Sciatica.. Help!

Sar_Bear

Just discovered I have sciatica. Been in pain for about a week now (excruciating pain) Have been taking difene and solpadeine, which only give a small bit of relieve.

Has anyone else been through this and has some advice on how I can get some relieve? (hot bath not an option, physically wouldn't be able to get out! )

No.125

straight to the physio. it's the only thing that works for me. i tried a chiropractor..but to be honest it was a total waste of money. find a good physio and you'll be brand new.

Dizzyblonde

+1 on the physio. You just need some simple exercises that will sort you out.

PammyD

I attend an Osteopath/Physio and its the best thing i can do to help my back

_AVALANCHE_

No.125 wrote: »

straight to the physio. it's the only thing that works for me. i tried a chiropractor..but to be honest it was a total waste of money. find a good physio and you'll be brand new.

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

+1 on the physio. You just need some simple exercises that will sort you out.

PammyD wrote: »

I attend an Osteopath/Physio and its the best thing i can do to help my back

If a physio helped then all that was wrong was muscular, half hour walk would do the same thing.

Physios are a useless shower. Only thing they are good for is taking your money....oh and printing out exercise sheets.

Spook_ie

I suffered with sciatica, GP initially put me on anti-inflammatories for 6 weeks and I saw a physio who showed me some exercises (2 visits) but both of them said that if it didnt settle I would have to see an Neurosurgeon. Long story short, my sciatica did not settle and after months of daily agonising pain, I saw a neurosurgeon and had a microdiscectomy & decompression done and the results were fantastic.

My advice to you would be to request an MRI if your pain does not settle after a few weeks and take things from there.

_AVALANCHE_

Spook_ie wrote: »

I suffered with sciatica, GP initially put me on anti-inflammatories for 6 weeks and I saw a physio who showed me some exercises (2 visits) but both of them said that if it didnt settle I would have to see an Neurosurgeon. Long story short, my sciatica did not settle and after months of daily agonising pain, I saw a neurosurgeon and had a microdiscectomy & decompression done and the results were fantastic.

My advice to you would be to request an MRI if your pain does not settle after a few weeks and take things from there.

How long ago?

Spook_ie

Had my microdiscectomy done in June 2010, so nearly 2 years pain free now !!!!

Wicklowrider

Spook_ie wrote: »

if it didnt settle I would have to see an Neurosurgeon. Long story short, my sciatica did not settle and after months of daily agonising pain, I saw a neurosurgeon and had a microdiscectomy & decompression done and the results were fantastic.

Agree 100%.

Don't mess with sciatica. See your GP and if symptoms persist, worsen or you lose feelings or get pins and needles get referred to a specialist.
My doctor didn't refer me. I suffered increasing pain over two years. Suddenly it went numb.When I eventually got referred I was literally on the operating table that day - but it was too late and I have suffered life changing disabilities.

Wanderer2010

Your sciatica could just be a symptom of something more serious, like a protruding or 'slipped' disc. I had the exact same problem a few weeks ago, kept having pains in my left leg each morning that would go away after a few hours until one morning when I couldnt even put my sock on the pain was that sharp, it got worse and worse over a 24 hour period until i collapsed and had to get an ambulance to send me to A&E. I was on codeine and valium for 2 weeks to deal with the pain and was referred for an MRI, which showed up a severe protruded disc, impinging several spinal nerve roots, causing pain all down the left side.

Im still on Nurofen daily and have had to wait a few weeks for an appointment for a consultant so its a slow enough process getting help. I would advise you to get your GP to refer you for an MRI straight away to see what the issue is and then you can start working on a solution. Good luck!

_AVALANCHE_

Spook_ie wrote: »

Had my microdiscectomy done in June 2010, so nearly 2 years pain free now !!!!

What did decompression involve? Will the pain come back?




http://www.euromedic.ie/home.aspx is the place to go for MRIs.

