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Disc Compressio

Posted , 5 users are following.

Sarah68430
Sarah68430

I have had back issues since the middle of November. It has resulted in me having a time in hospital and several visits to A and E. I have had MRI scans which showed I have two discs protruding and showing nerve impingement.

I have been seen by a ESP at my local hospital and his opinion was that from that day forwardI was going to get better! He also asked me things like what would I do if there was no NHS? To be honest, he was belittling the pain and discomfort |I have been living with.

My question id I have been told by my GP that I should wait the rest of this month to see if things improve. Would you be happy with this?

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • guy26112
    guy26112 Sarah68430

    Posted

    Nobody knows the pain your having, but you. Be strong,be your own advocate and don't let anybody look down on you. If stretching and exercise doesn't work then surgery might be your option. Try and avoid surgery unless it's your last resort. Good luck,get well and keep your chin up.
  • buggsy1000
    buggsy1000 Sarah68430

    Posted

    Hi Sarah

    Sorry to here you are in pain.

    Sadly this is standard practice in the UK for a pertruding disc unless you have something called Caudia equina which needs surgery ASAP. They like to use pain killers, anti inflammatory meds and physio and then keep monitoring you with like 3 to 6 months follow ups.

    I went through a number of years before they decided double level fusion was needed and sadly this failed which I still think is due to the delay, of course I was offered Prvt option with surgery costing over £35000 so only could follow the NHS route.

    The pain you have will be real and it's hard because you are made to feel a ( pain in the butt) by A&E and local GP.

    Sorry i can't give you better advice but please try to keep moving and do little and often movements as this will help a little, I found staying in bed or sitting with legs raised only made the pain worse.

    Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

    George ;-)

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 buggsy1000

      Posted

      Thankyou. To be honest the ESP treated me worst. I havent even been offered as follow-up.

      I am trying to walk as much as possible, some days are better than others. But the last five days have been terrible.

      Seems though from what you say , this is the way it is in the UK. When do you think I should ask to be refered again? Thankyou for your reply.

    • buggsy1000
      buggsy1000 Sarah68430

      Posted

      Hi Sarah

      Can I ask do you have any other symptoms, leg pain, foot pain or pain in the toes??

      First thing I would suggest is you visit your GP and inform them how ESP made you feel like an inconvenience, push your GP and ask them to refer you to the orthopaedic surgeon at your local hospital, now you will have a 2 options wait to see them at my local hospital frimley park, near camberley there was a massive wait 12-16 weeks I recall, but since then I have learned you can speed this up to see them by asking for a Prvt referral which will cost £2-300 and you can be seen within 10 days, the surgeon the refer you to will more than likely be the same line you get to see on the NHS, they will be able to review your MRI as well, if you decide this option make sure you tell them you then need to have what ever work done on NHS if you need surgery (unless you can afford private ). I think this is really the only option you have to speed the process up to seeing someone sooner.

      As I said you know your body and the pain, no one else can tell you if it's there or not but there is a pain clinic prehaps your GP can also send you too and those guys are true believers in your pain and I found they offered far more support and advice then anyone else, might be worth a try.

      Keeping fingers crossed for you

      G ;-)

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 buggsy1000

      Posted

      Yes I get alot of pain in lower back, left leg pain and numbness down leg, bottom. It is driving me mad. if i try and walk too far I get an almighty spasm in my bottom and down my leg. Most of my pain in left side but i do get pain on thigh area of right side and right top of arm. I live in the Exeter area. On one of my visits to A&E a spinal surgeon told me that he'd just done a op similar to what my MRI showed. He told me just get your doctor to refer you. But the system here is you are seen by ESP first and this is when I had a problem. He just said it will get better in time!! Because of the way he bekittled me I didnt ask why his opinion was so different from the surgeon. Thankyou for taking an interest.
    • buggsy1000
      buggsy1000 Sarah68430

      Posted

      Hi Sarah

      You have all the common signs of disc prolapse, and although some do get better with considerable time the majority need surgical intervention at sometime. Prehaps if you can find the surgeon that you spoke to in A&E and then tell your GP what's been said they can do an urgent referal, I would also say listen to your body, no one wants to go to hospital but if your pain is getting worse since your last visit then prehaps you need to go back, they might re scan you with different symptoms.

