Posted , 6 users are following.
ive been suffering chronic lower left back, left hip and leg pain for 18 months. I've had physio & acupuncture, with no improvement. X-ray showed general age related wear & tear and I'm awaiting results for Mri scan. I've just been prescribed Lyrica and womder d if anyone has found this to help the pain? Or found alternative pain relief?
0 likes, 39 replies
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amkoffee amber1620
Posted
I'm sorry you've just joining the ranks of those of us with chronic pain. It's a vicious, vicious cycle that takes you from one doctor to another to another trying to find a solution to your pain. Even with surgery many people are not cured of they're pain. I hope your MRI will show something to give you an answer to your pain.
I've been at this for 13 years. At first my lower back pain was caused by degenerative disc disease. That might be what you have that your doctor is calling normal wear and tear due to aging. There are millions of people out in the world that have degenerative disc disease and have no pain. And then there are those of us that do have pain from it. I also started with a couple of bulging disc and no impingement. Impingement means that the discs are bulging enough to be pinching a nerve. That was when I first started with my pain so many years ago. I recently had another MRI. Well my MRI showed 7 bulging disc with impingement and arthritis. So I went from two bulging discs to seven. So that explains the extra pain. I certainly hope that your Lyrica will help with the pain. Lyrica typically is used for radiating pain and it helps some people. I just started something similar called Gabapentin (Neurontin) to try and see if it helps. You should look up Lyrica online so that you can become familiar with the side effects.
Good luck to you I hope that your problem actually just heals up and goes away. That would be the best scenario you could hope for
amber1620 amkoffee
Posted
thanks for taking the time to reply, it's only really other sufferers who can truly sympthasise with the effects of constant pain and how it makes you feel. I guess I can only make a decision on what to do next after I get some results, and may look at seeing a chiropractor. I've had a look at the side effects of Lyrica and it makes scary reading, I feel that this is just treating the pain and not the cause of the problem. No doubt you will see me on this site regularly now!
amkoffee amber1620
Posted
Personally I got no relief from a chiropractor and please don't go until after an MRI. He/she will need that info so he doesn't make matters worse.
I wanted you to read about Lyrics because of all the symptoms. It does make for scary reading.
Try not to focus to much on getting your problem fixed. It will drive you crazy. And think twice about having surgery on your back. Back surgery rarely fixes the problem. At best you might get a couple of years of being pain free but you could come out of surgery worst. It's called failed back surgery. Obviously if they have a name for it's not a rare condition.
amber1620 amkoffee
Posted
thanks for your advice I'll bear it in mind, I wouldn't consider back surgery there has to be another way around this !
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
Hi amber, lyrica or gabapentin work in a similar way so if one dosnt work ask your doc to try the other, I see a chiropractor 1-2 per week and I swear by him, I'm aware that it's not for everyone but hen I think it depends on the doc, my first experience over 15 years ago put me off for life until I was introduced to my now chiro, Iv been with him 6 years and I swear he's delayed surgery on my neck and
Lower back, acupuncture is also good but I found it short lived, have you tried heat/ice packs they can help relieve the pain, good luck in finding something that works, unfortunately it's trial and error with all us sufferers, take care 😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
Thanks Caroline, I have tried heat but not ice so far. I might go down the chiropractor route if I don't have any success. I agree the acupuncture reliefs didn't last long. Would just like to get to the cause of it!
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
Make sure you get a good one and stick with it for a while because you can feel a little worse before your better, also I have an "omni ball" from Amazon, use it to massage your glutes from the middle of your bum out towards your hip, it may/may not help but I swear it works for me and my husband, it's good for all sorts of muscle aches😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
It certainly is, I hope it gives you some relief 😊
Loral amkoffee
Posted
I've had degenerative disc and bulging discs in the L1-L4 and S1 area of my back since I was 43 I will be 56...Today I have such terrible pain I feel like throwing up. I'm sitting with a heating pad right now and took ibuprofen and tramadol they aren't really helping today. I had a LTHR in May 2015 and most of my pain is towards the left side. I need a RTHR eventually but right now my back is what's hurting me more.
I know how chronic pain feels, I wish there was something that would deaden the pain...
