Posted , 7 users are following.
I have been told I need to have the nerve endings cauterized in my lower back. Has anyone had this done & found it effective. Also I am quite alarmed by the risks associated with this procedure. Would appreciate any information.
Many thanks
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Holly1974 Amber103
Posted
I have just seen your post on the weekly discussion e-mail. I once had a procedure done on nerves in my lower back called radiofrequency ablation, which was done at Leeds Pain Clinic under a local anaesthetic. I had horrendous sciatica / pain from sacro-ileac nerves that run down legs, and basically had to lie face down on a bed in theatre and I'll be honest it hurt, a lot ! It did give me some relief for 6/9 months but I would say a year on I was no better off. Everyone is different. In some people the nerve endings rejoin over time, in some I was told they do not. Varies. I have tried most things for low back pain, bulging discs, now chronic and legs that get pins/needles v bad down them and then go very numb ! I have hada few procedures and tried most meds, not sure if this is the same procedure that you are talking about but may be. Don't expect miracles and I would expect it depends on what the root cause of the nerve irritation is as to the treatment.
Amber103 Holly1974
Posted
It was so good of you to give such a detailed report of your back pain & it certainly seems very similiar. I too have tried various meds., but nothing gave any relief. The cause in my case is slipped vertrae in L4-L5, disc bulge resulting in canal stenosis, The pain has now progressed to my hips and especially the calves of my legs acompanied with very bad pins & needles, but I can sit with no pain, which certainly doesn't suit me. I have never been a sedentary person, always, walking, going to the Gym etc. I'm not sure if you can see my reply to Steve, but I have been offered a procedure - Medial branch blocks + RFL and epidural steriod. I'm not quite sure what this is exactly and my G.P. is on leave for a week, so can't ask her..
It does seem that you are still in pain after all you have had done, and as you say don't expect miracles. Seems a case of just trying to manage it.
Many thanks,
Amber
Holly1974 Amber103
Posted
Yes, I was an active mum and full time medical rep with a degree in pharmacology until my back flared up big time when I was 33 I think, I am 41 now. Staying active as possible with the right sort of exercises is crucial, I am on my own all day and in a small village, so whilst I managed to go swimming and to classes to help core stability muscles get stronger ( pilates or I did water aquaaerobics, but not all of the class)...it did help keep me moving more. Problem was over time I had more flare up and got used to meds and have had to inc. dose, which happens over time, I live on slow release morphine now, and diazepam, but used to take pregabalin / gabapentin for nerve pain but weaned slef off them after 5 years ( they did work at first ) as have done a fab job of destroying my short term memory, ? how much cognitive function will return ? I wait and see. I have had numerous steroid epidurals. I have bulging discs, one v bad, one not good and latter is on its way shall we say ! they are L5/S1, L4/L5, and L3/L4, the bottom section of my spine has very limited flexibility now and I have some stenosis and nerve impingement, I think only people who have suffered nerve pain now how truly horrendous it is. I get a lot of hip pain too, but have been assured my drs that it is referred pain from my spine, and my hips are fine. ( although I stumble into furniture and have fallen a few times as I lose my balance when one / both legs go numb )/ I got very bad tightening and pain in my calves that was diff. to sciatica, a good physio I saw gave me some stretched to do to help lengthen the muscles in the calf , small amount each day, bcause I could barely get down stairs for the pain in my calves. You will find these sorts of stretches on the net. I am not sure what RFL is ? sorry. I am currently discussing spinal neuromodulation with pain clinic at local teaching hospital, but tbh I am not a 'typical' case, and my success % are not that high, and am starting to thin for my case, it's rather a big procedure. You will find that diff. painh drs and diff pain clinics in diff. hsopitals will offer diff. drugs / procedures. Every case is different. Yes I read the other chaps post to you and there is a placebo response to most/all drugs procedures, which is why clinical trials have to be done placebo controlled, double-blind etc ( which will only mean sthg to you if you are in science background ). Even antidepressants say ( I ssold them to psych for many years ) have high placebo response rates, but that doesn't mean they are no good, just that some people respond well to sugar pills !! Mind over matter. I did go on a course ran by Breathworks which was about Mindfullness, I went to one in Leeds, a few hrs each week for 8 weeks. I am Chrsitian not Buddhist, but there is no religeon in the course even though ran by Western Buddhists. I was rec'd this course by the pain clinic actually.When you have been through the mill as much as me you will try anything, and I will say it was a very calming and helpful course. It didn't sure my back problems, but one day you may find it worth looking at, they are on the net, there are also CDs and books, but the course is best as teach you meditation and relaxation. They also understand chronic pain and don't lecture ! They never found out why my back went like this, my mum got prolapsed disc in her early 30's, and was was bedridden for months and still lives with back pain 30 years on, but less now than back then. I had two large babies, my 2nd my son was just short of 12 Ib in weight ! and he wanted carrying round on my hip for forst 3 years of his life ! ( he's 14 now, daughter is now 16 ). Also, I did 30,000 miles a year in my car as a rep, probably none of it helped. But no one can quite pinpoint the exact cause. I am classed as ''mechanical back pain'' which most people are and am not a surgical case, or else I would have had that done a long time ago. I lost my career. I have just about held onto my sanity, somewhere between my family, acceptance, mindfullness and photography. and living day to day. as no one knows what tomorrow brings, so live for today, if its a bad day then there's always tomorrow. If you can let ygo of some of the tension when you are in a lot of pain it really does help. Probably sounds ridiculous, but it's the only way I have found to get thrpugh the bad days. Good luck. PS. You may find your GP is not that familiar with some of things pain clinic use drug wise and also procedures, often best to ring pain clinic if in doubt, there may be a nurse practitioner who can put into plain English for you more than your dr, they all vary.