Spook_ie

The decompression involves surgery - basically the nerve is compressed/squashed by the protruding disc, so by trimming the offending part of the disc, the nerve is decompressed and hey presto. This is microdiscectomy as only a part of the disc is removed. My neurosurgeon said that I was only at a very small risk of it reoccuring, but for me the surgery was well worth it and the horrific pain that I had all the way down to my ankle has gone. The surgery itself was unbelievably easy, 3 days in hospital, staples out on day 14, and only mild restrictions for 4 weeks and that was it. He did suggest that swimming is the best exercise long term, so thats what I do.

skippy2

Had Sciatica and best exercise i was ever given after many years of pain, doctors, chiropractors, physio, was lie on your back and alternatively pull each knee up towards your chin with two hands and then two knees together. I do it maybe 15/20 each leg and same together with both kness clasped or whatever you can manage. Do this whenever in pain.
It will take a a couple of weeks of doing this daily
My pain eventually improved dramatically and only occassionally get twinges and then do the exercises for a couple of days and its gone again
Keep your stomach muscles in good form also as this is key to a lot of back / sciatica problems
Hope this helps someone as it helped me

tatli_lokma

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

If a physio helped then all that was wrong was muscular, half hour walk would do the same thing.

Physios are a useless shower. Only thing they are good for is taking your money....oh and printing out exercise sheets.

I disagree. By the time I got my appointment for the physio I was in such bad pain that I was on the verge of tears all day. A half hour walk wasn't even possible.
Physio diagnosed that I had a bulged disc. After 2 months of treatment including deep tissue massage, traction and stretches I finally started to feel relief. I continued treatment for a futher 4 mths. At the end of the 6mths I was finally able to walk, drive, sit in work properly. The physio did a lot more than a few stretches and was more benefit than a good walk! Traction was really helpful, and I wouldn't have been able to to that at home.

I augmented the physio treatment with yoga. To this day, when I get twinges or flare ups first thing I do is the exercises the physio taught me and some yoga moves. My sciatica can flare up from a sneeze or if I walk on uneven ground or sleep on a badly supported bed - basically anything that jarrs my back or which puts pressure on the lower back can set it off. Touch wood, since my physio any flare ups are temporary.

I was lucky in that I because I was only in my 20's I was included in a study being done in the Mater. I was put on the group who got physio (others got drugs or other treatments). Because I was in the study I got 6 mths of therapy, which I probably wouldn't have got otherwise. As far as my back is concerned it was the best thing that could have happened. 8 years on and I am relatively sciatica free, except for the occasional flare up as I mentioned. Previous to seeing the physio I had been to doctors, osteopaths, chiropracters and nothing worked. The pain meds didn't touch the sides and only left me with a sick stomach.

You may have found that physio was no good for you, or that you could have been helped by a different method. Not everyone has the same condition, same causes etc, so what works for one may not work for another. I would not deterr someone from seeking the advice of a physio - it might work, it might not, but to dismiss them all as a 'useless shower' is unfair and unhelpful.

tatli_lokma

skippy2 wrote: »

Had Sciatica and best exercise i was ever given after many years of pain, doctors, chiropractors, physio, was lie on your back and alternatively pull each knee up towards your chin with two hands and then two knees together. I do it maybe 15/20 each leg and same together with both kness clasped or whatever you can manage. Do this whenever in pain.

another one I find good is to lie on your back, leg outstretched, slightly bend the knee, place a towel or belt around your foot and slowly and gently pull the foot towards your head. Exhale as you do this, with each exhale try to soften the muscles in the thigh and legs and slowly you will find you can get the leg further and further. This opens up the joint and can relieve the pressure of where the nerve is being trapped.

After you've done this, even better is if you can get someone to actually push against your leg, pushing it towards your body. Then get them to literally pull your leg (:p). This creates traction and also can loosen up the joint.

I also find that if you kind of roll right and left whilst holding your knees to your chest this massages the hip area - this is where my sciatica is most painful and I find this helps.

Finally, downward facing dog yoga move is good too, and if you can get soemone to put a belt around your waist and pull your hips up and back this improves it even more. This yoga move helps to soften and lengthen your leg muscles and usually the pain you experience in the lower back and hips is made worse because your muscles are contracting and spasming. These exercises help to relieve that without putting any extra pressure on the back.

