20 years of back pain
Posted , 2 users are following.
I have had a back problem for just over twenty years, first bout when I was nineteen after a non serious road accident, I am now forty-two. I worked most of the time on and off till about four years ago when it started getting worse and had stopped getting epidural steriod injections. My first severve bout of pain at nineteen the doctor gave me six weeks rest from work, strong anti-inflamatories and co-proxamol. I had some improvement and went back to work but carried on taking meds as the pain was still quite bad at times, mainly lower back and sciatica. I carried on like this for a further eighteen months before I finally had an appointment with the consultant who decided to do a steriodal lumber injection, big needle and etremely painful, I still have the scar. This certainly helped a lot for about two years, then I started on strong meds again as the pain got worse again. I had six months off work at one point I could hardly walk, nearly crippled from pain even on DF118, anti-inflamatories and taking Mogadon to sleep at night. I couldnt face the thought of another painful spinal injection at the time, so I had traction, microwave, ultrasound and was taught how to walk, as I nearly forgot how to. I don't take walking for granted, it is a privalidge and one that requires conscious effort much of the time. Eventually I braved more steriod injections over the years, had about ten in all till I was told I would not get anymore as they don't work, more likely too expensive. The only diagnose the doctors can give me is athritis and degenretive nerve disease, as my symptoms and the pain is more widespread over my whole back, arms and legs these days. My painkiller now is co-codamal 30/500 eight a day which don't really work very long and Gabapentin for the nerves and Baclofen for the muscle cramps. My last visit to the hospital physio and pain clinic their only idea was to suggest Butrans patches for longer pain releif, no more pain block injections which can work for six months or so.
The only other diagnosis of my condition was suggested twenty years ago as being was Spina bifida oculta as my dad was born with Spina bifida which increases the risk of spinal deformates.
I just wish people who only see me when I look reasonably well, I dont go out when I have a bad day, wouldn't think I was a lazy scrounger as I would work if I could, I used to love working, I don't have much of a social life, mainly the docs and the chemist, wish people with severve chronic pain weren't seen as second class citizens.
Sorry bout the rant
Andy
1 like, 5 replies
Regina
Posted
I can relate to your situation. I am 55 years old now and have been dealing with back pain since I was 30 yrs. old. My diagnosis is DDD (degenerative disc disease) combined with osteoarthritis in the spine. I won't bore you with all the past treatments I have gone through, but I will say simply, there is no cure for these two conditions. One must learn ways to \"reduce\" the pain. Bulging discs are quite painful, and only until the disc actually ruptures is surgery indicated.
In April of 2006 I had spinal fusion surgery for two herniated discs. All went well, but since then.....I have had two more discs deteriorate, which are now bulging and causing pain. These two disc will have to rupture before surgery is indicated and it could take years before that happens. So until then, I must find ways to reduce the pain and/or reduce the extreme flare ups where the pain is so excruciating, I have been rushed to the hospital just to get a morphine injection.
My first and most important step is to take action in reducing my weight. This will surely reduce pressure on the spine. You see, when you have chronic pain, it is so easy to get depressed and head to the refridgerater. Eating \"comfort foods\" inadvertantly causes a sabatoge effect.
My second step is to make a concious effort to do water exercise. Since I am unable to exercise without pain, I have found that exercise in water enables me to slowly stretch muscles to get them stronger to support a spine which is deteriorating slowly.
My third step is to find the right combination of medication that works for me. Keeping a diary of what medication help to reduce the pain will eventually help me to move away from certain drugs which will cause more damage in the long term. I am presently adding \"Glucosamine/ with Chondroitin which is sold over the counter and which is reported to slow deteriorating discs.
With these steps combined on a PERMANENT basis as a life style, I believe I can improve the quality of my life and become a more sociable person. I figure if I learn to work with my condition intead \"not accepting\" it, it will help to remove the pschological stress it is causing me.
Andy
Posted
I can relate to you an all mate, I have nerve damage in the spine and spina bifida occulta, slight deformaty, my dad has full blown spina bifida.
But I have now been on the Butrans patches for a while which are really helping, my wife says that I don't moan or winge much lol. I am still taking 2-4 co-codamol a day on top as necessary as I don't want to use stronger patches. I find that the constant pain releif from the patches helps with a lot of the pain till it is at a bearable level, I don't get so many other symptoms like burning pain, numbness and hyper-sensitivety.
Unfortunetly I am under weight, pain stops me from eating that and I have a small stomach, had an emergency operation on it when I was little. So I have the opposite problem with food to you mate, the drugs don't promote an appeatite either.
Cheers
Andy
Regina
Posted
Sounds like you are coping very well with your condition. Good for you :D . As far as co-codamol, I have never tried it. I have taken codeine which helps allot but I don't want to become dependent on it. The medicine you are taking is sold over the counter and wow...it's expensive here in USA. $176 for 60 tabs :roll: and to top it off, medical insurance won't cover it because it's not a prescription medication. I have to take whatever my insurance will cover because we are a one income family. I used to work, but can't hold a job because the pain interferes too much. I hope to get that under control soon.
Thanks for responding to my post.
Regina
Andy
Posted
I just found out that I have herniated discs in the spine, specialists here don't seem to like telling patients, when I was offered a spinal operation 20 years ago. I didn't have the operation as the recovery time then was about 6months to a year and they didn't gaurantee a full recovery, just have a look and see if we can fix the problems. Well I am a bit scared of back ops as when I was a child my dad was in a few times, once in London for a few months and we could only afford to go an see him once! I had a lumbar puncture and Gold steroid injected which helped for about 3 years. I did know before that I have an old fracture of the spine which healed without any intervention, I didn't even have an X-ray till years later, which shows a tear in the base of the spine, don't seem to get told much by specialists here. As I am on long term sickness, extra social security payments, I have a yearly examination which can be long and painful as the docs who do it are only like GP's and more into looking for skivers, never on time always have to wait at least an hour or so. The numbness in my legs and feet confuses them, even my own doctor tells them it is unlikely that I will ever work again, along with the other symptoms. The last one I had the lady doctor was extremely concerned as I was very upset when asked about work, I don't think about it normally, like you I would love to have a job I always worked hard till I got much worse and they stopped my steroid injections.
Anyway enough of a rant I am now on Butrans 10 microgrammes and they take away a lot of the severve pain but the side effects seem more extreme, hoping it they will settle down soon, especially feeling sick when I lay down. I have stoppped taking Co-codamol as the two together seemed to be causing stomach and water problems, I don't fancy another kidney stone, I can handle normal pain just not all the burning and stabbing pains etc. I must have nerve damage in the spine, the specialists seemed to think it was pain related, as the numbness in my legs n feet is still no better, somedays my feet feel like big blocks. I just wish someone would tell me what was wrong with me exactly as when people ask or social security I have no clear diagnoses so that they can understand what I feel.
Anway I must go so take care
Andy
Andy
Posted
I forgot to say I am under weight I wish I could return to my old weight, the pain has the reverse effect on me, just over 8 stone at the moment used to be nearly 9 stone. When I am in a lot of pain I feel sick my stomach seems to twist up and I can't swallow food, or if I miss a usual time to eat.
Any