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Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Posted , 11 users are following.

camilla24548
camilla24548

Has anybody found that this painful condition gets better with time? If so, how long? Feel as though im trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea at the moment.

0 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • Holytiger
    Holytiger camilla24548

    Posted

    I have had pain since last September, with little relief. I have tried paracetamol, codeine, pregabelin, Gabapentin (which made me feel spaced out and ready to fall asleep all the time). I am weaning myself off Gabapentin as I think it is not giving me any relief, I go bed in pain and wake up in pain. I have pain in the hip back, of the thigh down the calf and into my foot. The MRI showed only age related change. I am waiting for a pain clinic appointment, which is my last hope. I have decided to get on with life as I cannot sit around and doing nothing but be miserable.

    I cannot believe that in this day and age there is nothing that can be done to relieve the pain or even CURE it.

  • peter02141
    peter02141 camilla24548

    Posted

    Hi camilla, I've been suffering with sciatica for 7 years on and off. More recently I've started having Physiotherapy, I'm hoping that all the exercise will help. I take amitripyline once a day to take the edge off and co-codamol at night to help me sleep. If your looking for something else i can recommend a tens machine. I use mine in the evening when sitting down. Mine is the size of an iPod & comes with 4 pads! Bought it on Amazon 2 months ago. It's made by kinetic. Best of luck hope you get some relief soon. :-) 

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 peter02141

      Posted

      Thanks for tens machine idea Peter, my physiotherapist suggested this toome as well, think i will look into getting one. Have you had Xray or MRI scan? I was prescribed amytripline but stopped taking it because it made me feel anxious, there dosnt seem to be an easy answer to this does there? Ive been told im looking at 12 weeks before it rights itself, there's the financial implications as well. Sorry to grumble. Hope you get some respite from this too

    • Holytiger
      Holytiger camilla24548

      Posted

      I tried the tens machine but 20 minutes treatment only gave me about 15-20 minutes relief. I have also tried a PainGone plus+ gadget this is small enough to take on holiday, but I really want something to give almost permanent relief. I have tried physio both NHS and private. The NHS physio gave me exercises and the private one tried massage and acupuncture, he also thought my back muscles were tensed up and worked on them but not much relief. I really don't want to try yet more drugs.

    • peter02141
      peter02141 camilla24548

      Posted

      I only paid £29 for my one. I've used it probably 10 or 15 times on one battery charge. Honestly if your sat watching tv it takes your mind off it when your pain is angry. May not work or you may not like the sensation but what's good is different pulses and about 14 strength settings. I had an MRI scan It showed nothing bad other than general wear for my age. As for the tablets I was told there are a couple more different drugs you can try. I'm taking mine in the morning at work, they don't seem to bother  me while I'm busy at work. I felt anxious at night taking them then couldn't sleep, that's why I swapped for daytime. My dosage is the lowest you can have without splitting the tab in half. When I'm bad with pain I goto bed!! Watch tv. Hope you have caring and an understanding family! It's hard to deal with. 

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 peter02141

      Posted

      Going to buy a tens machine today,willling to try anything, pain is really bad today i find it difficult to get out of bed,it just feels so raw,like really bad toothache. Youre doing well still going to work,i just cant face it at the moment, really have to force myself to get out of the house. Im aware that im being a complete pain in the back side grizzling all the time, but really cant help it.
    • peter02141
      peter02141 camilla24548

      Posted

      Let me know how you get on with it. Some of the pulses will make you jump! Whilst I'm at work I'm standing which is okay for me. Your pain sounds worse than mine for sure. What kind of mattress you sleeping on? Are in pain in bed too? 

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 peter02141

      Posted

      Still havnt used my tens machine which i bought at the weekend. Didnt get out of bed today till midday, just couldnt cope with getting up and dressed,pains just exactly like toothache, physio thinks i'll heal by 12 weeks, sounds like a lifetime when youre in pain, the kind of pain that really focuses the mind! How are you?

