Please Assist- Has Anyone got Modic Changes in their Spine & tried Dr Hannah's antibiotic protocol (MAST)?

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Hi there. I was wondering if people could help me please. I wanted to know if anyone sent their MRI scans of their lower back to the MAST centre to be assessed for modic changes? I have sent mine in June, and I started the antibiotics 5 weeks ago with no improvement yet. I have chronic back pain and also ankylosing spondylitis.

I would really like to chat with people out there that are also on this MAST- modic changes protocol and to see how its going.

This is my only hope now for my lower back pain.

Thanks

Rosary1

1 like, 254 replies

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  • Posted

    Dear rosary1 I just finished my antibiotic turn 2 week ago. I did follow the protocol from Hanne Albert.

    Yes that is a very long journey. I did feel a light relieve about after 95 days. I was told when all bacterias are gone then the bone begins to heal. There are also some people who take the antibiotics for 100 d and do not have any improvement. Then they are frustrated and after 2-4 month the pain is more and more less. If you have now improvement after 4 months after your 100 d with antibiotics, yes then there is just a very little chance to get better. But if you feel a improvement in the first 4 months after your last pill then you have good chances that your healing can go on up for 9 -12 months. I had pain over 4 years and my modics where in stage 3-4, which means for a very long time. And with this condition the bone healing needs a longer time also the nerves need to recover, which takes more time than the bone.

    I hope this can help you, otherwise keep on asking me.

    KInd regards and good luck! And please take probiotics every day (after 4 h you took your AB).

    Nia

  • Posted

    Is there a good starter video that folks see to learn more about this?

  • Posted

    Hi there! I am still in the healing phase after MAST. I was told to take the probiotics exactely in between the antibiotics but I took one probiotic a day. I did the AB's 6/14/22hrs and took the antibiotic at 10h. The clinic gave me a very good probiotoc named : IMMU PROBIO from HEALTH AID. I was gold to wait with exercises until after the last AB. I just did a gentle swinging exercise for my lower back when standing. The exercises after the last AB was giben by the clinic as well. When you need it I could send it by PN.

    I had a first improvement in the last werk I tool the antibiotics. Because I was siffering for 5 years, my nerves are dammaged by the acids. I think painfree would not be possible for me. But I can accept this painlevel I reached now. The healing can go up to + 9 months. But you should feel a slight improvement at lest 4 months after the last AB.

    GOOD LUCK!!!

  • Posted

    hello to everyone! So I stumbled across this for him after looking for other people that have tried the same thing I’ve been having debilitating back issues for the past eight or nine months and I’m only 28 I’ve gone to three different chiropractors and physical therapy seen orthopedic doctors and nothing and then I went to this I guess you would call holistic pain management doctor and he said after looking at my MRI that I probably have this condition and prescribed me antibiotics. so I stumbled across this forum after looking for other people that have tried the same thing I’ve been having debilitating back issues for the past eight or nine months and I’m only 28 I’ve gone to three different chiropractors done physical therapy between orthopedic doctors and nothing and then I went to this I guess you would call holistic pain management doctor and he said after looking at my MRI that I probably have this condition and prescribed me antibiotics.To anyone on here that has done this long term as in almost a year or more than a year would you mind providing me any insight as to whether your pain has improved? At this point I’ve exhausted all my options other than surgery and I am basically at the point where I can only walk like 10 or 15 minutes a day without being in pain and it’s miserable. I also see that other people suggest to take probiotics on a daily basis which I am going to order some now parenthese to anyone on here that has done this long term as in almost a year or more than a year would you mind providing me any insight as to whether your pain has improved? At this point I’ve exhausted all my options other than surgery and I am basically at the point where I can only walk like 10 or 15 minutes a day without being in pain and it’s miserable. I also see that other people suggest to take probiotics on a daily basis which I am going to order some now (only 2 days in to treatment) and have diareha . If it’s relevant information at all I live in the United States in Virginia

    • Posted

      It worked for me. I had four vertebral fractures by age 48 due to bones crumbling ( limbic and vertebral body fractures). I was staring at a multiple spinal fusion. Unbelievably lucky I did not choose this route. However I did have prolotherapy to the interspinous , iliolombar and sacral ligaments which shortened and stiffened the ligaments to stabilise the spine. All worked a treat and although on MRI I have the spine of a 98 year old with barely any discs left at all I am pain free.

