Back issues anyone?

[Alphatreedog]

Man , back issues are no effin joke . I herniated L5 S1 pushing a patrol car and long story short lost a job as a Police Officer due to it . I have an additional two cervical and two thoracic herniations from car accidents .
With the lower back I had sciatica so bad that I would take one of those heat pads filled with ceramic beads , cook it in the microwave so it would burn me . I needed the burn to distract me from the sciatica so I could drive home ate the end of the day . Sure as shit I drove home in tears everyday .
There are miracles . I found an aggressive form of traction called Vax D .
That shit was a life saver . I went from cripple to good days and bad days with minimal sciatica . The next few years I incorporated an inversion chair/table and exercise targeted at the back .
I still have episodes like once every year or two when I start slackin on fitness . I would definitely say that due to the herniations I am generally in pain and ;
You develop a tolerance to it .
You can either hurt sittin on the sofa or hurt livin life .
I got my first herniation in '98 , after six years of kick boxing . In 2005 I started doing Jiu Jitsu then MMA for six years .
So what I'm trying to say is , hang in there . I have and I've seen people straighten this out or at least get to functional . The success numbers for back surgery sucked ass twenty three years ago . I hear people have success today . What ever course you take give your back time to heal .
Follow restrictions . Once you get on top of this stay in shape .
I'll pray you get this sorted out quick . You got this .

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

My issue isn't helped with any meds. I have 2 nerves that pass through the spinal cavity. For some reason, the nerves are being rubbed against the spine causing the pain. They tried Gabapentin for the nerves themselves and that's not working. So the only thing they can do for me is to go in and burn the nerves at the point that before they pass through the spine.

The procedure sucks, I'm wide awake, they put 4 probes in using some kind of real time ex-ray. Once they get into position, they burn the nerves. L3-L4 and L4-L5.

What did yer second, third, and fourth opinions say?

When we are talking about this kind of shit we need multiple options from folks who are not in the same System. My Wife had Rectal cancer. Every surgeon we consulted said "she's gonna wear a colostomy bag" and the last surgeon said "no she's not"....12 years later put she poops in the toilet and is thankful to not have a colostomy - same with this shit. Lots of opinions. Find a Surgeon that is Progressive. New techniques happen every day and the old tried-and-true guys will do what they have always done.

I have endured all these years because I want new stuff and new techniques. Not old shit so the surgeon gets rich off my surgery. I'm gonna live another 30 years +...I'm not settling for making the surgeon rich. I want new stuff that comes every day now. Ask. More. Questions.

VooDoo

 

[BullGear]

What did yer second, third, and fourth opinions say?

When we are talking about this kind of shit we need multiple options from folks who are not in the same System. My Wife had Rectal cancer. Every surgeon we consulted said "she's gonna wear a colostomy bag" and the last surgeon said "no she's not"....12 years later put she poops in the toilet and is thankful to not have a colostomy - same with this shit. Lots of opinions. Find a Surgeon that is Progressive. New techniques happen every day and the old tried-and-true guys will do what they have always done.

I have endured all these years because I want new stuff and new techniques. Not old shit so the surgeon gets rich off my surgery. I'm gonna live another 30 years +...I'm not settling for making the surgeon rich. I want new stuff that comes every day now. Ask. More. Questions.

VooDoo

Believe it or not, this was my 3rd opinion. The first doctor just sent me to physical therapy, which actually made it worse. The second doctor prescribe water therapy. Which didn't hurt my back any more, it also didn't help. He then put me in traction and that lasted all of about 40 seconds. I heard about my doctor through a friend on the peewee football team I coached. I walked in with all of the x rays, MRI and another 3 lbs of paperwork.

He did a few things, and by the end of the office visit, he had me scheduled for the rhizotomy. He warned me that it could take up to a week before the pain went away. He was dead on, 1 week later, the pain was completely gone. It takes about a year for the nerves to regenerate and I have to have the operation again.

 

[MK20]

I had chronic, severe back pain for 8 years from a training accident. I can tell you what worked for me.

