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L5-SI back pain - sciatic nerve
I have an L5-SI protruding annulus - with sciatic nerve damage on the left side (numbness in left leg). I am being seen at a pain management center and am in the middle of havng shots in my back. I have had a total of 4 so far - each one being in different areas. After each injection they tell me it will take a few days for the shots to take affect, however I hurt worse and the pain intensifies. The last shots I had were the worst - I know have numbness in the right side - the shot must have hit the sciatic nerve. Now I have numbness in both legs. I am taking tramado hcl 50mg and tizanidine hcl 4mg for the pain and muscle spasms. I have an ulcer and am limited on what I take. Trying to sleep at night is stressful, I wake up every 2 - 3 hours in extreme pain. I went through PT and that did not help - i was in more pain after wards.
I would like to hear from someone who has similar problems and what they have done.
I would like to hear from someone who has similar problems and what they have done.
I am so glad they are giving you enough medication to control your pain. What a relief for you. And your Mother doesn't understand, who can blame her. One of my brothers doesn't understand either. They are uneducated in pain and have never had the pain that we are suffering. Your mother is looking at the big picture and is concerned that you will be addicted long after the pain is gone. What she fails to understand is the comsuming, life altering, I can't make it another night kind of pain that drives us to insanity if it is not controlled. She loves you and again just doesn't understand, who can unless they've danced the dance?? My brother calls me a druggie. It use to bother me now I just call him ignorant and let it go. The rest of my family, including my mother are very supportive so go figure.
Have you asked your mother to go with you when you see your PMP?? Maybe they can help her understand your condition. I imagine her doc is trying to please her because she is his patient and knows very little about your condition and possibly know little about pain management.
I know it will be difficult but try to sit down and talk to your mother about your pain. Bring her to this site and let her read some of the posts. I'm sure if your mother understood she wouold not want you to be in pain. And if after all that she still is against the pain medication than at least you have done all you can to reach her.
And I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh when you told me about your MRI and the earthquake. Of course I'm glad you weren't injured but it must have been a hoot after it was all over. What a great story!!!
I wish you the best with your pain and of course your mom. I hope things will work out for you. Take care of yourself and keep in touch. Tuck
Have you asked your mother to go with you when you see your PMP?? Maybe they can help her understand your condition. I imagine her doc is trying to please her because she is his patient and knows very little about your condition and possibly know little about pain management.
I know it will be difficult but try to sit down and talk to your mother about your pain. Bring her to this site and let her read some of the posts. I'm sure if your mother understood she wouold not want you to be in pain. And if after all that she still is against the pain medication than at least you have done all you can to reach her.
And I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh when you told me about your MRI and the earthquake. Of course I'm glad you weren't injured but it must have been a hoot after it was all over. What a great story!!!
I wish you the best with your pain and of course your mom. I hope things will work out for you. Take care of yourself and keep in touch. Tuck
I just wanted to add that my spine doctor has been talking surgery for FOUR YEARS. I refused. The spine and discs take a LONG time to heal and/or retrain themselves after injury. Committing to my program has been the most difficult thing I have ever done... but I can snowboard again... cautiously ;-)
Hi Rocco,
I sympathize with your story 100%!! Actually you may as well been writing MY story for ME! I have 2 bulging discs in my lower back, nerve damage, sciatica, degenerative disc disease in my neck and nerve damage in my left arm. I have been on a battery of meds off and on for the past 5 years. I was on tons of meds for 4 1/2 years until I just got sick of being tired, in pain and going around in the same 6 month cycles. Without boring you with the details of what didnt work, I will tell you what finally DID work.
NINE MONTHS AGO: First and foremost I had to find the RIGHT PT and the right Chiro. Before you roll your eyes and groan.... hear me out.... I was completely freaked out to go to a chiro and refused to see one for years. I then met a friend that plays professional football. Considering I used to be very active like you (snowboarding, yoga, rock climbing) I figured this chiro was worth a try because he understands injuries, nerves and chronic conditions. Think how much nerve damage pro ball players inflict on themselves! I also asked for a PT recommendation for someone that works on PRO ATHLETES. I went to him and told him my story. that PT had made things much worse over the years and how scared i was. He did not have me do any twisting, stretching, heat, just very gentle exercises that i do myself. I stayed on this VERY gentle and VERY slow program for six months!
FIVE MONTHS AGO: I went snowboarding for the fist time in 4 years!!!
THREE MONTHS AGO: I was then released to a professional Pilates instructor and that is where i am now. My pain has been reduced 90% by SLOWLY getting my core and entire body strong so my muscles can support the discs better.