      Hope it works for you too .

  • Posted

    hello to everyone! So I stumbled across this for him after looking for other people that have tried the same thing I’ve been having debilitating back issues for the past eight or nine months and I’m only 28 I’ve gone to three different chiropractors and physical therapy seen orthopedic doctors and nothing and then I went to this I guess you would call holistic pain management doctor and he said after looking at my MRI that I probably have this condition and prescribed me antibiotics. so I stumbled across this forum after looking for other people that have tried the same thing I’ve been having debilitating back issues for the past eight or nine months and I’m only 28 I’ve gone to three different chiropractors done physical therapy between orthopedic doctors and nothing and then I went to this I guess you would call holistic pain management doctor and he said after looking at my MRI that I probably have this condition and prescribed me antibiotics.To anyone on here that has done this long term as in almost a year or more than a year would you mind providing me any insight as to whether your pain has improved? At this point I’ve exhausted all my options other than surgery and I am basically at the point where I can only walk like 10 or 15 minutes a day without being in pain and it’s miserable. I also see that other people suggest to take probiotics on a daily basis which I am going to order some now

    • Posted

      hi, im on my third week into treatment. im sure some will comment, if you look at old posts, some have had great results, some medium and some its not worked for. my dr told me 50% of people in his experience get pain relief and to try this before a spinal fusion which will have worse side effects. i read that by 6 weeks some notice an improvement in pain, by three months many who its working for notice 50% reduction in pain and by a year that is the most pain relief one will get.

      you must sort that loose bowel. i take mine three times a day with a meal or crackers after. i domt take any other meds at that time unless maybe pain killers. I space the daily probiotic between the doses so that the antibiotic doesnt kill it. i use immu probio by Health Aid which some one on the forum advised.

    • Posted

      sounds good. i hope it ends up working for both of us. i saw that recomendation for probiotics as well so i will probably go with that. fingers crossed for us! please feel free to update a reply if you see any progress.

    • Posted

      after 6 weeks i noticed an improvement but now near 3 months my pain got really bad again. im not sure why. its really depressing. its like it was before i started. a complication i have is severely low ferriton level they say is often from chronic anti inflammatory use. i need an iron infusion as im short of breath. so may have to stop the treatment at 90 days

    • Posted

      Have you got Limbic fractures at the endplates which I did? or iliolumbar/ interspinous /sacroiliac ligament injury concurrently?

      . I would ask for an MRI imaging for all these possibilities. You might be a candidate for prolotherapy to aid ligament repair. Cold laser therapy is indicated as an anti inflammatory. You really need a very good doctor/physiotherapist helping you. Where are you located? x

    • Posted

      hi

      i had two mri s the second the contrast one. im not aware of limbic fractures? BUT IT SAYS MODIC type 1 change, then the mdt said there was some modic 2. maybe the end plate changes are limboc frctures?

      im currently looking foR an experienced physio who knows about managing this back issue. im in central east london. if you have a recommendation that would be great.

    • Posted

      Perhaps your best bet is to find a MAST Medical registered physiotherapist in London to help. Perhaps you already know of that organisation but it is for professionals interested in Modic changes.

      Hope you can find the help it is there but needs finding. Good luck.

    • Posted

      look up Broadgate Spine Centre in London. They specialise in this area.

    • Posted

      oh no , im sorry to hear that. if you are 90 days into 100 days of the ABS i would just finish them. I really hope that you start to get better as do I hope that i get better. I am a little over 60 days into and have noticed a little relief from certain certain symptoms. i hope i continue to see progress. keep us updated here

    • Posted

      thanks ill look into that, ( i think the mast website itself no longer exists ) but broadgate does. i saw my own mri images, and also the report, limbic fractures quite distinct so i dont think i have those.

    • Posted

      physotherapy in my experience (which is twice since ive felt this bad at the begging of the year) did absolutely nothing for me and seemed to aggrevate the condition.

    • Posted

      yes i know thats the case but when the antubiotics finished hanne albert recommends a physiotherapy protocol. i want to strengthen my core again as part of also preventing recurrent herniations which is another issue i have.