1 Let it relax as much as possible. Even if you have to give up stuff it just needs rest for months

2 Look into cupping and dry needling. Those weird things really do work for medium duration pain relief.

3 There is this stuff called Relief Factor. It is all natural and targets inflammation at a cellular and systemic level without drugs. This is what healed my back.

4 Stretch. And not like some hippie on you tube says. Like 2-5 minute duration stretch holds.

Above all, dig for info. DON’T get the surgery. You don’t need it. It has gradually gotten worse over time. This shows that it was not due to damage from an injury even though that may have started it. You can reverse the trend if you figure out what your body needs.

 

[The D]

Start some light stretches, a tiny bit of resistance exercise, and stop eating the food pyramid. It starts and ends with your diet

Sorry to hear this, hopefully you find some relief

 

[S197]

Laid up right now with some serious back issues. Was fighting some sharp back pain over the last year or so, with it going into my leg(s). Took Motrin and water, kept on going.

Wife had me try some chiropractor; didn’t seem to help much. She finally got me to go to a doctor and they said I got herniated and bulging discs in the L4/5. Great.

Well, in the last 2 weeks, it’s now advanced to I’ll be perfectly fine one minute, to I’ll feel this sharp, sudden pain/pop, then intense pain, my leg goes out, and I fall to the ground convulsing in pain. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for it to go away/me contorting myself in a way that I can get back to my feet. It happened 3 times over the weekend and an ER trip to boot last night.

Im out of work now, they gave me a Px for some heavy narcotic pain pills (I’m not taking them), and I’m waiting for the spine specialists to call me in for an appt today or tomorrow.

Anyone else ever go through this? This sucks. Bad. Missing work, and not being able to do anything is pissing me off. That and the pain is making it 2x as bad. I’m hoping I don’t need surgery.

how is your fitness or activity?

I have four herniated dics two of them being the L4&L5. The absolute best thing to do is to start streching daily. If you have time on your hands start off with three ten minute session, or before you do any physical work.

 

[Dragonback13]

I have had the same problem as you for years. Find a really good competent chiropractor and get your core strength up. It takes a long time and lots of treatments to re-train the muscles and have them hold your back where it is supposed to be. Also buy a wobble chair and do daily exercises on it. Those things keep me functioning. I visit my chiropractor at least once a month whether my back is bothering me or not.

 

[AZ_Spot&Stalk]

Laid up right now with some serious back issues. Was fighting some sharp back pain over the last year or so, with it going into my leg(s). Took Motrin and water, kept on going.

Wife had me try some chiropractor; didn’t seem to help much. She finally got me to go to a doctor and they said I got herniated and bulging discs in the L4/5. Great.

Well, in the last 2 weeks, it’s now advanced to I’ll be perfectly fine one minute, to I’ll feel this sharp, sudden pain/pop, then intense pain, my leg goes out, and I fall to the ground convulsing in pain. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for it to go away/me contorting myself in a way that I can get back to my feet. It happened 3 times over the weekend and an ER trip to boot last night.

Im out of work now, they gave me a Px for some heavy narcotic pain pills (I’m not taking them), and I’m waiting for the spine specialists to call me in for an appt today or tomorrow.

Anyone else ever go through this? This sucks. Bad. Missing work, and not being able to do anything is pissing me off. That and the pain is making it 2x as bad. I’m hoping I don’t need surgery.

Wife has back problems. Worst thing ever for me to watch her deal with it. She started in her mid 20s and it got worse. She has degenerative disc disease and had to have her lower back fused. They went through her stomach and pulled all her guys out and did the surgery so they didn't risk nerve damage. She's 40 now and it starting to move up the back. She'll be scheduling a MRI soon to see what it looks like because she has been in pain. She's the toughest SOB I know. She could barely walk and she would go to work because she felt she had to.

I feel for you. Hopefully it isn't as bad as what she has.

 

[TheBigCountry]

how is your fitness or activity?

I have four herniated dics two of them being the L4&L5. The absolute best thing to do is to start streching daily. If you have time on your hands start off with three ten minute session, or before you do any physical work.

