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Anyone else on antibiotics for sciatica after DISCETOMY didn't cure pain

Posted , 3 users are following.

dawnylou68
dawnylou68

Hi there in now 45 and has suffered on and off with my back for a few years. At the end of last year it got really bad and I woke up one day in January this year and couldn't stand of feel my feet.

I was eventually sent to a consultant, had MRI's, they found herniated disc at L5/S1 and I had a Discemtomy on 17/413.

I was so still in a great deal of pain but tried to return to my office job last week of July(for financial reasons), however this set me back and yet again I was in agony, only sleeping couple hrs and every step was painful.

My doctor signed me back off and I continued my Tramadol, Codeine and Naproxen.

I tried unsuccessfully since end of July to get referred back to the consultant/surgeon but my GP kept telling me to hold off as it may get better. I eventually managed to get him to refer me and I have had another set of MRI's and saw the consultant last night.

I also found out that it costs a GP to refer you to a consultant and that this may have been the reason for his reluctance to do the referral.

Anyway they are how trying a new thing on me where you are put on antibiotics for a solid 3 months.and was advised to go home and google "antibiotics for back pain"

My first hurdle straight from leaving the hospital was to get my prescription made up, I cleared the pharmacy out of the antibiotics and have to return to the rest later lols!

Anyway after reading up on it I'm prepared to try this out in the hope my pain will be relieved , so here we are on day 1. Anyone else on this treatment or been on it??

Regards Dawn 👍😐

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • LindenS
    LindenS

    Posted

    Hi Dawn, I'm really interested in your post. I've suffered on and off with sciatica for about 20 years, this current bout has lasted for nearly 3 years now and I'm fed up! I read in the papers about this antibiotic treatment and asked my GP if I could try it and she flatly refused, saying it was only in testing. "Test it on me" I said! But the answer was the same. What has your doctor put you on, and what's the dose? I'm seriously thinking about buying the antibiotics over the counter in France and (taking probiotics of course) giving it a go on my own. Please, please let me know how you're getting on, and what dose you're taking. The newspaper articles (and the study I read about) referred to Amoxicillin for 100 days but I'd be interested to know if that's what you're doing. Very good luck from a fellow sufferer!
  • dawnylou68
    dawnylou68

    Posted

    Hi Linden

    I have had it on and off for approx 18 yrs and it started as a small bout where I couldn't stand up straight and generally in pain over all my lower back. They would give me anti inflammotories (naproxen) I rested and it got better and went for a while. Various bouts I worked through( desk job) with those heat patches you can buy and nurofen.

    This last bout had been coming a while but 3 months down the line I woke up one day and couldn't stand and was in agony!

    Had DISCETOMY April but never got right. Obviously better than before op but every step is so painful some points of day are worse than others, forget mornings for getting anything done.

    Anyway I have cyst and inflammation on the spine around where my disc was removed.

    My dose is AUGMENTIN 375g also known as CO-MOXICLAV (amoxicillin & cavulanic acid) x 3 DAILY, FOR 100 Days!

    I am now into week 5 and it's not been easy. I have suffered from nausea, actual vomiting day 4 I think, thrush and general lethargy on top of being in pain and on Tramadol too my lost on my script is getting longer.

    I wonder why your doctor said no, I think they are trying to save money as it did work for 40% of the trial.

    It isn't ideal I think it then makes u more immune to anti bio and may damage ur kidney and I have been having pain in that area too. I should be able to tell anytime from next week onwards if it starts getting better it's working , we see. I hope so seems a big risk if doesn't work but then I suppose everything is.

    My consultant prescribed them so the treatment is available. She told me to Google- antibiotics and lower back pain. I did exactly that and got loads info and visited other sites before I commenced taking the tablets. I just want a life I haven't worked for almost a ur now and I'm probably going to lose my job if I don't get better soon, they have already intimated this so it's not good.

  • LindenS
    LindenS

    Posted

    Thanks so much Dawn, I'll show your reply to my GP as clearly it's possible to be prescribed in these quantities even if they don't like the cost! I've read a great deal about this treatment and my quality of life is so poor because of the pain I live in that I'd try almost anything, and clearly you're suffering horrible side effects for the chance of a cure, but in the end it will be worth it. Any severe sciatica sufferer would give it a try as the pain is so hard to live with.

    I will not have surgery although it's been offered because I have yet to meet anyone whose surgery has worked permanently - it always seems to lead to a further operation after a few years and a close friend of mine has been left permanently crippled following surgery with no hope of a cure and (so far) no compensation from the hospital. A risk I'm not prepared to take for an operation that's only relatively temporary.

    I have my fingers crossed for your complete cure Dawn, keep me posted please!

  • dawnylou68
    dawnylou68

    Posted

    H all on day 33 of the 100 days so third of the way thro the trial now. No change at moment but isn't expected for another 2-4 wks yet so I keep hoping

    Nausea nearly gone always have toast with the tabs now .

    Will keep you all updated😁

  • dawnylou68
    dawnylou68

    Posted

    Hi all just touching base, now on week 6. Has been a really painful time so I'm not feeling so hopeful at the moment that the tabs are going to work.

    I should notice pain easing from end of Jan to mid Feb if it has worked not much longer now to find out if it's been successful .

    Will keep you all posted 😐

  • dawnylou68
    dawnylou68

    Posted

    Hi Linden

    Hope you are about somewhere??

    Just to let you know the antibiotics didn't work for me and now I'm on the lost for a big op on my back to have some metalwork put in.

    Also my surgeon/consultant told me the other 5 patients she also had on the trail also didn't get any result from it

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