Back Pain " Am I going crazy!``

[janetmh]

Hi!  I was hoping someone may have the same problems that I am having.. I have been having problems with my back for about 18 months now.. My neck has Degenerative Disc Disease C3-C5 in which my neck hurts and my right arm has pain and my hand goes numb,(which I toss and turn all night) even taking ambien, this I haven't told my Doctor about because I am having so much pain in my lower back, I am very tired or  fatigued all the time, and could sleep the day away. My children think I am depressed, on top of this I just found out I have a Herinated Disc in the low portion of my back.
I have very bad pain on the right side of my hip ,in the butt and down both legs , that they actually feel weak and I must sit down or I cannot stand the pain,. I have been to therapy for the herinated disc.it helps for a day or so then I am back in pain and calling the doctor..I am now set up to see a nurosurgeon..
I must work so I don't have the opportunity to rest, does anyone have any suggestions or how to get rid of this pain.
janetmh

[kellyhickey]

im a 55 yr old male retired and have degen disk disease I have 2 brokin disk in my back also bone spures rubbing my kidney  and no jell  left in any disk upper cerv and lumbar with  arthritis  been dealing with this since the early 80s  my doc  retired and now every pain clinic r doc office I call tells me that they cannot prescribe  me narcotics   because the gov well not allow them to prescribe narcotics  this is going on all  over  the states  do I just live in chronic pain forever  are does anyone know  what I can do for this pain  I live in indiana

[searchingmiller]

I had 3 HNPs in my lower back - I medicated with ice cream and gained 50lbs. I tried PT and Chiropractic and finally did Vax-d in chicago and I have been pain free for eight years.  I now have an HNP in my neck and am trying to figure out what to do about it.  I am doing PT now.

You are definitely not going crazy.  I think that the neck pain is worse than the lower back pain, because it involves my head - and my thoughts get fuzzy.  So I completely understand the feeling crazy.

[kittyluv1]

Welcome to the Back and Neck Community.  Members are here to provide assistance and support to individuals experiencing symptoms related to possible abnormal conditions of the cervical and/or lumbar spine.  Advice given is non-professional and is primarily based on personal experiences.  Please post on the Expert Forum if additional medical advice is needed and one of the medical doctors will assist as appropriate.

I am sorry to hear of your continued problems.  It would appear from the information you provided that you do have degenerative disc disease of both the cervical and lumbar spine.  Have you had recent MRIs of these two areas?  It would be helpful if you could post the clinical findings noted on those reports.
The symptoms you are experiencing are directly related to your DDD, the disc herniation in you low back (L4-5 or L5-S1?)  It is possible that you also have some bulging or protruding disc in your neck that is causing the right arm pain/numbness.
You do need to report all of your symptoms to your treating doctor to enable him to treat you appropriately.
Physical therapy has only helped for a short time.  Have you had any other treatment such as steroid/epidural injections?
The referral to a neurosurgeon is definitely indicated when conservative treatment does not result in adequate pain relief.  The neurosurgeon will complete a physical exam, review the results of your MRIs and order new tests if indicated.  After he reviews the films, he will be able to determine the amount of nerve involvement is affecting your current condition.  All treatment options will be reviewed including steroid/epidural injections and possibly surgery.
Remember that the longer the nerves are compressed the greater the risk of sustaining longterm nerve damage and permanent changes that can not be repaired even with surgery.
Keep your neurosurgeon appt and get his recommendations.  You can make decisions after reviewing all of your options.
In the meantime, taking over the counter anti-inflammatory meds, using moist heat to the affected areas and taking the pain meds as prescribed is really all that you can do for subjective comfort.  If the nerves are compressed (pinched), symptom relief will only be achieved once that compression is removed.
Please post again with your progress and any additional questions/concerns you may have.
Best wishes ----
(P.S.  You most definitely are not going crazy!)