      I do hope all goes well and if you can keep me updated on your progress.

      George x

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 buggsy1000

      Posted

      Thankyou George. Yes, I have thought about trying to contact the doctor I saw in A&E. Luckily I got his name. I'm going back to GP on wednesday, and I will keep you informed of the outcome. Thankyou for your interest.
  • stephen22480
    stephen22480 Sarah68430

    Posted

    Our NHS is so slow on these problems, had mine for around 18 months now, had surgery 10 weeks ago, still got o lot of very painful leg pain on 1 side? Had a steroid injection last week, everyone seems to have different outcomes, been told today that it can take 1 to2 years for nerves to settle, if you can afford private , then do so, otherwise just sit and suffer the good old NHS .

    feel for your pain, but it gets to the stage where something has to be done, but I wouldent expect instant results if I were you.

    all the best.

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 stephen22480

      Posted

      Oh gosh Stephen! It seems like a very long road. The pain as you know is terrible. Day in , day out. Im not in a position to concider private so I just have to wait. Did you have any injections before your op? Also did you go to physio? And did it help? Thankyou Stephen for taking the time to reply .
    • stephen22480
      stephen22480 Sarah68430

      Posted

      Yes, had X ray guidance facet injections, 7 in no, compleat waste of time, the NHS route, is gp, which issue drugs, then physio at hospital , another waste of time , imo, then scan , injections, the a referral , if your lucky. Then surgery.

      then recovery!

      was talking to a bloke who's wife had the same as me, same surgeon as well, he said it took her 9 months, before it improved.

      they all seem big on the drug gabepentin , which you have to take on a regular basis, before you can see any effects, if any, I've found no drugs help, when that nerve pain hits, the only comfort I get, is diving on the floor, and laying on my back.

      im sorry, because this is not what you want to hear, but that's how it is with me, but all people are different , and I think age can be a factor, I'm 59, and degeneration is expected .

      all the best.

    • lindagkelly
      lindagkelly Sarah68430

      Posted

      Hi Sarah,

      I had probably 20-25 facet injections over the years which did absolutely nothing.  Recently I had a sympathetic nerve block at L3/L4.  I was shocked that it helped with the nerve pain in my right foot for a whole week. So that was a sort of test. Since that worked, they are going to do a Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) this week. It's where they burn the nerve endings.  It is supposed to work for months or maybe a year.  Stephen, I've had times when nerve pain hits my foot - or calf, like the most horrible cramp, and I have to jump out of bed and stand with my full weight on that one foot to get it to stop hurting.  I take Gabapentin too.  Somebody said that if they combine Lyrica with Gabapentin that it works better, so I'm going to ask about that.

      Take care,

      Linda

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 lindagkelly

      Posted

      WOW Linda, I can see from a lot of the replies that I have a long road ahead of me. I hope things become better for you and wish you well x

       

  • lindagkelly
    lindagkelly Sarah68430

    Posted

    Wow Sarah,

    That's terrible.  I can't believe the doctor is belitting you!  I had a doctor once who acted like I was making everything up just to get pain killers!  I'm not in the UK, but I've heard of NHS.  Does the doctor think you are using NHS just for fun?  And I swear male doctors dismiss female patients like everything is in your mind.  If you have an MRI that shows 2 discs protuding and showing nerve impingement, I don't think you should wait a month to see if things will improve.  These things don't improve by themselves.  You need to go see a neurologist, or I hear people talk about a phsysiotherapist or something like that over there.  You have to push your GP to send you.  Don't let this go.  It's not going to just "heal."  Sorry you are going through this.

    Linda

    • Sarah68430
      Sarah68430 lindagkelly

      Posted

      Thankyou Linda. The time I have to just wait is terrible. At times I have felt like throwing myself down the stairs. Thankyou for taking the time to reply .
    • lindagkelly
      lindagkelly Sarah68430

      Posted

      Hi Sarah!

      Don't throw yourself down the stairs! With our luck, you would just mess up your back or break a leg or a hip, and lie there! I've thought about jumping off a 2 story building - but same problem! We can't even go for Disney Rides! I'm sending you a private message about a book.

      Linda

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