Sciatica (not really asking anything, need to share/vent!)

I'm 42 next week and have had a bad back since I was about 15 and did the old classic of falling down the stairs. Being young at the time, I don't recall it giving me any massive problems and as far as I recall, I returned to school fine (it was the Xmas hols when I did it)

My history since then is a bit vague but in 2001 I had my first back spasm and ended up in A&E for 4 hours. It passed off reasonably quickly and I know this because I went out clubbing that night! Oh to be that young and fit again!! The second time it happened, my GP said I had an aggravated disc. From 2002-04 I lost nearly 4stone in weight at the suggestion of my Mum as a possible preventative measure to future problems although it didn't really work. My last bad one was in April 2008. On the back of 16 weeks suffering from plantar fasciitis, limping badly and I ended up off work for 3 weeks, on crutches (and was getting married that October) and I was prescribed Diclofenac slow-release.

I've lived with backache on and off ever since but haven't suffered another spasm since. The worst I've been recently was after some gardening and the ache just didn't wear off. I was taking Naproxen but it wasn't touching it. After a couple of weeks I went to my GP who prescribed me Etodolac one-a-day, Methacarbamol muscle relaxant (up to 8 a day) and if all else failed 30mg/500mg Co-codamol. I also started having physio at work and it was going really, REALLY well. No problems, 3 straight weekends gardening with no ill effects. My last physio session was 07/05. The day after, I started getting a bit of a twinge in my sciatic region. I went shopping and bent down to pick something up off a low shelf and got a real kick from it. I walked around slowly and then it happened again in another store, much harder this time. I managed to drive myself home and didn't have any other twinges until last Saturday. It was bugging me so I did a tiny stretch in the kitchen while waiting for lunch - just pressed against the counter, pushed me heel to the floor and WOW!!! I thought I was going to faint - exploding pain, I started shaking, sweating, and hyperventilating. My husband was upstairs in the house but I just picked the phone up and dialled 111. They sent a paramedic who diagnosed acute sciatica. She did all my readings and they were ok, although I was still shaking violently and had 2 more what I can only describe as panic attacks while she was there. She started me on the Co-codamol and when that hadn't kicked in after 30 mins she told me to start taking an ordinary paracetomol with it. I was also still on the Etodolac and Methacarbamol. Eventually the pain was so severe I had to go up to lay down in bed and I stayed there till Monday. The excruciating pain had subsided but I'm still getting a lot of it. I got up on Monday and it took me three attempts to get downstairs without having to take myself off to bed. The sensation I get is strange - the pain hits and I pace like a lunatic, I feel kind-of nauseous without the urge to be sick, faint, and I just have to drop everything and sit down. I'm currently using a reclining garden chair to sit in. I called a GP out on Tuesday and he tested my reflexes and stretched my legs. I've got numbness in my right leg from mid-thigh to mid-calf and extreme pins and needles in/around my thigh/knee when I move. I haven't lost control of my bladder/bowel although I'm not desperate to 'go'. To give me nerve relief the GP prescribed me Gabapentin, told me to keep on the Co-codamol and leave off the others. I'm still getting a lot of pain and discomfort. I still have weakness/numbness in my leg. My physiotherapist was concerned about all this and ordered me A&E but my GPs haven't been concerned. I can't afford masses of time off work so I'm hoping now that I've hit the top dosage of 3 x Gabapentin per day, it will work although I'm not feeling it yet. This is easily the worst pain I've ever felt. And I'm banned from any exercises by my physio until the pain/numbness goes away. I've read that the numbness can go on for some time even after the pain has gone.

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