Spook_ie

The main thing to remember about Sciatica is that it is a symptom of another medical problem NOT a medical condition on its own - I have had surgery as my condition was so severe, but I would strongly urge anyone to have an MRI before they embark on a course of treatment, physio might work for some people, yoga for others and surgery for others, but a proper diagnosis using MRI imaging should always come first.

mono1000000

I've suffered sciatica for 5 weeks now, after reading that people suffer for years with it i went straight to my GP for a referral for an MRI, my problem is a slipped disc (herniated disc) at L5/S1. i went to a neurosurgeon in the Matter and he said an operation was the only answer and rubbished all other treatment. (not a nice guy, was ignorant towards me) Not happy with this i went to the Beacon hospital to see MR Chris Mascott. Great guy, went through everything and put me on course of steroids for a week. after a day I felt better. He said if that didn't work an injection of the steroid straight into the nerve area was the next approach. I'd leave spinal surgery as a last resort, some people end up worse as you can get scar tissue on the disc in place of the bulge. REMEMBER-sciatica is a symptom! which can be caused by any number of factors, Spine misalignment, bulging/herniated disc or piriformis syndrome. the treatment for each is different. first thing to do is find out whats causing yours, as you could spend money on the wrong treatment.

ElleEm

I suffer with my sciatic nerve too.
I find that placing a hot water bottle on the spot really eases the pain.
I usually get my partner to use his fingers to "unknot" the area too. It hurts at the time but I really feel unwound afterwards.

mono1000000

Spook_ie wrote: »

I suffered with sciatica, GP initially put me on anti-inflammatories for 6 weeks and I saw a physio who showed me some exercises (2 visits) but both of them said that if it didnt settle I would have to see an Neurosurgeon. Long story short, my sciatica did not settle and after months of daily agonising pain, I saw a neurosurgeon and had a microdiscectomy & decompression done and the results were fantastic.

My advice to you would be to request an MRI if your pain does not settle after a few weeks and take things from there.

Who did you surgery and where was it done, I'm suffering on and off for 9 months now and think surgery may be the only answer. ian.

Spook_ie

Mono - I went to Paraic O'Neill in the Mater Private and had the surgery there too. Some people feel he is quite abrupt, but while I can see where they are coming from, I actually liked his plain concise way of talking. After my MRI, he basically said I had 3 choices, do nothing, try a steroid injection or surgery. He felt the steroid injection was not the way to go because as well as a disc herniation, I also had a synovial cyst. I saw him on a wednesday, MRI afterwards, results on the friday and had surgery 10 days later. For me, the surgery was an absolute breeze, the only thing that I didnt like was the procedure called "Back Markings", you go to the xray dept before theatre and they inject some sort of dye to guide the surgeon and it was not nice !!!!

mono1000000

Spook_ie wrote: »

Mono - I went to Paraic O'Neill in the Mater Private and had the surgery there too. Some people feel he is quite abrupt, but while I can see where they are coming from, I actually liked his plain concise way of talking. After my MRI, he basically said I had 3 choices, do nothing, try a steroid injection or surgery. He felt the steroid injection was not the way to go because as well as a disc herniation, I also had a synovial cyst. I saw him on a wednesday, MRI afterwards, results on the friday and had surgery 10 days later. For me, the surgery was an absolute breeze, the only thing that I didnt like was the procedure called "Back Markings", you go to the xray dept before theatre and they inject some sort of dye to guide the surgeon and it was not nice !!!!

yea i met with him 9 months ago when this all started he's got some bed side manor alright. :-) , i went and got the injections and they worked for a while, but have had 3 flare ups this year. i can't get any more injections, 3 is the limit. i also had the dye injected, its very unpleasant. think at this stage surgery is the only answer ...

Spook_ie

Mono - I had been forewarned by my GP re his......emmmm.......bedside manner ! so it didnt come as too much of a shock, but GP felt that his operating skills were second to none and that if he had a sciatica problem he would go to Mr O'Neill, so that was good enough for me. I have to say, once I was in hospital, he was much better and even cracked a few jokes. I have to be honest, if I or any of my family ran into similar problems again, I would definately go back to him and just put up with his quirky consultation mannerisms.