    • karen02354
      karen02354 peter02141

      Posted

      And don’t touch the pads when it’s on with your fingertips, silly me has done a few times and nearly shot to the ceiling! Take a bit of getting used to but I am slowly after borrowing one to try, good luck, hope it helps x
    • peter02141
      peter02141 camilla24548

      Posted

      You need to get some co-codamol tablets into your system. I buy the lowest dose which are available without prescription. Never been addicted to them yet. And If your getting any burning pains use ibroprofen gel!! I've been okay this weekend thanks, I'm usually worse when sitting around watching tv.  Physio was good on Friday been given pelvic floor exercises to do, along with upper back exercise. How much sleep are you managing to get?

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 peter02141

      Posted

      Manage to sleep with the help of gabapentin , but struggle to tolerate this drug in the daytime, struggle to go out when ive taken it so not helpful if i cant exercise. Im in early stages of this horrible thing so i imagine it will slowly improve, so ive been told.
  • karen02354
    karen02354 camilla24548

    Posted

    I feel the same alas, searching for success stories, hope things improve for you soon x
  • SciaticaWill
    SciaticaWill camilla24548

    Posted

    Hi Camilla,

    Really sorry to hear that you're going through such severe pain with your sciatica at the moment. It can be a really debilitating condition at times. I hope by the time you read this you are feeling somewhat better. 

    From my experience of treating people with this condition as a physiotherapist, I find that it is almost impossible to predict the outcome based just on how severe the pain is at one moment in time. I have had patients who have come in with only mild pain but it has taken a long time to go away, while I had had others who can barely move when they first come in report being 90% better after as little as 2 weeks. 

    Sciatica is such an individual experience, all you can do is make sure you are moving your back within a pain free range, eating and sleeping well, cutting out cigarettes and alcohol and optimising your pain relief. Your doctor should be able to help with this. If you are given a prescription and you feel it isn't working, go back and tell them! There is usually an alternative medication and it might start to turn things around. 

    As was mentioned by others in the comments, getting a proper assessment to work out exactly what is causing your sciatica can help guide treatment better. MRI is often not needed to do this. 

    I hope this helps and that you feel better very soon,

    Will

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 SciaticaWill

      Posted

      Thanks for your response Will, do your other clients with the same condition find that they are dragging the affected leg along with them? When I walk I feel ive got to make a conscious effort to lift my left leg rather than it being a natural unconscious effort, which is quite physically and mentally tiring. Until a few weeks ago i loved walking, just putting one foot in front of the other but now its like wading through a swamp.
    • SciaticaWill
      SciaticaWill camilla24548

      Posted

      This is quite a common complaint and can be caused by a couple of things. 

      Some people find that their pain gets much worse when they extend the leg in front of them (due to tension on the sciatic nerve), so the brain subconsciously stops them from striding like they normally do which gives the effect of limping or dragging the leg. 

      The other cause is due to weakness in the leg as the nerve signals from the spinal cord to the affected limb have been compromised. If you feel you are dragging your leg due to true weakness in the limb (i.e. you feel the leg may give way, or you can't flex your ankle normally), I would certainly get another proper assessment from your GP or another healthcare professional as it could indicate a more serious nerve compression.

      They will probably check your sensation, leg strength, and reflexes at the knees and ankles, which takes 5 minutes max. 

      I hope this helps, and that it eases up for you soon!

      Will

    • camilla24548
      camilla24548 SciaticaWill

      Posted

      Thanks Will for taking the time out to answer my question. Ive another GP appointment beginning of next week to get results of Xray and MrI scan.

      Didnt realise that Sciatica could be so limiting and ruin quality of life so dramatically.

      Almost hope that Xray ,shows something to justify this temporary disability. ( Careful what you wish for)!

    • SciaticaWill
      SciaticaWill camilla24548

      Posted

      Hi Camilla,

      Good news that they are getting it sorted for you. It can be a really debilitating problem but you're certainly not alone!

      If the cause of your pain is disc-related, you will be unlikely to see anything significant on X-ray. An X-ray is a good starting point though, and a lot of radiologists won't accept an MRI referral until an X-ray has been done. 

      Good luck! Hope all goes well. 

      Will

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