back problems

[t316]

Slipped disk here also. Had surgery 7-8 yrs ago. The pain had gotten unbearable and the bulge had chipped a fragment of bone off and left it pressing aqainst the nerve which ran down my right leg. Left now with only a 4" scar (lower back) and occaisional pain if I sit for too long, or do something stupid.

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
http:///forum/post/2559552
anything really I went to the doc today and he said I more than likely had a slipped and ruptured disk in my back put me on several meds for a month before I go back so. my back was so spasmed and swollen he couldnt tell he put me on
cyclobenzapr
prednisone
meloxicam
and hydroco/apsp10 which is htdrocodone and acetaminophen
just wandering what other people experience with this type of injury or condition so I know what to expect and what treatments are availble. I hate being in the dark till it hits me in the face and a big surprise. you know what I mean LOL
Mike
Mike....You are on a wonderful drug mixture. Three antiinflammatories (Pred, Meloxicam and 'tylenol') and two sedatives/pain 'killers...'benzapar' and hydrocodone. IMHO, the one with the most side effects is the hydrocodone. In some people it will cause you to miss REM sleep and give you interesting dreams.
posters are correct that if this persists an MRI is the way to go. It is not unusual for a GP doc to go with conservative first, especially dependent on your insurance, then he/she can order an MRI on the recheck exam if you are not feeling better and he/she will not have trouble getting your insurance to approve it. While I would not jump into surgery, the techniques are far less invasive than even 4-5 years ago.
Hope you feel better soon.

 

[crashbandicoot]

I almost have a scar left, it is all but gone . It was made right in the crease on the left side of my neck . I was very worried it would make me look like frankenstien . But alas no such luck .I will see if I can get a good picture of it . I too had a bone chip that was causing the nerve to be pinched . The bad part of it was that for 6 months I went thru PT 2x a week and saw the chiropractor 3 times a week .I kept telling the chiropractor it wasn't really helping long term and he kept telling me it would get better . Finally we talked to a lawyer and he sent me to get an Xray and then to get an MRI and Then a scan where they bolted me into a halo and injected dye into the disk spaces to see how many where going to have to be removed . Lucky meonly one was removed .
Things have changed a lot over the years . I was up and moving around the next day with nothing more than a soft colar brace . I ended up with 1 plate and 4 screws and a piece of a dead persons hip bone .

 

[t316]

Originally Posted by Crashbandicoot
http:///forum/post/2559950
I almost have a scar left, it is all but gone . It was made right in the crease on the left side of my neck . I was very worried it would make me look like frankenstien . But alas no such luck .I will see if I can get a good picture of it . I too had a bone chip that was causing the nerve to be pinched . The bad part of it was that for 6 months I went thru PT 2x a week and saw the chiropractor 3 times a week .I kept telling the chiropractor it wasn't really helping long term and he kept telling me it would get better . Finally we talked to a lawyer and he sent me to get an Xray and then to get an MRI and Then a scan where they bolted me into a halo and injected dye into the disk spaces to see how many where going to have to be removed . Lucky meonly one was removed .
Things have changed a lot over the years . I was up and moving around the next day with nothing more than a soft colar brace . I ended up with 1 plate and 4 screws and a piece of a dead persons hip bone .

I went thru that pt therapy crap, and chiropracor too. I never, ever, saw any improvement (except my wallet was getting lighter and lighter). I'm sure it works for some, but no positive testimony here. I also did the cortizone epidural shots about 4 years ago (several years after the surgury) due to a flare up. It took a couple of visits/shots, but it calmed it down and did the job. I still keep a bottle of Oxycodone (man that's good stuff) around for those rare occassions I do something stupid, like lift a 280g. glass tank.

 

[aninafish]

My husband has 2 slipped disks and bad arthritis in his back from an injury as a kid. He is a mechanic so it is usually giving him major problems. We looked into the surgery but due to his age at the time the doc decided it was not worth the risk. He went to a chiropractor 3 times a week for almost a year and was being doused with pain killers. He hated it. I tried getting him into yoga but he said "men don't yoga" Once he decided to stop the pain killers and started just taking generic naproxin sodium he actually got a little better. They told him they will look into surgery when he is closer to retirement age.
On a side note my great uncle did have the surgery and never walked again. He was 68 at the time though.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2560060

I went thru that pt therapy crap, and chiropracor too. I never, ever, saw any improvement (except my wallet was getting lighter and lighter). I'm sure it works for some, but no positive testimony here. I also did the cortizone epidural shots about 4 years ago (several years after the surgury) due to a flare up. It took a couple of visits/shots, but it calmed it down and did the job. I still keep a bottle of Oxycodone (man that's good stuff) around for those rare occassions I do something stupid, like lift a 280g. glass tank.

The physical therapy after the surgery was awesome . the crap before was a joke . The Dr sent me to a new therapist . She said "before we can help your neck we have to help what holds your neck . She started at my knee and made me work everything from there up .

 

[nyyankeees]

Just becareful taking pain killers especially if it's for an extended period of time, they are highly addictive. Everyone thinks oh, it won't happen to me but it does. My 23 yr. old cousin has a bone disorder which causes her chronic back pain and got addicted to them. Within a year she had lost her, job, her kids, and went to jail for writing fake perscriptions trying to get more, she was up to taking 15/day. She was a "normal" person with no criminal record or other addictions, she didn't even drink or smoke cigarettes. So just be careful.