I’m fairly active, but not as fit as I used to be. The back issues have really thrown a wrench at my workout so I’m trying to do the Keto diet to get some weight off.

 

[TheBigCountry]

I met with a spine specialist here today, and they are concerned with my new symptoms. Not only do I have the herniated disc in L5, but they saw another one in the middle of my back. Couple that with the loss of sensation in my legs/other areas, as well as the falling down spasms, yeah...

I go for an EMG tomorrow morning, and possibly another MRI because they think something changed since December (no shit). Pending that, it’s either surgery or “pain management”. I’m gonna push for surgery if I can...

 

[BullGear]

I had an EMG years ago and they attached the probes on my head and feet. Talk about a jolting experience.

PS good luck with your tests!

 

[S197]

I’m fairly active, but not as fit as I used to be. The back issues have really thrown a wrench at my workout so I’m trying to do the Keto diet to get some weight off.

the keto will work but it is dangerous and you can not run it for long periods. It’s common to rebound and gain your weight back, and cause kidney problems. Look at carb cycling instead, it’s safer and you can run it without complications or rebounds. Putting your body into ketosus will also make your muscles tighten, which will put more pressure on your discs.

im 42 and have been in this battle for 12 years, these steps helped me the most.

1.stretching daily, until you can plant your hands on the floor next to your feet without bending your knees.
2.carb cycling
3.non weighted squats until failure. Play the sally song and do the squats when they say bring sally down, hold in the squatted position until the say bring sally up.

* if you have insurance ask your doctor to do an allergy test on your blood and not your skin. I found out that I was allergic to wheat, dairy, gluten and egg whites. even though these items did not make me swell up instantly when I ate them. I never knew why my body alway was always stiff and achy, I removed these items and after a week or two I started feeling way better.

 

[J McGriddle]

I messed my back up when I was younger. I'm not exactly sure what the damage was because I was too hard headed to go to a specialist or get a MRI. I picked up something heavy and was extended away from my body. I felt something pop in my lower back and I collapsed.

It took about 3 weeks for the pain to subside and then I was left with sciatica. Randomly when getting out of bed my back would lock up and I couldn't move due to the pain.

I went to the chiropractor for a year with mixed results and finally got some of the same advice stated here. I stretched every day, 30 minutes in the morning and at night. I took ibuprofen so I could tolerate the pain enough to work out and strengthen my core. That took almost a year and half until I was pain free. Nearly 15 years (and 20 pounds) later and I very seldom have back pain, never sciatica.

I feel for you, hopefully things get better.

 

[UKDslayer]

Almost hesitant to post. I had two surgeries @ L5-S1. Before the first, I was regularly taking one Vicodin at night when I got home from work for over a year. Surgeon told me that was no way for a (40something) to live. I fell for it and had a fusion. I was actually doing extremely well for the first 3 weeks post-op, off all pain meds, until an overaggressive PT thought it was a good idea for me to do "extended bridges". That soon after a fusion was a very, very bad idea. Regretfully had a second procedure with experimental material that turned out to have major side effects. My take is..if there is any sign of neurological damage (which EMG should show) other than pain, esp. threat of paralysis, have the surgery ASAP. Otherwise I would highly recommend holding out as long as possible. If you feel you absolutely must have surgery - research your options well. I had adjacent disc disease 6 years later (fracture of adjacent segments). All for PT in the right hands, core strength execises, massage, muscle relaxes & inversion table. These days pain management doctors can be extremely limited. I wish you well sir...

 

[alamo5000]

Laid up right now with some serious back issues. Was fighting some sharp back pain over the last year or so, with it going into my leg(s). Took Motrin and water, kept on going.

Wife had me try some chiropractor; didn’t seem to help much. She finally got me to go to a doctor and they said I got herniated and bulging discs in the L4/5. Great.

