Lower back pain

[Karen36]

Hi..
Back in April of this year 2007 I started having a coughing fit at work.. I was dealing with a head/chest cold.. Anyway with in 24 hours of leaving work that day I was in major pain in my lower back/buttocks area. I seen my Dr and was given a muscle relaxer and a cough supressant. The cough suppressant worked wonderfully but the muscle relaxer didn't. I went back the following week because I was still in major pain. I was given vicodin with Tylenol in it which helped alot. Then I was sent to Physical Therapy. I'm now in my 5th week of PT and my back still radiates pain. I've have Siatica take over my left leg for 3 days.. I've not been able to lift either leg in order to dress myself in the am and in the pm. I'm finally getting an MRI this week in HOPES that someone can tell me what the heck is wrong with my back. I've been told by my physical therapist 2 different things.. First he said it's a slipped disk and then he has said it's a herniated disk. My question is .. How does anyone know what the heck is wrong when nothing has been done to see what the heck is wrong?
Also why do I have days where I have little to no pain and then there are days like today when my tail bone feels like it's on fire? As to bladder and bowel movements.. bladder.. I go what seems to me a lot more than usual... bowel movements .. well there are times when I don't go for a couple of days.. then there are times when I have to go constantly and it's diahere.. and then sometimes it's totally normal. Im totally at a loss and no one seems to be able to tell me what is wrong. I just want to know what is wrong with my back. I'm tired of living like this.

[Karen36]

nope.. still waiting on mri findings ...
forgot to mention I also have a lump on my spine that is about 2 inches wides going up my back and about 4 inches in length going across my back. Physical therapist said she thought it might be a muscle.. don't know.. I'm just hoping for some answers soon.

[rainsummer]

herniated disk, slipped disk, means the samething...Have you tried nerve blocks?

[sage1]

I dont have any advice, just wanted to commiserate.  I know this is sciatica pain caused by compressed disc.  Why cant the doctors just agree and proceed with a descent treatment (like surgery).  Instead you have to be treated like a drug seeking addict and keep suffering.  Why do we even have to have a site like this?? Why cant these doctors get it right and pay attention??  By the way did I fail to mention that I am a registered nurse with a four year degree from  a premed school?  It is sooo frustrating working for and putting our lives in the hands of these physicians who dont know any more than we do!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How many times have we all had to save our own lives by asking questions and paying attention to what the physician or the nurse was doing?  Is there any other profession that allows for such mishap without punishment or retribution??    Exscuse me its just our lives we are talking about..   I dont get it... what the ____ is the reasoning for this??  Sorry, went a little off, probably from some med prescribed that I shouldnt be taking.....ha ha.  Just feeling a little helpless as everyone else is.
hope my ranting eased some of your back pain, no doubt a physician wont help it.
Sage