Bulging Disc L5 / S1 - referred Leg Pain. Sciatic nerve pressure.

[Benny87]

I have extreme referred leg Pain - caused by assumed sciatic nerve pressure from bulge from diagnosed minor Bulging L5 / S1 disc. Signs of canal stynosis - as I have pins and needles in my left foot and calf muscle consistantly. I get severe Glutenal cramping from walking so awkwardly to lessen the impact as sitting and walking seems to aggravate sciatic nerve due to added pressure on the disc. Lying down relieves leg pain. Acupuncture and physio can not relieve my pain more than temporaraly. Physio has given me exercises and also tape strapping to keep me standing straight, not crouching. I have had a few spine stretching treatments with a machine - pulling lower back down whilst strapped to a table. Dry needling, Hydro therapy, Massage and looking at remedial massage currently. You name it - I feel like I've done it. I've got no known allergies to any other medications or supplements ever prescribed or suggested.
I took magnesium yesterday as suggested for muscle cramping. This only caused me a massive headache, dizzyness, extreme stomach cramps that then turned to nausea and vomiting. I guess magnesium just didn't agree with me.
Due to having a bulging disc, all the doctors I go to seem to laugh when I say i'll do anything to take the pain away. They tell me to learn to live with it and write me another script for one of many pain killers Endep 25, Indocid 100mg, Tramadol 100mg, valpam 5mg... nothing is effective any more and I can't help but feel so depressed that after 4 months of dealing with this excrusiating pain at 20 years old - the rest of my life is going to be unbearable.
I keep getting told by practically everybody that surgery is not the answer. The hospital has put me on a waiting list for a consultation with an orthapedic surgeon and after all the attempts in the worlds to get an earlier appointment I've only got to wait another month - but after that there will be many more waiting lists to look forward to, who knows... what surgery is considered in these cases.
Can you suggest anything that will take my pain away? I don't want to be addicted to pain killers and I'm scared it's getting worse not better, or even bearable.

[JosephWeyers]

It is really painful.It affects all our movement and body parts.

palm beach painting

[ziggy235]

hello I have a small annular tear and bulge L5-S1 and it is painful, the doctors had me in more stress then I ever have been in my life. Ive lost alot of weight been on diffrent  pain meds. Not one of family practice doctor gave me a diagnose until after my MRI. I use to take Gabipentin 600 morning and night,I felt like a dry drunk and I dont drink. I was on it for a year was not helping, so wanted off meds, took me a month to ween off and the symtoms was horrible.  Yet to this day I see a chiropractor be a year soon, it stopped the stabbing right leg pain I use to get, but still suffer in pain day in day out.  So I stay close to my home standing, sitting, walking affects it, so I alternate.
Good luck on your condition.

[ziggy235]

Hello I have the same diagnose, I also have a small annular tear. Yes it is painfull. I have been on gabipenton for a year and have been seeing a chiropractor Dec, be a year. Iam now off all meds. I do daily exercise morning and night. Lifting things, bending over, walking to far, sitting to long affects it. So I alternate.
Wishing you the best on your condition.

[bambi001]

I have had severe back and leg pain for years, started with back pain then left leg shooting, stinging pain and now has started in the right leg with days of hamstring and hip cramping along with the pins and needles feeling. Mri done last year showed disc herniation at L4-5 and S1 pressing on nerve. I have found no relief and now I wonder if it's gotten worse since it has started to effect my right side.
I am on muscle relaxers, hydrocodone 10/500, gabapentin, aleve, xanax, plus about 15 other med's for other reasons.
I can not take it anymore, I had the injection and it did not help at all.
Now I have no insurance and I don't know how much longer I can take it.

[GaruKaba]

I've had siatica, leg pains, muscle cramping, etc. off and on for the last year, sometimes lasting months. I couldn't drive for more than 10 minutes because I couldn't sit down. I went to the doctor last week, got an MRI last Wednesday. This past Tuesday I got the MRI results, (herniated disc L5 S1 and was given the options of slow non-surgical healing (weeks, months or more) or surgery. I opted for micro discectomy surgery, they set it up for  Friday (yesterday). The pain is gone. It was done as an outpatient procedure. I was in at 6:30 AM  surgery was at 7:30 and I was sitting at Chick-fil-A for lunch at 2:00 PM (groggy yes, horrible pain, NO. I do feel a bit beat up today (Saturday) the body still has to recover, they said I will be back to normal in 5 to 7 days. That's nothing compared to the last year of pain.
My Advice. Don't suffer, get the MRI, find out your options, pick the best one and go for it. Putting up with pain is a waste of life.
My plan is to lose weight, beef up my abs and treat my back with respect.

For you Christians out there. I prayed for guidance though the entire process and thanked the Lord for his guidance and grace. It's always best to talk to the one that made you. He won''t steer you wrong.

Best wishes to all who are suffering. Take action, it's worth it.

[casbo]

I had 2 disc L5 &L4 driving me insane for about 2 years.  So I finally had the operation discectomy, it took about 6 months to get my strength back but the pain relief was almost instant, that was 2005,
I then had a car accident in 2010 and have been going crazy with back pain, I have just found I have a disc injury again so I will be asking for the operation again, it works go for it.  Good luck