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Severe Back Pain


marshallgurl

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I feel as if all I have been doing lately is coming here to complain, but it seems as if nothing good stays good for long. I get over one ailment to just end up with another one.

Right now what is really bothering me has been going on for over a week 24/7, I have low back problems from a broken tailbone a few years ago and was in physical therapy in 2001 for what I was told was my sciatic nerve being pinched. Well, the pain is in my r/h low back and radiates down my right leg, it also hurts on the inside of my leg, in the groin area. The majority of the pain is steady but I have sharp stabbing pains also and my right foot has been numb and tingly. I can't get in to see my doctor until Monday but it hurts so bad if I move a certain way I end up in tears.

I'm not really looking for medical advice here, just that this is the only place I know to go where people will at least read about other peoples problems, and maybe someone that has/or has had similar problems might read this and be able to give me some advice.

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there is a cream that has helped my mom who has bad sciatica pain down her leg, its called sciatica cream and you can order it from Walter Drake catalog or on their website, at least no side effects and it could only help, hope you get some relief soon,

Radha

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Oh boy.... I did not break my tailbone... but I bent it back in '95 in a skating accident and I won't tell you how it got fixed but it involved the doctor telling me to "drop 'um and bend over the table..." then all of a sudden he was able to lift my heels off the floor with just one finger... OUCHHHH HA! (I hate skating too... but I was with my 6th graders at the time for an end of year party... well they talked me into getting out there and I didn't make it around 1 time before I fell square on my, as Forrest Gump would say, "buttocks."). About 10 years later, after years of a combination of adjustments, physical therapy, injection therapy and lots of drugs... I finally had surgery to fuse my L5-S1 level. I had the same kind of problems you had before... lots of pain and numbness in my left leg and foot. I had "drop foot" where my left foot wouldn't keep up with my walking and dragged behind. My surgery was a success and I have had little problem since!!

I would suggest decompression therapy first. I hear that is a great alternative to surgery. Unfortunately, my spine was totally seperated at that level and needed to be fused. Injection therapy was by far the least effective at least for me.

Hang in there... the sun will actually rise tomorrow!! Joe

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There aren't many places on my back that don't hurt... but I can share with you some of the things that help.

1) ice, not heat

2) otc treatments such as capsacin gel, among others

3) anti inflamatory medication as you can tolerate it

4) careful, but regular exercise to strengthen your entire core

5) seeing my neuro and pain management doc for other things that have helped me--neurontin (an rx), pain medication, shots into the disc spaces, etc.

as a last resort, I needed surgery for my c-spine...I may, someday, need surgery again for other parts of my spine, but only if I cannot get any relief any other way.

Nina

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice. I saw my PCM yesterday (Monday) and he wants me to have an MRI done, cause for some reason I have managed to make it from getting hurt in 2001 until now without having one done. He put me on Ultram and Flexeril and so far I am tolerating them well, I was a little worried about the Ultram at first because it is new to me. But hopefully the MRI won't take too long to get scheduled, but since it is going to be done by an outside facility, there is nothing I can do but wait for them to call. We are leaning towards Sciatica because we know I pinched my sciatic nerve, but in my doctor's words "let's just hope that it isn't as bad as I think it is", but he doesn't want to worry me by speculating as to how "bad" he thinks it is. So for now I will take the meds and get a little relief, he put me on the muscle relaxer because I have been taking about 1600mg of Motrin a day for the last couple of years, and he wanted to get me off of that for a while. So thanks everyone and I will keep you all posted as news comes in.

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oh man, flexeril is my savior some days... as is an rx creme that I have which contains voltaren (also available orally, but I can't tolerate it or other anti inflamatories).

Nina

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took me a few days to finally remember the name of the otc rollon that really helped me--it's called biofreeze and at times, made it easier for me to function. I think it was Michel Koven who told me about it? Anyway, I still use it.

Nina

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Well, I have an MRI scheduled for this Monday, April 14. And I have a bottle of Biofreeze - my cousin is a chiropractor and he gave it to me - and I am like Nina, I can't take anti-inflammatories much anymore, I have been on them for years and they pretty much don't work. The Biofreeze doesn't seem to help where I have been using it, it helps on my neck but not around my sciatic area, but the Tramadol and Flexeril help enough so that I can get comfy and get some sleep.

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If you have a doctor willing work with a compounding pharmacy, you might get some additional relief from an NSAID in cream format. I also have ibuprofen in a cream, which is over the counter.

Glad you're getting some sleep with your current medication regimen. I had to stop taking flexeril as often as I actually need it b/c it makes me a bit groggy in the morning.

Nina

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