someone who has had similar l4l5 nerve flare up.

I would delay your trip. Hot water bottle, anti inflammatories, pain killers. I usually use a combination of Naproxen and codeine.

A family member just got injections for this. They were prescribed much stronger pain relief as well but it took a lot of rest - lying down not walking- to get relief from the shooting leg pains. We are 6 weeks in.

They are still in a lot of pain and a holiday would be miserable unless everyone else can go off and do their own thing.

The journey will not help your back unfortunately.

Gosh I’m sorry to hear that OP. I absolutely would not travel in your condition- it’s not so much the being away (which will be bad enough) but the actual travelling that is going to probably set you back. Sorry.

I was really hoping that I could manage it. I was thinking that if my pain was under control and my walking improves a bit, I could request mobility assistance....I'm flying with Aer Lingus, so I wouldn't have to stand in line for hours. We are travelling Dublin to Malaga and are hiring a car in Malaga.

At the moment I would suggest lying still, and booking an appointment with an osteopath.

Go ask your GP for a neuropathic painkiller like amitriptyline. Unfortunately things like codeine and paracetamol just won’t touch it as it’s nerve pain.

If you lose sensation in genital region or changes to bladder bowel control or your ankle stops working go to A&E immediately. Otherwise it’s most likely everything with resolve itself within a couple of months.

keep active, do knee drops side to side in bed, keep moving your back when able.

I wouldn’t go on holiday. You can make this worse with too much sitting. You need to be active and walking around.

The heat in Málaga may well help ease any muscle spasm and special assistance in Málaga is very good ( I use it frequently). You need stronger pain killers . I’ve had l5/s1 fusion and a pain implant due to failed back surgery. I take a pillow with me for the seat. If you decide to go that is- only you can judge that and you may need a fit to fly note as the airline can and do turn you away if you look like you cannot evacuate in the event of any emergency.

So sorry you’re experiencing this. I had a similar back injury last year caused by overdoing it with running and exercising. I woke up one day and, like you, was in absolute agony. The pain was unreal and mainly down my right leg. My MRI showed a disc compression in the same place. For me, the pain subsided after no more than a week but I couldn’t sit in the car as it would flare it up again. I also developed a limp as I had nerve damage and couldn’t tiptoe on my right side, so keep an eye on that. I would recommend seeing a physio or osteopath for exercises to relieve pressure. In all honesty, there is no way to speed up recovery, believe me, I tried! I had to give up all my hobbies while it got better. A year on and I’ve finally lost the limp and regaining strength back in my injured leg. By all means, I’m not saying this will happen to you though, it’s just my experience. What I know from speaking to people who have had this injury is that everybody is affected and recovers differently. I probably wouldn’t travel if I were you. Being sat on a plane or in a car for long periods may well put a lot of pressure on your back. But, if you speak to a professional, they’ll be able to explain and help you. Good luck and speeds recovery!

Have had the same. It took months of therapy and physio and exercise to get back to a type of normal.

My advice is stronger pain relief (ask doctors)
Try TENS machine (worked well for me,)
Ask for physio referral
I would not have been able to go on holiday at this stage e.g. I was off work for 3 months.
Ice and heat (be careful how long you leave ice on as I gave myself burns from ice I left it on so long)
Google Mackenzie exercise (back in my day it was highly recommended)

https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/what-mckenzie-method-back-pain-and-neck-pain

Sorry forgot one - acupuncture. I had a really good physio that used exercise, manipulation and acupuncture.

This. Sharing your pain atm 😩

You need to rest it initially (first few days), use heat and see if you can get stronger meds I had tapentadol (only in the short term). But codiene/naproxen might do it. You need to see a physio and get some exercises to do. After first few days keep mobile but don’t over do it. Recovery can be several weeks. After you have recovered you need to strengthen your core - weights, Pilates, swimming, walking otherwise it will likely keep happening and get worse. You could also look at injections for relief.

I had a similar situation with L4L5 and a doctor's note to Aerlingus meant they refunded a voucher for the amount of the flights.

I had surgery (public system -Irl-CUH) about 4 months after the pain started as it was a very large bulge . I would take Diphene(spelling?) that numb the pain a bit but it was really tough at the time. When I showed my MRI to a physio while waiting for consultant appointment they sent me away and wouldn't touch me..

I have a DH with multiple disc hernias and he even had a surgery. So around 15 years of experience dealing with it.
Just don't go, you'll be in your room the whole day, sleeping because of painkillers. You can't combine them with alcohol as well.

And never use heat on hernias.

Once the initial inflammation settles it’s absolutely fine to use heat

Another one saying don't go. For me not even amitriptyline touched the pain, but after a week the pain just went away in an instant. Leaving complete numbness weakness and consequent lack of mobility and balance. I had very little control over my right leg at all. I wouldn't want to be in that state on holiday. Three years on I now have some learned control and balance but still no feeling.

I am a long standing herniated disc patient (2 major surgeries). Before my last surgery I was on the maximum neuropathic pain management regime. Lyrica, amitriptyline, Gabapentin and nothing worked (it was a massive herniation - 13mm into the spinal canal) - super painful.

The best pain relief was something I stumbled on - 2 x 25mg Voltaren tablets + 2 x paracetamol - this provided the best pain relief of the lot

Worth an explore as it's an OTC option.

Walking dehydrates yours discs slightly so the pressure is relieved. It’s often worst in the morning as they will rehydrate overnight. Sitting is awful. Movement is better than being still.

Stay on top of your drugs - better to keep a lid in it rather than let it get out of control and have to bring it down again. Naproxen and gabapentin were best for me. I don’t like codiene as I get constipated and that makes the pain worse.

A tens machine is great when staying still
Yoga is good, loads on YouTube. Adrienne has a low back pain and a sciatica one which are really helpful
consider not going - sitting about is the worst thing. You may not be able to sit down and eat for example. The flight will be hard. If it gets worse you may need surgery.
If you can afford it look into IDD therapy, not for now - you need to commit to 3 days a week so wouldn’t work if you were away for 9.

Thank you all for your advice...i really appreciate it
I don't think the disc is herniated. I have slight spinal stenosis and had previous laminectomy 12 years ago which was very successful. I have been largely pain free until now! It has happened so suddenly..had been walking my dogs as usual that morning! The a&e doctor said it is an irritation of the l5l6 nerve due to the stenosis but thee was no indication that surgery would be given. I am seeing my own spinal doctor privately at end of August ( he's just gone on annual leave) and have spoken to my GP on the phone. My GP had not got the report from the hospital but from what I told her, she said I need to rest, take the medication and I should be able to travel by Friday. We are staying in a hotel in Marbella so I feel, once I get there, the sun and pool should be of benefit. But I hope I keep improving until then.

Google Dr. Sean Mackey Stamford university. I have heard him on a few podcasts. He is a pain expert. He explains the role of the brain in pain. Most interesting thing I heard him talking about was acupuncture.

The only thing outside of an injection that worked for me was a 5 day prescription of prednisone/steroids.

Did he mean l5/s1 ? L6 doesn’t exist in humans. Not sure how stenosis would affect the nerve root ( which is causing the pain ) so I’d definitely query it.

Hello! I am 1 month post diagnosis, similar to you I was ok until I was not, sent to a&e by gp. I've had one physio session (to diagnose) and start sessions next week. I put myself on bed rest for 3 days, it really helped, that plus codine and naproxen. I can now get about slowly, and not too far! We fly in 2 weeks, 4 hour flight, I am dreading it but we are going!
Could you pay private for physio? Even just 1 session?