Chronic Back Pain in need of support and advice
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi all fellow bank suffers, I'd ask how you all are but I know that question can be a crap one 😁 I've had back pain for 10 years on and off after nursing I injured my back.my daughter is nearly 5 the pregnancy was fine but the Labour was awful, back Labour with a degenerative disc wasn't fun after that my back kept "going" my husband urged me to go back to the doctors and get answers I had an MRI scan which showed my disc had herniated (L5-S1) at this time I feel pregnant with my son, the pain was horrific and by 5 months chronic...I had morphine which left me too sleepy to take care of my daughter so I was on tramadol (obviously I didn't want to be but I was in agony) I had a c section as I couldn't risk having another back Labour and going full term. My son was born healthy and happy thank god! Since then (he is 15 month) I've had 2 steroid injections the 1st worked the second didn't...the doctors and surgeon have basically said they can't do anything else as surgery doesn't work well for herniated discs and so I've been forwarded to the pain management. I've taken matters into my own hands and paid privately for IDD therapy (stretching the disc) I had great results in the 6 weeks Therapy but when I did too much it flares up. I've now finished the 6 weeks Therapy but as I still have lots of pain they are doing 2 more sessions as they think I've over done it...I just feel lost, I have chronic pain I can't stand for longer than minutes, walk more than 20 minutes and sit longer than 10...I have to sleep on my front but wake up stiff and in pain. I'm on gabapentin but I don't think it's doing much so I might see if I can go back on tramadol...my husband is amazing he helps so much but he's a chef and works 4 14 hour days but has 3 days off...I just feel so depressed and frustrated I can't lift my 15 month old like I'd like too, I have to sit to push my daughter on the swing and waiting for the bus or walking kills me...I just want to talk to other people that understand me...chronic pain is truly soul destroying but you have to carry in and pretend your ok when really your falling apart! Any advice would be so great...I hope your pain wasn't too much today and your feeling as positive as you can being in pain.
0 likes, 10 replies
gbritishair erica86907
Posted
Hi Erica, I am so sorry you are going through a difficult time you seem such a strong person.
I understand exactly how you feel I've been suffering with chronic pain in my neck / shoulders for 5 years following a road traffic accident. I have tried so many oral meds everything you have taken and much more absolutely rubbish!
I am registered at the London Neurologist hospital I regularly go for trigger point injections ....normally every 3 months! I had the whole body infusion last year it never really helped me but it might help you! At the moment I am still suffering the constant stabbing burning pains it last 24 hrs everyday! I have difficult sleeping due to the neck and shoulders so trust me you are not on your own! You must have faith try and remain positive. ...and I know this is very hard there is times were I just want to scream lol! At the moment I am having private osteopath treatments combined with Pilates 121 it's expensive but it helps with movement. If you can get you Dr to refer you to a hospital that has hydrotherapy you will see and feel such a hug difference as well as make some lovely friends who can understand and relate to your pain!
I was taken amitrotyline for a while it helps you sleep but leaves you sleepy in the mornings lol....I have realised that there is no oral tablets that can help me so my Dr has just started me on 5mg buprenorphine patch. ...I have seen a huge difference will at least the stabbing pain has gone so I can cope more with the pain. You might like to try this I think it will get you.
I know things are hard but you have been blessed with beautiful kids unfirtub
amkoffee erica86907
Posted
I've been suffering with lower back pain for 13 years so I've had a long time to adjust to it. I'm 55 years old so my kids have long since grown up. I never had to deal with the chronic back pain and small children at the same time. The closest I come to it is when I have my visitation with my grandson and granddaughter. And when I do I have to have help because there's no way I could do it on my own. So I can certainly appreciate you having to do it every single day all day and night. I can barely manage it for 2 to 3 hours and that's with help. I do take opiates and I've been taking them for many many years so they no longer make me sleepy and I can function quite well on them. But I do have a suggestion for you that you might want to look into that is a non-drug pain control method. You might ask about having a stimulator implanted in your back. I tried but it didn't work for me so they didn't implant it. You have a trial first and if that works out then they implant the stimulator. I don't know if you've ever heard of a TENS unit and if you haven't then you need to get one right away and use it. A TENS unit works very well and a stimulator is kind of like a TENS unit only the stimulator is of course implanted and the TENS unit is not. The way they work is they kind of garble the pain message that goes to your brain so that your brain doesn't get that pain message. I don't know what country you live in but I'm thinking you don't live in the US from the way you spell Labor. So I don't know what the dollar conversion would be but in the US a TENS unit runs around $40 or $50 so they're not terribly expensive and you can buy them on Amazon. Also there is a website that is a very good support system for me not only is it good support which I think you need, it is also a place to gather information on alternative pain control. It has people from all over the world on it everywhere from the US to the UK Africa Malaysia Australia just to name a few. I can't give you the website here because it will be monitored. But I will send you an email with the website on it. If you do decide to go to the website I just want to let you know there are a few questions you have to go through so just bear with them and then if you would like you can look me up. My name on the website is Kathleen Kaiser. You can look me up and even add me to your team. Good luck to you. Having back pain is a very difficult thing to deal with and you need people who know what it feels, like to talk to. Best of luck to you.
NSRachel2017 amkoffee
Posted
Hi, I am interested in the other website you mentioned. I had a microdiskectomy 2 years ago for DDD and sciatica. For the last few months my back/leg have started hurting again and the last week has been awful. I am now seeing a Doc who is giving me a trial of 10 injections (5 either side of my lower spine) once a week for 4 weeks to see if this gives me any relief. I have had 2 lots done and nothing, in fact last week pain has been even worse but not from injections I don't think. I am taking hydromorph, Vimovo and Lyrica but nothing seems to help much lately. So fed up with the pain and feeling really miserable. Doesn't help that my doc has changed my antidepressants so am in the middle of waiting for the new ones to kick in. Hope you feel okay.
amkoffee NSRachel2017
Posted
I'll have to email you that site because it'll be monitored off of here. I'll look for you on the site.
amkoffee NSRachel2017
Posted
I guess you don't have an email. I've never come across this before and I see that you're new so I don't know why this is but I've looked and looked and I don't see an email for you.
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Emis_Moderator amkoffee
Posted
amkoffee,
User's emails do not appear on the site. If you want to pass on links use the Private Message service as per the links I've included in your post above.
Regards,
Alan
NSRachel2017 amkoffee
Posted
amkoffee NSRachel2017
Posted
Then I'm afraid I just can't help you.
caroline37192 erica86907
Posted
I am sorry you are going through a very bad time . The only thing you can do is to pace you're self , and do things when you are able . Doing some exercises can stop you from going stiff. Swimming is also good for you as well as relaxing . I have done a 10wek course on Pain management. It is not at all easy. I have had this now since I was 30 and now I am 64. I had the disc removed and spinal fusion and it does not work. So please try other things. Tens machine acupuncture phsyo. All the best.
amkoffee caroline37192
Posted
I am always telling people to think strongly about whether they want surgery because it is a rare time when surgery actually fixes the problem on a permanent basis. More often than not it doesn't fix the problem at all and then there's times when it fixes the problem but it's only for a year or two and then the worst problem was all is when it makes the problem worse than it was. But my warnings always seem to fall on deaf ear because the doctor makes these grandiose promises. I'm always hearing "I have to do it because I'm in so much pain I have no choice." And I tell them to ask the dr. for the percentages of what the chances are for success. Of course I don't know if they do or if their doctors tell them the truth for the percentage of success. I was not given the option for surgery as my lower back problem was not something that could be fixed with surgery so I consider myself lucky that I didn't have to make the decision whether to have surgery or not.