Well, in the last 2 weeks, it’s now advanced to I’ll be perfectly fine one minute, to I’ll feel this sharp, sudden pain/pop, then intense pain, my leg goes out, and I fall to the ground convulsing in pain. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for it to go away/me contorting myself in a way that I can get back to my feet. It happened 3 times over the weekend and an ER trip to boot last night.

Im out of work now, they gave me a Px for some heavy narcotic pain pills (I’m not taking them), and I’m waiting for the spine specialists to call me in for an appt today or tomorrow.

Anyone else ever go through this? This sucks. Bad. Missing work, and not being able to do anything is pissing me off. That and the pain is making it 2x as bad. I’m hoping I don’t need surgery.

I am sorry to hear about your pain issues.

Just a couple of things I have learned from personal experience. Chiropractors are kind of like gunsmiths. They might technically say they are one on paper but that has little to no bearing on how good they are at their job.

I have been to numerous chiropractors over the years and I got treatment that ranged from completely worthless waste of money on to getting on my knees and thanking God that I was able to be helped.

Now I have a discerning eye towards chiropractors. One in my town is a great example of what to look for. He is a therapist and treats a wide range of people from the very elderly onto the local college football team. Really he's more into sports medicine but he can shift gears to tailor treatment as needed. If you see stuff like that, particularly if the office has partners with occupational therapists, rehabilitation, sports medicine and other things then gravitate that direction.

If the front door says 'chiropractor' and little else you run about a 60/40 or 70/30 chance of leaving disappointed. Unless you can find a lot of great reviews and/or referrals be cautious about who you see.

I don't know your personal experiences but if you run across the right kind of chiropractor (I prefer ones that associate with sports medicine and rehabilitation) you will be a lot better off. Also if you are a bigger guy or are muscular who the doctor is matters. I've been in situations where the 5'2 inch 115 pound female chiropractor was literally unable to give me a proper adjustment.

That said even with the male chiropractors that are used to working on the football team they know how to stack the deck in their (and your) favor. With me they do all types of massage therapy and other treatments before even attempting to do an adjustment. Also it is worth noting that it often requires more than one adjustment. It's not a one and done type thing (usually) although that has happened to me before. My last round (about a month ago) I visited once a week for almost a month before I saw a big improvement.

 

[alamo5000]

Start some light stretches, a tiny bit of resistance exercise,

Depending on the problem stretching can actually cause more pain and/or problems. Without knowing specifics it's impossible to say if that's a good call or not a good call. The human body is all about symmetry. That is front to back and side to side.

In a former time I used to compete in various aspects of waterskiing and I recall one competitor that would go through a huge routine to stretch out and have enough mobility to compete in his event. But if you saw that same guy the next day he would literally have to roll sideways out of bed, crawl on all fours (slowly), and use something solid to stand up straight. That morning routine took him about 5 to 10 minutes almost every morning after training. (In a lot of instances you don't train every day. We would go 3 or maybe 4 times a week but almost always with at least a day in between).

Anyway after years of this he finally met another competitive skier that was heavily into sports medicine and rehab and all sorts of stuff. This was after a ton of other misdiagnosis from other doctors etc that were not at all familiar with what he was doing. Turns out the 'magic moment' was not really a moment at all. This new (to him) guy eventually gave him a very precise routine that consisted of lots of crunches and other stuff to strengthen his core and basically the front side of his body. If I recall he even forbade him from doing 'extensive stretching' on his back (which he did all the time up until then) .This turned out to be the ultimate solution because his event(s) strengthened certain muscles in his back to the point that there was a massive imbalance in the anterior and posterior muscle group strength. Once that balance was restored the guy felt like a king.

Fortunately for him it was not an actual bad injury causing his pain (although minor ones aggravated it) but in the case of injuries it could be very very different.

 

[seanh]

Mine does that too after I got drilled in the back with a 5.56. Plate stopped it, but after that the rib heads are loose right over my heart region. It’s a cock.

5.56? So let me guess, you were voted most likely to be shot in the back by Friendly Fire ...lol.

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

I wouldn't have anything to do with a chiropractor.
Three people I've known, had their lives ruined by those bone crunching quacks.
Stretches, diet, lifestyle changes, and if necessary a decent surgeon.
Good Luck, hope it gets better.