Sounds like you're having a tough time with the pain, hope you get it sorted soon.

maggiepip

I would recommend you get an MRI quite soon. When I had a bulging disk my doctor sent me off to Physio and after a lot of money and time they made me worse. They used "Traction" and after every session I complained that I was getting worse - I was told you will get worse before you get better (which is a load of nonsense)

I eventually got an MRI and surgery was recommended (in fact my ortho surgeon agreed that the physio could have made me worse by Traction moving the disk more the wrong way) After surgery it took a year for all the pain to finally settle but Ive never looked back since.

mono1000000

maggiepip wrote: »

I would recommend you get an MRI quite soon. When I had a bulging disk my doctor sent me off to Physio and after a lot of money and time they made me worse. They used "Traction" and after every session I complained that I was getting worse - I was told you will get worse before you get better (which is a load of nonsense)

I eventually got an MRI and surgery was recommended (in fact my ortho surgeon agreed that the physio could have made me worse by Traction moving the disk more the wrong way) After surgery it took a year for all the pain to finally settle but Ive never looked back since.

Referral letter is gone into Dr Ciaron Boulger in beaumont private, and i have an MRI from back in april, think i might get an up to date one done as i am mow getting pain in both calfs and ankles!! Any one had surgery done by him??

Spook_ie

So Mono, did you get to see Ciaran Bolger yet and how are things with your back ?

mono1000000

Hi spook, I've got an appointment at the of January. But. . . pain is mostly gone now!! (the story goes). . . I went to my GP for prescription for pain meds before Christmas and he suggested trying "prednisone", Its an oral steroid. (40mg per day for a week). It seems to have cleared it up, am now 95% pain free and back to work. So I don't know what to do now.?!

Spook_ie

Thats just typical isnt it Mono !!!! I was just curious, because I cant believe it cos I have just started having symptoms again and its just over 2.5 years since my microdiskectomy and I dont know if I could face going to see yer man in the Mater again ! I think I'd be inclined to hold onto your appointment.

mono1000000

Spook_ie wrote: »

Thats just typical isnt it Mono !!!! I was just curious, because I cant believe it cos I have just started having symptoms again and its just over 2.5 years since my microdiskectomy and I dont know if I could face going to see yer man in the Mater again ! I think I'd be inclined to hold onto your appointment.

Thats interesting, do you mean your getting the same pain and symptoms as before?? I'm keeping the appointment alright. but still haven't made a decision on the surgery yet. I'm worried about down time as we've a 6 month old baby in the house and I wouldn't be able to lift him for for a few weeks I guess. ?

Spook_ie

yep Mono, early stages of the same symptoms but this time on the opposite side ! went to GP on Friday night and he's put me on steroid tablets & tylex for a week. He said that it is entirely possible that you can herniate on the other side and said that the early signs were not good but not to give up hope yet. I have pain right down to my ankle bone. Much and all as I was able to cope with you know who in the Mater, now that I'm in pain I'm not sure that I can !!!!!!

As regards restrictions on lifting, my instructions were no lifting or bending for 4 weeks, but once your post op pain had resolved, there was no restrictions on walking etc. The physios in the Mater Private were fab and went through all the exercises and also how to try and protect your back for life (I must have done something wrong !!!!)

mono1000000

maggiepip wrote: »

I would recommend you get an MRI quite soon. When I had a bulging disk my doctor sent me off to Physio and after a lot of money and time they made me worse. They used "Traction" and after every session I complained that I was getting worse - I was told you will get worse before you get better (which is a load of nonsense)

I eventually got an MRI and surgery was recommended (in fact my ortho surgeon agreed that the physio could have made me worse by Traction moving the disk more the wrong way) After surgery it took a year for all the pain to finally settle but Ive never looked back since.

