bulging disc

[boots1963]

So I told My doc my pain was worse since I started Physical therapy and he said he would not up my pain meds. I said that is ok but this therapy is making me feel worse not better. I was in a MV several years back and broke my back in several places,,,bot legs and arms and other issues...
I said OK but its not helping and I feel somthing else is wrong. Long story short I am in therapy then I can not move. I think they thought I was making this up. So they helped me and took me to the ER which was in the same building.So MRI....long story short I have a bulging disc not.
i guess I have no question...I am just upset that they did not HEAR me when I said somthing is wrong...I am hurting myself more.
Like that thought I was making this up! I am just venting!

[Totie]

My husband has a bulging disk as well & has for the last 20yrs. He is 41 now. He is literally crawling on hands and knees when it goes out. I do a deep heating massage in the area, but he does his morning back stretches EVERY MORNING before getting out of bed. If he stops doing those (like he did)his back just goes out again. He knows the morning stretches or at least when he wakes up he HAS to do his back stretches he was taught at the PT sessions. He only went to 2. He also has a thing that has him hang upside down to stretch the area. He refuses to miss work & can not take any type of RX medication. He will take Doan's and advil if he needs to. But a lot of guys in his line of work have bulging disks, some have had sucess in surgery, while other have not.

[boots1963]

Hi,
Thank you all for being very suportive! My Doctor did up my pain meds a put me on a muscle relaxor also. I am going to go he a another doctor for the disc and they got me in at the Mayo Clinic. The appt is not for another 2 weeks, So I am waiting in pain. My main Doc is trying to keep me comfortable. I just wish I dint have to work. Since my divorce I am the one who has to supoort myself. I have no choice but to crawl to work. I have taken off the next two week using my paid vac time ..I need to keep my health insurnace!!
Thanks for all the support...it helps to talk with people who understand my pain! Most people think I am fine because I look OK!!!

[mkh9]

I'm sorry you had this happen too. I just wrong a long venting letter and it somehow got deleted. I'll just say that I started out with a back strain (normal MRI and Normal bone scan) and Two PT's injured me and two years later I now have chronic myofascial pain with a lot of atrophy. I can't seem to get out of this. Thanks to the PT's for injuring me (one by doing the wrong leg) and both insisting on doing procedures I didn't want and they also disregarded my doctors orders and also told me to stop taking my muscle relaxant. The doc was mad when he found out but he still apologized for insisting I see "the man" At least my doc apologized. That is rare. The doctor (GP) was wrong about his diagnosis and ortho surgeon and others were right. But now I can't even lift a bowl of soup into the microwave without a strain.  I started out as a very athletic person. Hard to get back to "normal." There needs to be more standardization and regulation with PT's. They do their own diagnosis and disregard doctors diagnosis when they have no business doing that.  Oh well, hope you recover soon.
mkh9

[namnam46]

Hi boots1963,

I haven't had a chance to Welcome you yet to the PM Forum so I'd like to take the opportunity to do that now.  :)  We're very glad that you have joined us here and will be so happy to have your expertise on here.

I'm sorry that you are having to go through this.  This type of thing happens more often than you might think, as Sissie mentioned above.  So often the Therapist won't listen to you and then when the Doctor won't listen either it can really cause a huge problem and a lot of additional pain for you!!

As you know, you have to be your own advocate as know one else will be there for us.  I'm curious now, what did your Doctor do to help you with this additional pain from the bulging disc? I hope that he has, if nothing else, adjusted your pain meds in some way, to account for this increased pain that your disc is causing you.  Believe me, I know what the bulging discs can do, as  I have 2 in the cervical (neck) and three in the Thoracic (middle back), one of which is severe.  I have had the RFA (Radiofrequency Ablation) for my DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease) in my Lumbar region. That procedure was a complete success and has lasted more than a year.

Is your Doctor recommending that you try having an epidural for the disc?  You will find that you will get mixed results from people on here.  I've had the epidurals in both the cervical and the thoracic parts of the spine.  I only had a minimal amount of relief from them, so I won't be trying them again.  Others have had a longer lasting result from them.

When I saw that you are in WI, I was going to be sure that you knew that Tuck (one of our CL's on our PM Forum) is also from there as well as the fact that she was involved in an MVA also.  However, I see form your Notes that she has already contacted you to let you know that your not the only Wisconsinite on here.  :)

Again, I'm really happy that you have joined our Forum and I hope that you will continue to be an active member on here.

I'll be looking for your updates and hope that you are able to get the additional help that you deserve!!!............Sherry  :)

[bigsissie]

Learn to listen to yourself. Demand they do testing. I was in pt and it got so bad that I could not walk. When I told pt what was going on I was informed they knew what they were doing. My neuro. said I would never be able to push a vacumme lift more than 15 pounds ect. When I had them walk through on my exercises I found out they had me (sitting with straps over my shoulder) and bending over while holding straps lifting 40 pounds! No wonder I couldn't walk when I pointed that out to my pt she said they were doing exactly what they were told. I told her to kiss my back side and did not go back. When I finally got back to the doctor he couldn't believe what they had me doing and said it was a good thing I stopped. Always Always listen to your body. They may be trained but they are not the ones who suffer when something goes wrong. Good luck in the future. It is not easy when they treat you like you are a pill addicted idiot.

Sissie