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Back pain,need help.

Posted , 7 users are following.

ian67605
ian67605

Hi

New to this site,been experiencing lower back pain for about 3 months.Seen rheumatologist and had MRI scan and been told have 3 bulging discs.Have been prescribed naproxen,codydramol and diazepam and they're making me feel like some walking zombie.I also get mid back pain first thing in morning which is excruciating but goes after an hour of being moving.Blood tests have shown my crp level is45 which has actually come down from 110 so now being referred to hematologist which I find quite scary,I asked my go if anything sinister was going on and he said that dye to fact in last 3months I've had abdominal scans,liver scans,kidney scans and heart scans which all came back normal he doubts it.He says I'm probably in for the long haul regarding back issues and recommended acupuncture but their us Kong wait for NHS treatment,so before I pay out any money for private acupuncture has anyone received any positive results from it.

Thanks.

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • scott17436
    scott17436 ian67605

    Posted

    Tried it a number of times and had no success. Everyone responds differently to different interventions.
  • amkoffee
    amkoffee ian67605

    Posted

    I have suffered from a bad back for 10 years and have tried most things. I will tell you that I tried acupuncture once. That is one session. He keep sticking needless in my ear asking if I had any relief pain. I finally just said yes to get him to stop sticking me with pins. He then stuck me with pins in my right foot and leg (the same side my back pain). Same thing here. No pain relief. After session he suggested i go for many more treatments. I did not go back.

    One other piece of information, a rheumatologist is not the doctor to see for a bad back. You need to go see a neurologist. And make sure he gets a copy of your MRI.

  • gabriella44865
    gabriella44865 ian67605

    Posted

    Is your white blood count normal? If it's not if ask for a bone marrow biopsy x

  • barry5353
    barry5353 ian67605

    Posted

    I have been getting epidural injections for chronic back pain for a yr. now.  They used to last about 45 days, with good relief, they aren,t lasting that long any more but still get some relief from them.  I get these at a pain clinic.  I have two bulging disk in my lower back and a pinched nerve.  My pain goes down my left leg when it is at it worst.  Setting for long period of time makes it hurt the worst and at night when sleeping it wakes me.  Have tried chiro for about a month no help for me.  You just have to see what works for you.  Good luck.
    • amkoffee
      amkoffee barry5353

      Posted

      I'm surprised you're only getting 45 days reprieve from your pain with the shots. You know what surprises me is that you still do the shots. You should be getting a much longer period of pain relief than 45 days. I get something like 3 months relief. In fact on one injection I got between six to nine months relief where it took all my pain away. Granted that was a one-time deal and I've never had it work like that again. But still I've gotten longer relief for my shots then just 45 days. How frequently does your doctor allow you to get injections in your back? My doctor only allowed three injections a year. Now I think all three of those can be something like two weeks apart but no more than three of them in a year.

    • barry5353
      barry5353 amkoffee

      Posted

      I can only get an injection every 90 days.  My pain is never completely gone, it just gets unbareable after the 90 day period.  Do not want to stop getting the injections some relief is better than none.
  • hope4cure
    hope4cure ian67605

    Posted

    Herniated discs three buldging discs are quite painful.. I have had mine repaired surgically. Immediately after surgery all the pain was gone. 

    Have you seen a spine specialist. The nerves in the back are being pinched by the buldging discs. That may be a good star to have them repaired to help release u from the zombie effect of the medications ur on. 

     

  • Roccdeezy
    Roccdeezy ian67605

    Posted

    Keep going back until the figure out what is wrong! It took me 20yrs to figure out what my issue was! Many people are different! I went to every doctor there was for back pain and funny enough it was a rhuemotologist that discovered my issue so don't let anyone tell you a rhuemotologist is not the right doctor! I had CRP in the 60's which is inflammation and mine was being caused by an autoimmune disease! So if the special imaging doctors can't see anything then chances are you do not have a slip disk or herniated issue and it could very well be some type of immune issue! Tell your rhuemotologist to test for HLA-B27 gene. That gene is specific to ankylosing spondylitis!

  • barry5353
    barry5353 ian67605

    Posted

    I spoke with the pain management doctor about who I would see, he said a neurologist would be the best choice, not orthopedic doctor.  I wasn't sure and don't want to do surgery if it isn't going to fix my problem.  Not taking  narcotics very often, only when nothing else helps, that is when the zombie effect happens.

    • scott17436
      scott17436 barry5353

      Posted

      The only meds I've had that affected me where Gapapetin and Pregabilin. The rest have no affect at all. Was on 8 Tramadol and 8 co-codomol plus amytriptline and diazepam. Was fine on all of them at once. Now on MST and no side affects! I'm just lucky, two co-codomol and my wife's sparko!!

  • amkoffee
    amkoffee ian67605

    Posted

    I really don't want to sound insensitive here but if you're not having to take pain pills on a regular basis then I wouldn't even consider surgery. Reason being surgery is such an risky thing. There are so many people out there that either don't get success or worse come out worse than they were before they had surgery. Your neurologist can give you the percentage on that. I saw a neurologist and an orthopedic doctor. They both gave me the same diagnosis on surgery. But I think you're on the right track with the neurologist rather than the orthopedic doctor. But I would think seriously about having surgery. You really might be better off going to see a pain management doctor. There are other medications that can control your pain without having to turn to opiates. And I'm not talking about just Gabapentin either.

    • barry5353
      barry5353 amkoffee

      Posted

      I agree with you about the surgery.  I do take gabapentin ever night and mobic daily with over the counter drugs, and a musicle relaxant tizanidine when needed.  I hurt the most when I set for long periods of time and when sleeping.  So for now I am good without the surgery.
    • amkoffee
      amkoffee barry5353

      Posted

      I take tizanidine too and it helps me a lot. Unfortunately I cannot function on it. So if I take it I'm stuck at home because I can't drive on it, heck I can't hardly even walk on it. And I slur my words so people think I'm drunk if they talk to me on the phone. So I was telling my pain management doctor about it and she switched me over to Baclofen to take during the day and then I still take Tizanidine bedtime. Mobic is fine if that works for you. I tried it for a while but eventually my back began hurting so bad that it wouldn't take care of my back pain so i had to go on opiates. Of course that was long after i had tried all the other alternates. Other people haved tried Lyrica and another one that I can't remember the name of but I think it starts with a C. Both are antidepressants that also works really well for pain control.

    • barry5353
      barry5353 amkoffee

      Posted

      I take tylenol with the others, and try ibuprofen every now and then until my stomach bothers me.  Sometimes I break the tizanidine in half.
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