Hi, can you remember who did your surgery? A year seems a long time for the pain to go away. but I suppose we're all different.

cltt97

Well, I saw Ciaran Bolger a few years ago, and he wasn't the most pleasant person either. maybe they all have this in common! Anyways, he looked at my MRI for 30 seconds, told me there wasn't much point in operating and referred me to the pain clinic. Whole consultation lasted 10 min and cost me plenty, I remember that much.
I remember seeing him in some program on RTE about tricky operations and generally I think he has a very good recommendation.

mono1000000

Well went to see Mr Bolger today. Not the worst guy I've met. he recommended surgery and can have me in in april. I need to check that my VHI covers me in the hermitage hospital. I have problems on both side and at 2 levels, some parts worse than others. I haven't made a decision on the surgery yet as the pain comes and goes for a few months at a time. If im covered by the VHI I think I will get the surgery on one disc, the worst one and see how it goes....

Spook_ie

Glad Mono that the consultation went well - seems a long wait till April, but I suppose it will give you plenty of time to decide what you want done. With all the changes with the VHI, I would suggest that not only do you ring the VHI but also ring the accounts dept in the Hermitage just to double check your cover.

I rang Mr O'Neill on monday and saw him on wednesday, and had a new MRI done (thankfully covered by VHI) and he phoned me yesterday (cant believe it was so quick) to say I have herniated again at the same level L4/L5 but on the opposite side. He has offered me surgery on the 11th Feb, I have to ring the secretary on monday to confirm everything but the pain is constant and I have pins and needles in my foot, so I think I'm going to go ahead with it.

mono1000000

Spook_ie wrote: »

Glad Mono that the consultation went well - seems a long wait till April, but I suppose it will give you plenty of time to decide what you want done. With all the changes with the VHI, I would suggest that not only do you ring the VHI but also ring the accounts dept in the Hermitage just to double check your cover.

I rang Mr O'Neill on monday and saw him on wednesday, and had a new MRI done (thankfully covered by VHI) and he phoned me yesterday (cant believe it was so quick) to say I have herniated again at the same level L4/L5 but on the opposite side. He has offered me surgery on the 11th Feb, I have to ring the secretary on monday to confirm everything but the pain is constant and I have pins and needles in my foot, so I think I'm going to go ahead with it.

Back to Mr O' Neill! He's getting you in quick isn't he. Are you paying for the surgery yourself or are you covered with insurance? It seems I am not covered in a private hospital for elective surgery! If your paying may I ask how much? Now have to have a re-think on what to do. Am I in enough pain to splash out the doe or can I wait?! (I got a date for a public appointment in beaumount for july..........2014)!! CRAZZY isn't it! anyway pain free for a week or 2 now, just the odd twinge.
lets see how it goes...............

Spook_ie

Gosh Mono, I am really surprised that you are not at least partially covered by your VHI ??? I am also with the VHI and am fully covered for a semi private room in the Mater Private for surgery. I thought the way things worked was that ALL Private hospitals take all levels of VHI but that there are various grades of 'shortfalls' that have to be paid for by the Patient ???

Another thing to remember is that all Neurosurgeons keep you 'in' for differing lenghts of time - my aunt has a microdisectomy done with Ciaran Bolger in the Mater private last year and she was only kept in for one night. When Mr O'Neill rang me on thursday, he said I will be admitted on the Sunday, surgery early Monday morning and then be discharged on the Wednesday ie 3 nights or thursday at the latest. So apart from double checking re your VHI status, I would ring back your surgeons secretary and ask how long he keeps patients in for.

The decision is easy for me to take the surgery, as I am now in constant pain 24/7 and have also started having pins and needles in my foot which is freaking me out a bit. After a stay in hospital the VHI normally send you a settlement statement within a week or two, so I should have mine by the end of February, so if you like, I can tell you then what the VHI paid for my stay.