I wish I could help but I'm in the same boat as all of you...
amkoffee Loral
Posted
Your story sounds like mine. My back problems started in my 40s and I'm now 56 also. When I first started my MRI showed a couple of bulging disc and some degenerative disc disease. The other day I had a new MRI done this is about 10 years since my last one. Now I have 7 bulging disc and some impingement.
Tramadol is not really a very good drug to be taken. For one thing it's kind of a lightweight painkiller. The proper way to treat chronic pain is to take a extended release opioid along with a short-acting opioid for breakthrough pain. But if you live in the u.s. I know that you will not likely get that. At least not in these days when every government agency is trying to eliminate opioids for you for chronic pain. I'm not a 100% sure on how it works in the UK but I have heard other people complain about not getting proper pain relief from their doctors.
NSRachel2017 amber1620
Posted
Sorry to hear about your pain. My first time on here. I also have degenerative disk disease and 2 years ago had a microdiskectomy 2 years ago for a bulge at S5-L1. Now I have pain again and after MRI have found I have a bulge again at S5-L1 and also at L3-4. From Jan onwards it had been really bad and I tried physio, chiro, massage, acupunture but nothing cured it. I have now found that walking a bit, maybe 15 mins a day helps as does heat and ice. I also bought a Tens machine which was covered on my insurance and that helps. I would love to have chiro or massage or acupunture all the time as I am sure it would help but can't afford it and insurance only covers up to $300 for each service each year. Physio covers more but didn't really feel it helped that much. I am on Lyrica, Vimovo and Hydromorphone SR and breakthroughs. Only side effects I noticed where extreme tiredness when first starting them and constipation. I feel for you as I know how crap I feel. I am actually going through depression right now as I am trying to come to terms with the fact that there is no cure. I am 53 but feel like I am 80 some days. Hope yours clears up as it can do sometimes.
amber1620 NSRachel2017
Posted
Hi thanks for your reply and I can sympthasise with the pain you are going through. I am 54 and also feel like 80 moving around most days. like you I have tried physio for months and also acupuncture and I am now on waiting list for the pain relief injection which they do by X-ray into my hip. Since I am also going through menopause I'm hoping that some of the pain is related to that and that eventually it will ease off. Hope your find a way of dealing with it and finding some relief.
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
I have faucet joint and sacrialic joint injections done by x Ray so it might be the same, they work well for me and are an ansalite god send, I hope you get relief with them, good luck😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
Hi Caroline that sounds optimistic hope I don't have too long to wait they say it's a few months!!
amber1620
Posted
is it painful having it done ? Can't be any worse than the pain aim in every day!
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
how painful are the injections and do you get relief Immediately?
thanks
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
I would say the first time is probably the worst then it gets easier after that, the problem I had was they told me it wasn't painful so I didn't prepare myself and think I went into shock a bit, don't let this put you off tho because I had been in pain for 7 years so my joints were badly inflamed. I remember the next morning getting out of bed and burst into tears and told my husband they had worked. I was bruised and sore off the injections but that joint pain i had for so long was gone, I got 7 months out of my first lot, I have 16 injections in total. If they don't work than that's not the cause of your pain.
I would say take it easy and rest the first few days, it took me 2 weeks at first to get back on my feet but now I'm fine by the next day, Iv had it done 15+ times now, it's not nice but totally worth it, let me know how it goes and if there's anything else you want to know just ask 😊
Carolineq8
Posted
Oh and it can take up to 2 weeks to see results but everyone's different, for me I get relief the next day even tho I'm in pain from the bruising it's a different pain, youl know what I mean😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
Thanks for the info, I will let you know if it works for me. I didn't realise you could have so many injections, I thought if they are steroid you could on ly have max 3?
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
It's no more than 3 times per year, hope they work for you 😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
It's my last resort I'm in constant agony😂
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted
I feel for you, it is soul destroying at times but don't give up there's got to be something out there for us just sometimes we have to try anything and everything until we find something that works, keeping my fingers crossed for you 😊
amber1620 Carolineq8
Posted
I hope same for you I'll keep you posted on any progress😄
Carolineq8 amber1620
Posted