I am currently trying to detox off of the narcotics for the first time which is no picnic. I still take Lyrica for nerve pain which has been a lifesaver drug for me, and valium at night for spasms as needed. I guess I wanted to share my story with you because I really really believe that if you have the RIGHT team you can better yourself through exercise. I still see my pain management doc, chiro, PT and spine doctor on a regular basis and they all know each other now.
I literally cried the first time I got on my board and dropped into fresh powder for the fist time in 4 years. That was the best feeling I have had since this journey began 5 years ago.
I wish you all the best and I hope my story might help you see a light at the end of your tunnel.
I sympathize with your story 100%!! Actually you may as well been writing MY story for ME! I have 2 bulging discs in my lower back, nerve damage, sciatica, degenerative disc disease in my neck and nerve damage in my left arm. I have been on a battery of meds off and on for the past 5 years. I was on tons of meds for 4 1/2 years until I just got sick of being tired, in pain and going around in the same 6 month cycles. Without boring you with the details of what didnt work, I will tell you what finally DID work.
NINE MONTHS AGO: First and foremost I had to find the RIGHT PT and the right Chiro. Before you roll your eyes and groan.... hear me out.... I was completely freaked out to go to a chiro and refused to see one for years. I then met a friend that plays professional football. Considering I used to be very active like you (snowboarding, yoga, rock climbing) I figured this chiro was worth a try because he understands injuries, nerves and chronic conditions. Think how much nerve damage pro ball players inflict on themselves! I also asked for a PT recommendation for someone that works on PRO ATHLETES. I went to him and told him my story. that PT had made things much worse over the years and how scared i was. He did not have me do any twisting, stretching, heat, just very gentle exercises that i do myself. I stayed on this VERY gentle and VERY slow program for six months!
FIVE MONTHS AGO: I went snowboarding for the fist time in 4 years!!!
THREE MONTHS AGO: I was then released to a professional Pilates instructor and that is where i am now. My pain has been reduced 90% by SLOWLY getting my core and entire body strong so my muscles can support the discs better.
I am currently trying to detox off of the narcotics for the first time which is no picnic. I still take Lyrica for nerve pain which has been a lifesaver drug for me, and valium at night for spasms as needed. I guess I wanted to share my story with you because I really really believe that if you have the RIGHT team you can better yourself through exercise. I still see my pain management doc, chiro, PT and spine doctor on a regular basis and they all know each other now.
I literally cried the first time I got on my board and dropped into fresh powder for the fist time in 4 years. That was the best feeling I have had since this journey began 5 years ago.
I wish you all the best and I hope my story might help you see a light at the end of your tunnel.
Hey Tuck! Thank you so much for commenting. A few things have happened since I last posted. I went back to the Pain Mgmt people and told them that the Oxycontin 20mg and percocet 10/325 were not working. Out of character she seemed to be very concerned and wrote me for 180 pills of Diloted 8mg and doubled my Oxycontin dose to 40mg. She also wrote up a script for Trazodone which is supposed to help with the sleeping. I also understand that Trazodone is a pain reliever and helps with depression. In the few days that I have the new pills things seem to be going over wonderful. I'm getting enough sleep and am not waking up as much as I used to through out the night.
Yesterday I went and did the MRI for my neck. While I was in the machine the earthquake that many of you heard on the news that hit Southern California went off. Of course you could imagine being in an MRI machine while a 5.4 earthquake was going. The only way I knew that it was an earthquake was that the slab they put you on to roll you into the MRI was moving all sorts of ways. The other indication was the nurse who was frantic (she was new to california and never had been in an earthquake) pulled me out of the machine and forced me to stand in the door way until her boss told her everything was ok. Luckily I was just about done with the MRI when the 5.4 went off that I didn't have to do it again.
On a pissed off note, my mom wanted me to go see her regular doctor just to make sure everything is being done that should be done. My mom is also against all of the narcotics that I need to be taking and told Dr. Singh about it before the appointment. Anyways, the short story is that the Doc flat out said that I was a "druggy" because I take the oxy and diloted. She tells me that if it were up to her that she doesn't believe in this type of medication and that I wouldn't be on it. Here's where I get mad.
I didn't ask for my back to hurt, and right now the narcotics is the only thing that keeps the pain at bay. I know these drugs are temporary until we find out what is going on with my back and an appropriate treatment is found. MEANWHILE, don't try to change the only type of medication that actually works. I know they're all worried about addiction and dependency and rightfully so. Of course my body is dependent of opioids since I've been taking them non-stop for over a year now. I will gladly do some sort of winging off type of deal when everything is for certain. Until then just leave the drugs that I'm taking to my own responsibility which is exactly how I take the medication: AS DIRECTED.