 

[acudaowner]

 

[Deleted member 173458]

If you haven't had an MRI that is next. They will then tell you what disc levels and the extent of your injuries. Hopefully its just one or two small bulges or herniation. If you are really lucky it can be treated with therapy and meds versus surgery. Good luck!

 

[CrabsandFootball]

The answer is you most likely need to strengthen your Core muscles and decompress your back. Most of us with back pain have a little extra weight on the front.

Working out will fix this. This machine, is also no joke the shit. I have sporadic back pain from .mil days and adding a few extra pounds didn't help. Nothing would work until I tried this.

The guy who invented this is the godfather of modern power lifting. Dude broke his back then came back and set world records. Rogue makes the licensed machine but titan makes a "cheaper" version that is still robust as fuck.

I mix this in with my lifts and Poof, back pain is gone. Shit is no joke. It pulls your spine apart and keeps shit from getting pinched. Think of it as a refined form of stretching along with strengthening your core muscles.

RH-2 Rogue Reverse Hyper - Made in the USA

Manufactured in Columbus, OH, the Rogue RH-2 is a reverse hyper machine designed to meet the unique, changing needs of the athletes it serves. Visit Rogue for more details.

www.roguefitness.com

Also, cut out all seed oils. Shit is poison and is the biggest cause of inflammation in the joints. Since eating clean most of the pain everywhere else has gone away. No Sunflower, Safflower, Corn, ect. Cut out Wheat and Soy while your at it. Use only cold pressed oils like Olive, Coconut or Avocado.

RH-2 Rogue Reverse Hyper - Made in the USA

Manufactured in Columbus, OH, the Rogue RH-2 is a reverse hyper machine designed to meet the unique, changing needs of the athletes it serves. Visit Rogue for more details.

www.roguefitness.com

Westside Scout Hyper

The Scout Hyper is a patented, foldable reverse-hyper machine developed by powerlifting legend Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell.

www.roguefitness.com

Economy H-PND

The Economy H-PND is perfect for hyperextensions, which targets and builds your glutes and hamstrings.Tighten and tone your lower body today. Plus, free shipping.

www.titan.fitness

If you are serious about eliminating the pain, do what I said above. If not, your going to have to learn to live with it. Diet, Exercise and the reverse hyper and the cure to back pain.

 

[Baron23]

Depending on the problem stretching can actually cause more pain and/or problems.

YES!! Same goes with chiropractors. As I said, my OG injury was a chuck of disk jammed into the tunnel that your nerve root uses to exit the spine.

Being "manipulated" by a chiropractor was the worst idea I had.....like to kill me.

Not saying that they don't have their uses for the right circumstances, but how the fuck would they know with just an x-ray (which is all I have ever seen in done in a chiropractor's office) when soft tissue only shows on an MRI.

You have to KNOW the nature of the injury before you can even start to eval suggestions for recovery and relief.

Just my never humble opinion informed by experience.

 

[UKDslayer]

Im gonna ask them to not dick around and get it fixed, like now. I don’t want to be popping Motrin every 4 hours, and this is the worst timing ever with twins on the way. I’m in a holding pattern until the Docs call me to come in today.

NSAIDS are serious medicine. I had stage 3 kidney failure from Mobic that resolved after I stopped all NSAIDs. Was told not to take any NSAIDS ever.

 

[supercorndogs]

Depending on the problem stretching can actually cause more pain and/or problems. Without knowing specifics it's impossible to say if that's a good call or not a good call. The human body is all about symmetry. That is front to back and side to side.

In a former time I used to compete in various aspects of waterskiing and I recall one competitor that would go through a huge routine to stretch out and have enough mobility to compete in his event. But if you saw that same guy the next day he would literally have to roll sideways out of bed, crawl on all fours (slowly), and use something solid to stand up straight. That morning routine took him about 5 to 10 minutes almost every morning after training. (In a lot of instances you don't train every day. We would go 3 or maybe 4 times a week but almost always with at least a day in between).

