Spondilolythesis etc
Posted , 4 users are following.
I had a motorbike crash three years ago and as a result I have Spondilolythesis (I've never been given a grading but I can assume it's no more than a grade two) bulging disc at L5 and L4 S1 and now degenerative disc disease in two of the lower discs. I suffer from crippling pain in the lower back, hips, groin and legs. The pain is not just sciatica but other sickening pain in the legs. On top of this I now have urological problems. I have tried all sorts of pain relief. Multiple injections, tens machine, physio, pain killers (Tramadol and Pregabalin) and other home remedies. Nothing seems to elevate the pain. I have asked about spinal cord stimulator and pump but all I was told was to have yet another injection (4th or 5th round, I have lost count) and talk about it after that. Has anyone else had problems in getting something else done by the NHS other than injections and being told it's all in your head (despite the clear injuries shown in the scans)? Is there anything else to do? My solicitors are still trying to get funding to go private but I've been told it could take another two years. I can't stand this pain and I am desperate for some relief.
Many thanks
Matt
1 like, 6 replies
nick1963 Honeymonster
Posted
Honeymonster nick1963
Posted
Hi Nick,
For me it's the pain around the hips, groom and thighs. It's sickening. I was told I would have fusion by the first dr but all of a sudden they changed their mind and sent me off for pain management. I have two private opinions but they aren't the best in the field so we have had to get a third private. The second NHS opinion said I'd need fusion in a few years but they won't do it now as the trauma may not be worth the outcome. Surely that should of been my choice if they are were willing to do and it needs doing?
I hope you get better soon.
paula43713 Honeymonster
Posted
You poor thing. I also have bulging disc's degenerative to disc's. Am on longtec and short-tec (morpine) been to a number off back Doctors and got MRI scans cat scans physico nothing helping me I can barely walk most days and there telling me that there is nothing more they can do it's awful. Have you tried pain management??
Honeymonster paula43713
Posted
Hi Paula,
Sorry to here you are in pain. I am surprised that they say there is nothing else they can do. I know lots of friends who have had surgery on their backs for far less serious injuries than we have. I have been in pain management for around two years. They are the ones in charge of the injections. They have refused to do anything else until I have my next set of injections , which is frustrating as we know they don't work (bar the epidural). It appears that it's a lottery regarding which NHS authority you are under as to what treatment you get. I have another friend who was given a spinal stimulator straight away.
I hope you get better
Matt
paula43713 Honeymonster
Posted
They said surgery ain't a option as it's not affecting the nerve endings...
amkoffee Honeymonster
Posted
I wouldn't be too quick on the spinal chord stimulator. If you don't get any relief from the TENS unit the spinal cord stimulator probably won't help either. Because they work by the same principle. Also as far as pain relievers go your doctor is really short-changing you he could do a lot better than Tramadol. Technically if done correctly you should be on a long-acting opiate and a short-acting opiate for breakthrough pain. For example I take morphine ER (where the ER stands for extended release) and then I take oxycodone for my breakthrough pain. Doctors are starting to get away from doing this for fear that their patient will get addicted but they're doing it at our cost. Here in the US it has gotten so bad it's atrocious, it's murder. Because doctors are stopping their patients' opiate prescriptions cold turkey so the patient suffers not only the withdrawal but the following pain as well. And when they cannot find relief from anyone they commit suicide. I don't know what the climate is where you live but I know from other people's discussions from the UK that it is not quite as bad as it is here in the US but doctors are pretty reluctant there to prescribe as well. The Gabapentin is great for the radiating leg pain but you got to get on something stronger than Tramadol for it to control your pain. And I have no idea how to tell you to do that. There are two things we have in the United States that are legal that a lot of people use and that CBD oil and kratom. But I don't know if either of those are legal where you live that's something you'll have to check out for yourself. We also have some states that have legalized medicinal marijuana and people in those states are using that help control their pain. I don't know if it's legal where you live or not. But that gives you a few things to consider. And I am laying on my couch hurting from my waist to my toes as I write this so I really do appreciate the pain you're in.