I really didn't mean to write so much...really I didn't. Any who, thank you so much for spending the time reading this and please if you have any idea about what might be wrong with my back please just post a reply. I check these regularly.
Cheers,
Rocco
Yesterday I went and did the MRI for my neck. While I was in the machine the earthquake that many of you heard on the news that hit Southern California went off. Of course you could imagine being in an MRI machine while a 5.4 earthquake was going. The only way I knew that it was an earthquake was that the slab they put you on to roll you into the MRI was moving all sorts of ways. The other indication was the nurse who was frantic (she was new to california and never had been in an earthquake) pulled me out of the machine and forced me to stand in the door way until her boss told her everything was ok. Luckily I was just about done with the MRI when the 5.4 went off that I didn't have to do it again.
On a pissed off note, my mom wanted me to go see her regular doctor just to make sure everything is being done that should be done. My mom is also against all of the narcotics that I need to be taking and told Dr. Singh about it before the appointment. Anyways, the short story is that the Doc flat out said that I was a "druggy" because I take the oxy and diloted. She tells me that if it were up to her that she doesn't believe in this type of medication and that I wouldn't be on it. Here's where I get mad.
I didn't ask for my back to hurt, and right now the narcotics is the only thing that keeps the pain at bay. I know these drugs are temporary until we find out what is going on with my back and an appropriate treatment is found. MEANWHILE, don't try to change the only type of medication that actually works. I know they're all worried about addiction and dependency and rightfully so. Of course my body is dependent of opioids since I've been taking them non-stop for over a year now. I will gladly do some sort of winging off type of deal when everything is for certain. Until then just leave the drugs that I'm taking to my own responsibility which is exactly how I take the medication: AS DIRECTED.
I really didn't mean to write so much...really I didn't. Any who, thank you so much for spending the time reading this and please if you have any idea about what might be wrong with my back please just post a reply. I check these regularly.
Cheers,
Rocco
Nerve pain is very difficult to treat successfully. I am so sorry for you as you are so young. There are many drugs out there that may help you. They just need to find the right combination that works for you. There are drugs that specifically are for nerve pain such as nurotin (I know that is spelled wrong) but others will know what I am talking about and will comment. I wish you the best, take care and keep us posted. Tuck
Hi Everyone! After a year of having major chronic back pain with no diagnosis I'm finding that my symptoms are not only controlling my physical life but are now starting to effect my emotional part too. I hope by sharing my story it can not only make me feel better by talking about it, but maybe someone out there might know exactly what is wrong with me (stranger things have happened)
Here's my story:
I'm 24, white male 5'10 185 lbs who used to be very active (snowboarding, rock climbing, etc.). Right after I graduated college (class of 2007) I noticed that I had a form of discomfort in my lower back, right above my hips. There was no certain incident that happened that caused this type of pain. The discomfort was painful but there was another type of sensation along with it, kind of like a shocking/tickling feeling that was very annoying. Month after month the pain and sensation would get worse. Along with this lateral pain along my hips there would be that sensation vertically up my lumbar muscles all the way up to my shoulder blades. Also, my left leg and foot would be numb 95% of the day. My leg would become more numb whenever I sat for long periods of time (especially on the toilet) and whenever I laid down to sleep. My doctor would prescribe me an array of pills, mostly muscle relaxers and pain killers. Opiods such as vicodin, norco, and percocet were the only prescriptions that actually helped during the day and let me sleep at night.
During the past year x-rays, full university blood tests, MRI of my lower back were done and NOTHING came up. Finally my doctor referred me to a Pain Management clinic who have tried to reduce my pain but are only doing a mediocre job. Along with the pain that would radiate from my lower back into my buttocks and up my lumbar muscles I had a new problem. When I would lay down my arms would become very cold and the nerves from my elbow to my pinky and ring finger would become numb. This would happen in both arms and the only way to stop it is for me to lay flat on my back with my arms at my side.
A month ago a neurologist performed an EMG to see if I had any nerve complications that would cause the pain or numbness I've been feeling. After the test (which is horrible and I do not with it upon anyone) the doctor told me that he found "CHRONIC NERVE DAMAGE IN MY L5". I was so happy that finally they found something that I forgot to ask more about it before he shuffled me out of the office and called in his next patient.
My Pain Mgmt. Doc now ordered a MRI that is supposed to be done on my upper back/neck and another EMG on my upper back as well. My MRI is tomorrow (THANK GOD) but the EMG won't be for another month! I am only 24 and I had to quit my job in Las Vegas to move back home to Southern California because I couldn't handle standing for 7 hours a day.