Anyway after years of this he finally met another competitive skier that was heavily into sports medicine and rehab and all sorts of stuff. This was after a ton of other misdiagnosis from other doctors etc that were not at all familiar with what he was doing. Turns out the 'magic moment' was not really a moment at all. This new (to him) guy eventually gave him a very precise routine that consisted of lots of crunches and other stuff to strengthen his core and basically the front side of his body. If I recall he even forbade him from doing 'extensive stretching' on his back (which he did all the time up until then) .This turned out to be the ultimate solution because his event(s) strengthened certain muscles in his back to the point that there was a massive imbalance in the anterior and posterior muscle group strength. Once that balance was restored the guy felt like a king.

Fortunately for him it was not an actual bad injury causing his pain (although minor ones aggravated it) but in the case of injuries it could be very very different.

Stretches for an injured person should be done under the supervision of or prescribed by a physical therapist. When you are injured there are positions they put you in to protect your back while you stretch. In the end the stretches and exercises they prescribe should become part of a daily routine.

 

[LawnMM]

17yrs in LE has lead to osteoarthritis in my back and neck. Neck sets off migraines, wake up literally every morning with back pain.

However, my mobility is good, can still exercise, need to drop weight like everybody else on earth and after slipping two discs a few years back have largely bounced back pretty well.

Meloxicam helps if you're having achy degenerative stuff going on. Been advised to not even think about anything surgical until the pain starts limiting what I want to do or I get nerves impinged upon, etc.

So yeah, did the steroid injection thing and I think that helps but the facility was unimpressive so I'm not going back (haha) there again.

Might try to find a more reputable place that can do the steroid stuff till I need something more drastic.

 

[BullGear]

NSAIDS are serious medicine. I had stage 3 kidney failure from Mobic that resolved after I stopped all NSAIDs. Was told not to take any NSAIDS ever.

NSAIDS contributed to my kidney failure too. However, I still am on dialysis 3 times a week.

 

[HeavyAssault]

The minute they cut on you it will never be the same or better.

 

[BullGear]

The minute they cut on you it will never be the same or better.

Ive been holding off for some time now. I'm not comfortable having my spine touched during an operation. Cut my heart, liver or kidney, but not my spine. It's just me, but no thanks!

 

[CypressJeff]

Find yourself a Mckenzie Certified Physical Therapist in this link below. Lots of Physical Therapist are trained on Mckenzie but not many are certified. Mackenzie Physical Therapist want to Fix your issue, if able and train you how to fix yourself so you don't have to keep coming back.

Provider List - The McKenzie Institute, USA

www.mckenzieinstituteusa.org

 

[RPN]

The minute they cut on you it will never be the same or better.

I had a partial discectomy 20 years ago (at 33). At the time I was living on NSAIDs, painkillers, booze and mostly the floor at night. Sciatica all down my leg into the ankle - life wasn't much fun.

Post surgery I am back hunting, run half marathons and swim long distance - none of which I could do before the operation.

Surgery might not work for everyone, but for me it definitely did. The difference seems to be how long it takes you to get the op - looking at my friends (all welders, builders and similar, so a shitload of bad backs) living with this stuff for years lowers the chances of success.

All the best with it, here's to a good result.

 

[BullGear]

I've been down in the back for more than a week now. Missed 2 treatments of dialysis last week. I've been laying with a heating pad on my lower back most of the day for about 10-12 days now. Felt decent today. Rolled trashcan out to the road and now I'm searching for the pain meds. Looks like I'll be up most of the night unless I can find a comfortable position to sleep.

I can't see me sitting in that dialysis chair for 4 hours tomorrow.

I have a tele visit set up with my doctor on Tuesday. I'm hoping he can fit me in for my procedure ASAP.

 

[HiDesertELR]

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional...

Was in a high speed head on collision (little old lady going wrong way on the interstate, at night, without her headlights on).

Took years to get back to anything resembling my previous life, but it can be done, without surgery.