Slugger10

I had a microsurgery with O' Neill about 2 years ago in the Beacon. Think the cosy was about €19,000. From memory the op was 2.5k, the anastheticist and other sundry techical procedures (x- rays, prepping etc about another 1.5 k and the rest to the hospital for 3 days ! O'Neill is gruff but an excellent neurosurgeon. Took me a week from consultation/diagnosis to hospital admission. First thing O'Neills secreratary does is check your medical insurance before proceeding ! Worth calling them yourself too to see which hospitals are covered and for what. I was initally told I was covered for 100% of the medical procedure and 90% of the hospital stay. However on booking in to the hospital, I found my plan covered 100% of the stay . Quite shocked really at the hospital cost. Even paying 10% myself would have been substantial

Spook_ie

dear god Slugger....19k ?!!!!! this will be my second surgery with Paraic O'Neill in the Mater Private, last one was in June 2009 and just dug out my VHI claim settlement form from then and the total paid for everything came to 6,605.14 (I was 100% covered - 3 nights in a semi private room) so even allowing for inflation etc, I can't imagine the total bill for next weeks surgery will come to more than 8 or 9k, so cant understand why your bill would be 19k................

Slugger10

I'll have a root around and see if I still have (the bill) Spook. If it is right I'll need to change to the VHI or the Mater !! Or both.

Spook_ie

Slugger10 wrote: »

I'll have a root around and see if I still have (the bill) Spook. If it is right I'll need to change to the VHI or the Mater !! Or both.

LOL !!!! I should have my latest VHI settlement statement in 2/3 weeks slugger, so I'll let you all know what it was. It is awful that people are being left in so much pain while waiting for a Public Appointment, we have had to cut alot of corners in our house but keeping our VHI was imperative because we have ongoing medical conditions

Slugger10

For sure spook. I'm unemployed, no state medical card and pay for private insurance from my savings. Costs me €350 a month for 4 of us, (2+2) but have to have it, because like yourselves have ongoing medical conditions. I'll probably drop my son and daughter this year as the cash flow diminshes.
Don't get me going on our 2 tier health system. People are dying as a consequence of our "cheque book opens doors" health system.

Good luck with your op next week !

Spook_ie

Slugger10 wrote: »

For sure spook. I'm unemployed, no state medical card and pay for private insurance from my savings. Costs me €350 a month for 4 of us, (2+2) but have to have it, because like yourselves have ongoing medical conditions. I'll probably drop my son and daughter this year as the cash flow diminshes.
Don't get me going on our 2 tier health system. People are dying as a consequence of our "cheque book opens doors" health system.

Good luck with your op next week !

Thanks slugger. Thankfully we do have a salary coming in, albeit, reduced, and the only thing that is keeping our heads above water, is that we are in the last 3 years of our mortgage so our monthly payments are not too bad but one of our kids is a Coeliac so obviously his food is expensive. I wont get you started on our 2 tier health system !!!!! but it does exist.......anyway, I'll let you know the story in a few weeks.

apache

Best of luck Spook. Am rooting for you.

Spook_ie

Thanks Apache, cant believe that I/OH were watching your thread and little did I know that in the space of a 5/6 weeks I would be back to square one ! I'm downstairs at the mo cos the pain is so bad and have mega pins and needles in my left foot, anyway, roll on Sunday ! Hope you are continuing to do well....any news of going back to work ??

apache

That really sucks Spook. I was very sorry to hear of your relapse. Don't give up hope. Hopefully this will be THE one.

I have meeting on Monday and all going to plan I hope to get signed on back fit for duty next saturday. So this day week.

Spook_ie

apache wrote: »

That really sucks Spook. I was very sorry to hear of your relapse. Don't give up hope. Hopefully this will be THE one.

I have meeting on Monday and all going to plan I hope to get signed on back fit for duty next saturday. So this day week.

Wow ! thats great news, fingers crossed then that the meeting will go well. Have to be in hospital by 3pm, so getting all my bits ready now !

apache

Thanks.

Best of luck. Really hope everything works out for you. Try and get a good sleep tonight - i know easier said than done.

oh and ear plugs are your friends private room or not.

the culture of deference

We lost an uncle who was mis diagnosed with sciatica for months, doctor had him going to the physio, he still wasn't feeling well so he insisted on a 2nd opinion, but it turned out it was stomach cancer, and killed him within 3 weeks.

Spook_ie

apache wrote: »

Thanks.

Best of luck. Really hope everything works out for you. Try and get a good sleep tonight - i know easier said than done.

oh and ear plugs are your friends private room or not.