I am currently taking Oxycontin 20mg 3x daily, Percocet 10/325 4x daily, ibuprofen 800mg 2x a day, and a muscle relaxer that is a joke. Even with this amount of narcotic fire power I am still having endless pain (5 to 8 pain level) more numbness in my left leg and foot, and numbness in both of my arms when I try to lay down. Also, in the past week I've been waking up 4-6 times a night to go to the restroom. I haven't changed how much water I drink so that is very odd also. I've been on narcotics for over a year now and besides my body being dependent on them, I think my body is becoming immune to the dosage causing the pain to occur even when I'm taking the drugs like I'm supposed to. I'm not 80 years old where I can be taking these sorts of narcotics until I die and I miss going outside and doing extreme activities.
I think I'm going to try and schedule an appointment with the PM and see if there's anything else that can be done besides upping my dosage (which I really don't want to happen). It's very depressing that I'm only 24 and with out my medication I'm in such pain that I can't even sit down to relax, let alone sleep.
Thank you so much for reading this. Like I said it makes me feel better knowing that there's others out there that share in my frustration and pain that these doctors can't find a cure and make it damn near impossible to get the kinds of pain killers that you really need to be pain free. Please, if you have any idea what might be wrong with me please reply to this message or e-mail me at ***@****
Here's my story:
I'm 24, white male 5'10 185 lbs who used to be very active (snowboarding, rock climbing, etc.). Right after I graduated college (class of 2007) I noticed that I had a form of discomfort in my lower back, right above my hips. There was no certain incident that happened that caused this type of pain. The discomfort was painful but there was another type of sensation along with it, kind of like a shocking/tickling feeling that was very annoying. Month after month the pain and sensation would get worse. Along with this lateral pain along my hips there would be that sensation vertically up my lumbar muscles all the way up to my shoulder blades. Also, my left leg and foot would be numb 95% of the day. My leg would become more numb whenever I sat for long periods of time (especially on the toilet) and whenever I laid down to sleep. My doctor would prescribe me an array of pills, mostly muscle relaxers and pain killers. Opiods such as vicodin, norco, and percocet were the only prescriptions that actually helped during the day and let me sleep at night.
During the past year x-rays, full university blood tests, MRI of my lower back were done and NOTHING came up. Finally my doctor referred me to a Pain Management clinic who have tried to reduce my pain but are only doing a mediocre job. Along with the pain that would radiate from my lower back into my buttocks and up my lumbar muscles I had a new problem. When I would lay down my arms would become very cold and the nerves from my elbow to my pinky and ring finger would become numb. This would happen in both arms and the only way to stop it is for me to lay flat on my back with my arms at my side.
A month ago a neurologist performed an EMG to see if I had any nerve complications that would cause the pain or numbness I've been feeling. After the test (which is horrible and I do not with it upon anyone) the doctor told me that he found "CHRONIC NERVE DAMAGE IN MY L5". I was so happy that finally they found something that I forgot to ask more about it before he shuffled me out of the office and called in his next patient.
My Pain Mgmt. Doc now ordered a MRI that is supposed to be done on my upper back/neck and another EMG on my upper back as well. My MRI is tomorrow (THANK GOD) but the EMG won't be for another month! I am only 24 and I had to quit my job in Las Vegas to move back home to Southern California because I couldn't handle standing for 7 hours a day.
I am currently taking Oxycontin 20mg 3x daily, Percocet 10/325 4x daily, ibuprofen 800mg 2x a day, and a muscle relaxer that is a joke. Even with this amount of narcotic fire power I am still having endless pain (5 to 8 pain level) more numbness in my left leg and foot, and numbness in both of my arms when I try to lay down. Also, in the past week I've been waking up 4-6 times a night to go to the restroom. I haven't changed how much water I drink so that is very odd also. I've been on narcotics for over a year now and besides my body being dependent on them, I think my body is becoming immune to the dosage causing the pain to occur even when I'm taking the drugs like I'm supposed to. I'm not 80 years old where I can be taking these sorts of narcotics until I die and I miss going outside and doing extreme activities.
I think I'm going to try and schedule an appointment with the PM and see if there's anything else that can be done besides upping my dosage (which I really don't want to happen). It's very depressing that I'm only 24 and with out my medication I'm in such pain that I can't even sit down to relax, let alone sleep.
Thank you so much for reading this. Like I said it makes me feel better knowing that there's others out there that share in my frustration and pain that these doctors can't find a cure and make it damn near impossible to get the kinds of pain killers that you really need to be pain free. Please, if you have any idea what might be wrong with me please reply to this message or e-mail me at ***@****
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