Another Pain Relief Question

I think acupuncture is your best bet.  Probably need 2 or 3 treatments to get rid of the pain for good and has no side effects on the rest of the body.  Google British Acupuncture Council and put in your post code to find someone near to you who has trained for 3 years to degree level.  You won't be disappointed! 

Hi Ian

wish il'd got the answer been in so much pain myself this week dic put me on oramorph on mon 5ml a time still on co-codamol 8 a day came of naproxen so i could have ibrupofen in between still on marol (slow release tramodol), gabapentin and amitriptyline nothing seems to work. Gonna try and get in doctors again today as can't carry on with this pain think I need refering to a surgeon now 10 wks of hell.

have tried acupuncture ended up in a&e cause of pain after, tried a tens machine dint know if that mafe it worse

Sorry cant help more hope you get some relief soon xx

You have my deepest sympathy I have been struggling since the beginning of April I have now got diazepam, amitriptyline and paracetamol as I can't take cocodamol.  Unless you know what you have done you need to push for a MRI scan they are reluctant to give you one and you need to go to the physio department to get it.  I know it sounds like a waste of time but it is the only route I found to make any progress.  They normally tell you eight to twelve weeks for it to settle down but I can tell you when you can't sit stand or lie down with the pain it is a long time.  

I found that the diazipan worked it knocked me out but it is helping as is the amitriptyline combo.  Acupuncture is also recommended and worth a try.  Be persistent I found some relief from going to a chiropractor but if it is a disc problem go carefully.

good luck and don't give up there is an end to it homeopathy might also help.  To be fair I would try anything just to get the relief.  The one piece of information I did get was how to stand up by placing one foot behind the other and pushing off ask if i as walking it took the pressure off my back area I may have looked an idiot but it worked and I bought a cushion that had a hole at the back to take the pressure off the sacral bone

Thanks all for your comments.

I have a free assesment with a chiropractor this afternoon but am a little wary after some of the comments I've read, esp as both GPs have told me they think I have a herniated disc L4/L5. I very much like the thought af accupuncture also as something which doesnt involve more drugs. I'll admit I've always been a little sceptical about it but so many people have reccomended it I think I'll look up someone locally as lu suggests,

I dread to think of being in this pain for months like some people, its only been a couple of weeks and it feels like a year! Interesting that a lot of antidepressant drugs get prescribed, sadly I have to avoid the amitriptyline as I'm taking an SSRI for anxiety as well.

Re standing posture jill - thanks this does work a bit, I have also developed the technique of pretending to look at items on the bottom shelf so I can have a rest on the way round the supermarket

Get yourGP to send you to the NHS physio department you can get acupuncture through them plus it sounds weird but it is the only way to get a scan .  If you use a tens machine don't cross your spine with the pads and have the positive and negative on one side not two of the same.  A Mctimmony chiropractor is gentler than a normal chiropractor but go carefully.

I know your pain Ian, and through my last bout of sciatica (I've had several over the last 40 years) no pain killers worked at all. Heat works - I have two electric heat pads that are always in use, one upstairs and one downstairs. Also (rather weirdly) red wine helped a lot - and it wasn't the alcohol - white wine, spirits (and even cannabis!) didn't touch it, but red wine did, and still does help when I'm in pain, but generally I've gone from being unable to walk to being able to do almost anything - two years now and counting. I've put loads of information on a thread titled 'Inversion Tables' (I have one, and it works). Please read that thread, there's loads of information there. Please, above all, don't resort to surgery. It is possible to get on top of it, but it takes work. I tried ALL alternative therapies, some of which didn't help at all, some of which made me much, much worse, so be careful. Good luck.

I'm so sorry about the wine thing, but many congratulations to you for doing so well and for biting the bullet with alcohol. Truly a hard thing to come to terms with and you are brilliant for doing so. Well worth investing in an electric heat pad, because it avoids the 'cooling down' business with a wheat bag or similar. It's probably the single thing that's helped me most, but everything else I've put on the Inversion thread has also been immensely useful. Because of my friend's botched operation, I wouldn't consider surgery although it was offered, and after trying loads of different alternative treatments, I decided instead to spend the money on things that I have in my home, to help me whenever I need it. I've suffered on and off for years with sciatica - the last time was five long years of misery, but I've beaten it with a combination of everything on the Inversion thread - and you can do so too I have no doubt. Start with the heat, constantly if necessary, and see how you get on. Very best wishes.

Tramadol should of helped. It is a stronger drug than Co Dydramol.

Ask your doctor for an ultra sound. I will if it happens again.

Best of luck.

Hi Ian. I've been reading your post and all the other peoples posts. Did they do an MRI to diagnose the herniated disc? Have they discussed surgery at any point? Have your seen a spinal surgeon? I know the other ppl were trying to help but don't let others peoples experiencing influence your descion whether or not to have surgery. If you need it (it sounds like you do) you need it. No amount of physiotherapist or acupuncture is going to get rid of it as it is a organic problem that would be encroaching on the spinal cord causing your severe pain. It may help you cope with the pain but these things will not fix the problem. The only way really is too remove the disc or part of the disc to get rid of that pressure (if it is herniated). NHS physios tend to be new to the profession so unless you have an MRI showing exactly what the problem is and whether other levels are involved, I think you should hold off the physio. Heat packs are great as the surrounding muscles of the problem area will spasm. (I have worked in spinal surgery (nurse) for years). You're probably finding the medication you're on isn't working because those medications don't work on nerve pain. Diazepam would be helpful for when your pain is very bad to relive muscle spasm but obviously be careful with your medication as mixing can be very dangerous. 

Experience not experiencing.

Relieve not relive.