    • Posted

      oh got ya! do you think youll be able to handle physio at this pount? im doing very light, non aggrevating physio now . i hope evrything works out for both of us! keep me updated. i still have about a month of antibiotcs left

    • Posted

      im going to wait and also may look into low level laser here in uk which dr albert does too as part of pain control.

    • Posted

      i need an iron infusion as a semi emergency as cannot work nor function due to fatigue and shortnes of breath which is very debilitating. so if i wait til 90 days i will have the main antibiotics in, as many acute disc infections do 90 days in the literature. that way i get some quzlity of life bfore christmas instead of booking the infusion for january.

    • Posted

      ahh got ya. well i hope you find relief. do you have problems standing for long and have this feeling of instability like i do? if i over do it ill have back spasms.

    • Posted

      no i have early morning stiffness and night pain on turning and Pain on bending in relation to the modic change in the vertebrae concerned. i have however terrible sciatica if i stand for too long. that for me is a disc issue for which this mast treatment is not a solution sadly. but i can live with that but not the stiffness pain etc.

    • Posted

      trust me i understand pain you cant live with. i cant stand longer than 10 minutes my pain is so bad. Be blessed you can at least stand.

    • Posted

      my pain has not improved as yet. i stopped antibiotics at 90 days to have an iron infusion as was so unwell. the PPI DRUGS with my antiflammatories have caused me to have malabsorption so vitamins low ezpecially iron. catch 22. the drugs for my pain cause me to be severely iron deficient...

      anyhow i think im past the 100 day mark. no change in pain yet and im too weak from iron and vitamin deficiency to have physio too which they recommend after the antibiotics. im a bitnworried at this point that its not an infection but true arthritis (severe degeneration) . my spinal surgeon says to give it 3 -12 months to see if there is a change and then consider a spinal fusion...

    • Posted

      i am onl my last week of my 90 days. my doctor hasnt refilled my script or called me back about the last 10 days so maybe he isnt gonna get me to do it? well i truly hope the best for you. alot if people on here said they didnt start feeling any better until after 1 -2 months after antiobiocs. i recall one man and women on here said it took a total of 8 months before they were better. keep me updated please and god bless

    • Posted

      The healing is very a very personal thing. Everybody is different. What we can say that as longer the modic was not cured as longer the healing will take. Most patient with a modic of 3/4 (very severe) feel a slight improvement after 4-5 months they fullfield the 100d of AB getting better and better. Most patient with a very thin disc between the (bone) modic will have to accept (also if the AB cure was successful ), some pain because of the nerves. The nerve healing takes much longer as the bone healing. Ar a modic clinic they can tell you what a improvement a patient can reach. All in all: In most cases after 2 y after the last AB pill you reach the highest stage in healing which is possible.

    • Posted

      my gp did the same . thy thunk 100 days is 3 minths when its 90 days. so go back or con tact them bfore you run out

    • Posted

      Most AB cures take 90 days. Hanne Albert put 10 d on, because the optimal resorption in to the discs is not so easy to reach. If the doctors prescript AB in case of Modic they shoud also follow to 100% Hanne Alberts protocoll and give a prescription for the full 100 days. I hope he will give you also all the support after the AB cure. If not feel free and ask me. The "good" behavior after the cure is the other important part of the healing .

    • Posted

      i did call my doctor and he gave me another 10 days of it because they were not responding to my pharmacies request and in the nick of time too. today was my last three pills for the 90 days. ive only been doing very light yoga and stretching up to now. its all i really can do bc any weight bearing activity over 5 minutes hurts me and my parents (whom i live with) dont seem to understand that and try to make me do stuff around the house that hurt me.

    • Posted

      The key is: ACCEPT YOUR PERSONAL LIMITS AND STOPP IF ANYTHING HURTS. START WITH LIGHT AND SHORT WALKES, do not force anything. If course all the ligaments on the bone which now can start to heal hurt doing stretching. The bone is not healed now and can burst anytime again....

    • Posted

      THAT nowbody accept that you are sick is one of the reason MODIC patients are so desperated.... I HAD THE SAME in my family with a little child, like MOST WITH THIS ILLNESS are in such a situation full of no or to little support or understanding

    • Posted

      that is exactly what i told my mother but she insists that i contuisly do stuff that causes pain and i simply can not. thankfully stretching and light yoga does not hurt me. i am really careful about everything i do as to not make it worse. thanks for the supoort and understanding.

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