 

[michaeltx]

Originally Posted by Crashbandicoot
http:///forum/post/2559639
I had a ruptured disk in my neck . Talk about nasty . Did the doctor offer you any ideas about how to use the combnation of heat and cold to help with swelling ? What it the area affected I am guessing lumbar region ? Basically just use heat off and on to help reduce the inflamation and try not to cause it anymore irritation . More than likely if it doesn't improve they will sugest cortizone shots to see if it offers relief . If it offers relief you home free , But the down side is it can cause you more pain if you have a ruptured disk . This is due to the fact that additional fluid placed in the area puts more presure on the spinal colum . That is when they will talk about opperations . I know your in value you of never having been cut open but the reliefe you get after surgery is amazing . I was in constant pain and I was even begining to loose sensation in my fingers and legs . After the procedure I was imediatly pain free . (well close I was a little sore from surgerybut that was over after a few days.) And with in 6 months I was strong and more mobile than I had been in years . Honestly with modern technolegy you'll be fine by time its over .
one of the reasons he is putting off MRI and giving the meds time to work is that I dont have insurance and am drawing unemployment right now. plus the swelling and pain was so bad there was no laying down for anything it put me into tears at times at the office so he was wanting to get the edge off and see if it was just bad spasms or nerve damage in the main nerve trunk. thats his main concern really.
Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/2559670
Without an MRI, the doctor is really just guessing at this point. Slipped disk is when the soft tissue between the vertebrate slips out and is pressured between the vertebrae. It will rupture if the pressure is so great in that slipped area, that the soft tissue busts out.
Did you hurt yourself?
no not that I know of recently anyway. I have had back problems for several years but IBprofin would knock it down enough to get through it but in the last few months nothing has helped. even with the combo of drugs he has given me took the main edge off enough to get some sleep but the pain I would say is still on a 4-5 with times of 8-10 in the a pain scale of 1-10worst but it was enough of the edge off to sleep anyway.
I have been have the left leg and arm, groin area and neck all going to sleep while doing anything. so the concern is a nerve trunk damage in the bottom of the spine. He thinks its probably a slipped or ruptured disk. so I guess its a process of elemination and will know more at the next appointment of it continues then I have to call and make a new appointment before may8th.
I also did find out that I have lympocicsts (?) which are fatty tumors on my spine and arms and neck so that may have something to do with the meds. he wants me to go to an ortho doc for those but without insurance thats a bit hard to do. I feel like an really old man with all this going on though LOL and I am only 32.
I do have heating and cold packs but neither of them are helping do anything I really dont feel either of them when they are applied.
O he did say if it turns out to be the nerve trunk that there isnt anything that can be done about it other than managing the symptoms. so I dont know for sure I am hopeing thats not what it was.
sorry I left so much out last night but I was pretty out of it at times.
Mike

 

[kerriann]

i teach a Pilates class on Tues/Thurs and I have a lot of guys in there who take it because they hurt their backs/necks/etc and are looking for ways to relieve the pain. a few of them have come up to me and told me that they couldn't get the pain to stop until they started doing Pilates so perhaps you might want to look into a Pilates DVD - should at least help with the back and keep the rest of you in shape as well!

 

[michaeltx]

until it gets to feel better than what it is now there is no way I go do anything like pilates its something to look at once the pain eases up though. Thanks.
Mike

 

[crashbandicoot]

At this point I would deffinatly NOT try to do pilates . That is awesome as a PT but right now you don't want to do anymore damage to it .

 

[spiderwoman]

I completely agree with you guys. Until you've known the pain, there is no way on earth I'd try pilates or yoga or anything like that. You have to listen to your body and stretch on your own pace.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2560647
I completely agree with you guys. Until you've known the pain, there is no way on earth I'd try pilates or yoga or anything like that. You have to listen to your body and stretch on your own pace.

True enough . A few years ago I worried about being able to walk . Now I do private security and I am looking into getting back in to MMA so there is deffinatly hope for you mike . Just do what the doctor says and don't push too hard .

 

[michaeltx]

I couldnt push to hard if I wanted to LOL
I was in such pain yesterday my bloodpressure was up it was 184/94
the clinic I went to has a policy not to prescribe pain killers to new patients because of abuse in this area and people going in saying they are in pain just to get the pain killers.but in my case you see what he prescribed. I figured a shot or something when I first went in but to my amazement he prescibed a narcotic pain killer.
Mike

 

[mgatdog]

. My orthopedic doctor told me that 95% of cases get well better with rest, 2.5% get well when you tell them about the operation (he laughed at that point) and the last 2.5% will require surgery.
Not always true.I've been to 4 doctors in Pa ,5 in WV and 1 from NY they all won't touch me and you can say I've been resting for 13yrs and still have problems.

When they say you have a 50/50 chance to be in a wheel chair.You live with the pain.

 

[michaeltx]

now see thats what bothers me about surgery if it gets to that point. which I am really hopeing it doesnt
Mike

 

[kerriann]

obviously, should've mentioned that first...pilates is more of a routine pain minimizer after the problem has been assessed as much as possible

 

[michaeltx]

o yeah I understood what you were talking about. I would never start something with out knowing what the problem was to start with.
Mike

 

[mgatdog]

Just don't listen to what 1 doc has to say .Check out a couple of good ones . Don't want to blow smoke up your -ss ,just cause it works for one person doesn't mean it's best for you.Next thing someone will tell you see a chiropractic !!!!!.

 

[michaeltx]

been there done that one. the lympcysts where there than and he told me to get a big book and have someone hit them and they will go away. the only that went away was me LOL
Mike