Hi Apache/mono. I am now 2 weeks post op, and boy have they been tough. Day one was a doddle, felt great, obviously I still had pain, but the first thing that I noticed was that the pins and needles and numbness was 90% gone, wahoo I thought, dear god, I woke up on the Tuesday morning and wham ! the pain was horrific, the physio came and tried to get me out of bed and I just burst into tears with the pain. I have been through this procedure before so I knew it was a case of things can be worse before they get better. To be fair the doc came up and explained that the passageway was so tight because I had a cyst on one side and the herniated disc on the other side and to expect nasty pain for approx 2 weeks, well he was right, things over the last few days have been much much better and I have no numbness or pins and needles now. Only disappointing news was that the doc said if my symptoms return the best course of action is a fusion and all I could think of was poor 'ol Apaches wind problem which gave me a laugh !!!!

I know Mono you were interested in the financial side of things, the VHI settlement form has just arrived so I'll PM you with the breakdown.

apache

Ha ha spook glad it made you laugh
Jaysus you just made me remember the whole horrific experience.

I'm glad you are out the other side and my heart goes out to you re the pain. Its an awful ugly dirty pain - thats the only way I can describe it. Are you on much pain meds and more to the case are they working for you? Hope you are getting intermittent relief at least.

Try and concentrate on this healing process and don't be thinking "what if this dosen't work?". Hopefully this will be THE ONE!
The bloody physios are terrible dragging people out of bed a day or two post op. Lol I know they are only doing their job but it just seems impossible dosen't it?
The daggers I threw at them. They probably thought "oh no this woman is trouble" but I'm sure they are well used to it. If they got a better handle on the pain relief it wouldn't be as bad but everybodies chemical make up and tolerance levels are different so its trial and error.
Keep us updated on your progress and get a bell so you can dingaling the OH

Spook_ie

apache wrote: »

Ha ha spook glad it made you laugh
Jaysus you just made me remember the whole horrific experience.

I'm glad you are out the other side and my heart goes out to you re the pain. Its an awful ugly dirty pain - thats the only way I can describe it. Are you on much pain meds and more to the case are they working for you? Hope you are getting intermittent relief at least.

Try and concentrate on this healing process and don't be thinking "what if this dosen't work?". Hopefully this will be THE ONE!
The bloody physios are terrible dragging people out of bed a day or two post op. Lol I know they are only doing their job but it just seems impossible dosen't it?
The daggers I threw at them. They probably thought "oh no this woman is trouble" but I'm sure they are well used to it. If they got a better handle on the pain relief it wouldn't be as bad but everybodies chemical make up and tolerance levels are different so its trial and error.
Keep us updated on your progress and get a bell so you can dingaling the OH

I have Zydol and Tylex, but they dont take the pain away as such, just gives you a dozy feeling, but the pain is definately easing, I'm just so glad that I can now feel my left foot !!!! the pain is somewhere between a cattle prod and the peak of a labour contraction !!!!! but I'm definately going in the right direction. OH funnily is complaining of backache and claims he is coming out in sympathy with me !!!!! kids are telling him to man up !!!

I see you're back at work, thats great news !

bagels

apache wrote: »

......Its an awful ugly dirty pain - thats the only way I can describe it......

My back trouble began in '94.
Spread to left leg & toes, left arm, and to shoulder neck face & head.
Had microdiscectomy twice and CT guided nerve block four times.
Conditioned worsened and haven't been able to work since '02.
Depression got a hold of me and life has been a bitch.
I think I've gotten control of the depression now and life is bearably again.
I still have a long way to go but I'm getting there.
Currently take Zydol, Neurontin, Zanaflex and Mobic for pain and Cymbalta for pain/depression.

Your description of the pain is the most accurate I've come across.
I myself describe it as a malevolent pain whose intent is to hurt as much as possible while doing its utmost to make life a misery, leaving me helpless and wallowing in despair. A nasty bad yoke.
Its gotten the best of me for years but I won't give in to it, not any more.
There's a lot to be said for 'don't let the bastard get you down'.
Anyway, get well soon, all of you.