Mobility issues - becoming a little frustrating any ideas...?

I’m in my 30s and I have been putting up with worsening back problems for a long time and didn’t really appreciate or recognise quite how bad things were until recently.

I had been putting it down to injuries, muscle strains and minor things for years, but it has become really bad. I have had bouts be being unable to walk very far at all. I’ve been stuck abroad where I wasn’t able to get to an airport without serious assistance and that’s stopped me travelling on my own. I’ve had times where I’m unable to do the shopping, sometimes can’t even get from the house to the car.

I had an MRI, which shows up 4 disc issues, bulges, protrusions, a couple of bone spurs and stuff impinging on the thecal sac, and nerve exit roots in my lower back. Seems to be coming from a lower back scoliosis issue or my hips being out of line, which I didn’t ever think I had any issue with until now!

Physio has been hugely useful and I’ve a consultant booked, but it’s just a bit frustrating. I’m sometimes really struggling to do some of the home exercises.

They aren't that strenuous - various prescribed yoga poses and core exercise. Mostly they’re ok but some I just can’t do sometimes. It’s too sore to get down on my knees for example. Everything clicks - My knees, my hips, my feet. I feel like I’m falling apart, and I was fit.

I’m also trying to go to the gym and do swimming, but a lot of the time it’s ending up that I’m optimistic but then too sore. 

I’ve been thinking back on this and tbh I have had it for years. I’ve just been automatically covering it up. Mostly I have had it in bouts. I sit. I avoid stuff, plan routes, bring a golf umbrella in case I get too sore, I take panadol before I go out sometimes, and been getting into just cold sweats of pain sometimes. 

To make matters worse I seem to be rather strongly allergic to NSAIDs… so I don’t take anything at all other than maybe the odd Panadol.

I’m working remotely, just didn’t quite realise why I’ve slipped into this mode of doing things. Plans are getting cancelled, I’m not getting to do what I want to do anymore and haven’t been for ages. I’ve all sorts of things I want to do, including postgrad research and I just never seem to have the time or the energy anymore. I keep starting things with loads of optimism and then getting stuck and parking them indefinitely and I think people are just seeing me as flakey or uncommitted things. 

I was at a family funeral a few months ago and I literally couldn't stand up and just broke into a cold sweat and had to keep finding seats. It's improved a lot since then but still not great. I'm just keeping things I got to planned and short.

Sorry if this is a bit of a long post. I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced similar and if they’ve any advice.

I’m getting to the medical side of it but I’m just wondering about the practicalities. I can’t just keep hobbling around like this, or maybe I might just have to.

Honorable

A seat stick might help you https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Height-Adjustable-Aluminium-Cane/dp/B009DZP3M8/ref=asc_df_B009DZP3M8/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=375506029613&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7790924369881155947&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-848242829644&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77213168152&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=375506029613&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7790924369881155947&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-848242829644

I empathise with you enormously. Since March I developed a progressive form of MS that is robbing me of my previous life. I can get very extreme muscle cramps at times, discomfort, a tendency to faint if I’m standing for for than a minute, and that is very disabling in itself because apart from the chance of injury when at home by myself (apparently my brain causes a seizure when my blood pressure suddenly plummets ), it means if it happens in public an ambulance would be called and my normal activity disrupted. So I have to make sure I am never left standing. It’s the less visible part of my disability although my mobility issues are now very obvious to any observer.

I need to use a stick any time I am out of the apartment, and if I have to go any distance I use a rollater with a seat. Hate it, but that’s what it is. I did go to Thailand recently by myself, got lots of help getting there, a lovely hotel room etc, but the environment wasn’t generally suitable for my present needs.

I hope you get to see a consultant orthopaedic spine specialist very soon. As you are dealing with the spine, which supplies your mobility, very important to get somebody with a particularly good reputation.

A man in his 60s who worked in my workplace had extremely bad scoliosis. One surgeon in St James said to operate on his particular issue would chance to make it worse, so he advised to avoid surgery. However he was in a lot pain and like anyone would, just wanted to get out of pain and sought a second opinion.

The second opinion was in Tallaght, and that surgeon said he could do a procedure that would help. The unfortunate man underwent surgery only to have the wrong sized screws placed which seriously & irreparably damaged a sciatic nerve. A second urgent surgery provided no relief and he was forced to retire prematurely.

So when you get to see a surgeon google them, also learn about the procedure and be sure to ask questions if there are doubts. I know people who were in terrible pain with their backs make a marvellous recovery after surgery, and mostly out ones are very satisfactory when the right procedure is done in the right person.

The little seat/walking stick mentioned above has occasionally been available for sake in Aldi/Lidl.

Sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things and great to hear that you got to Thailand! Hopefully it was a nice trip regardless of the challenges.

I am taking the approach that I will not do anything drastic, and will get multiple opinions. So far I’ve had fairly good success with physio - it’s still getting sore but it’s more manageable and I’m just making sure I always have plenty of options to avoid overdoing it as it seems to just get sore the more walking I do which is a bit annoying as it would be rather useful exercise!