Lots of great advice here, give it serious thought before you go under the knife. All my doctors wanted to "open me up and see"... My gut said fuck that. Glad I didn't get cut.

Yeah, it sucked bad for 3-4 years, but with a shit ton of work, I can still do everything I used to, albeit less intense and for less time, but I'm not a young man anymore. Years and years of bodily abuse from adrenaline sports (BMX, DH MTB, dirt jumping, snowboarding, etc) will take their toll, no matter what. My L5 S1 is the weak spot now, but generally I get a warning before I'm down for a few days. Unless I open the refrigerator wrong lol.

Don't stop seeking help, don't take any one doctor's recommendations, diet, stretching, proper exercise, pain management, embracing the suck, perseverance, positive surroundings, knowing when to push through and when to give it a rest... Took years for me, hope you figure out the right path for yourself quicker than that.

 

[Doc68]

Laid up right now with some serious back issues. Was fighting some sharp back pain over the last year or so, with it going into my leg(s). Took Motrin and water, kept on going.

Wife had me try some chiropractor; didn’t seem to help much. She finally got me to go to a doctor and they said I got herniated and bulging discs in the L4/5. Great.

Well, in the last 2 weeks, it’s now advanced to I’ll be perfectly fine one minute, to I’ll feel this sharp, sudden pain/pop, then intense pain, my leg goes out, and I fall to the ground convulsing in pain. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for it to go away/me contorting myself in a way that I can get back to my feet. It happened 3 times over the weekend and an ER trip to boot last night.

Im out of work now, they gave me a Px for some heavy narcotic pain pills (I’m not taking them), and I’m waiting for the spine specialists to call me in for an appt today or tomorrow.

Anyone else ever go through this? This sucks. Bad. Missing work, and not being able to do anything is pissing me off. That and the pain is making it 2x as bad. I’m hoping I don’t need surgery.

Mine started in OCT of 2019. Started shortly after a PT test here in the army. Pain started locally in my left shoulder and neck area, mostly in my trapeze area. Thought I just over did it a bit. Took motrin amd tylenol.

Then gradually over the next month it progressed down my left arm amd into my hand. Would suddenly go numb and I would drop whatever I was holding.

Then it started down my right arm se symptoms. They did xrays. Xrays were negative. They did a bunch of trigger point injections over the next month and it only progressed to get worse. Went through physical therapy, epidural injections, yoga, stretching and such.

Sent me to a german hospital and got an MRI, showed a lot of fucked up shit in my neck. My C3-T1 was severely compressing on my spinal cord and was causing all these issues. Put me on gabapentin, nerve pain medication, which didnt work for me. Tramadol only made me loopy and just not care about the pain along with percocet.

Ended up having to have surgery and had an anterior/posterior dissection and fusion of my C3-T1. They went in through the front and my back in between my shoulder blades. Pain immediately gone day 4 after the surgical pain went away. Still have a bit of pain on a daily scale but nowhere even close to what it was and its centrally located in my neck.

They think it was all started from an IED hit in 2012 in Afghanistan when my vehicle got flipped over and I took a tumble.

Doc

 

[eddie102870]

Just wanted to let you guys know, i started Relief Factor Monday, i can tell a big difference today, FYI

 

[BullGear]

Had my tele-visit yesterday. Gotta have an MRI and I think it was called a facet nerve study BEFORE I can have my procedure. The same procedure I've had for the last 12 years. Changed insurance and they want all this testing before the procedure.

I'm on Tramadol (opioid) until then. This stuff makes you loopy. Difficult to sleep but goofy, loopy feeling. Unable to drive and difficulty walking up and down a flight of steps.

I take my next dose in an hour.

 

[eddie102870]

Had my tele-visit yesterday. Gotta have an MRI and I think it was called a facet nerve study BEFORE I can have my procedure. The same procedure I've had for the last 12 years. Changed insurance and they want all this testing before the procedure.

I'm on Tramadol (opioid) until then. This stuff makes you loopy. Difficult to sleep but goofy, loopy feeling. Unable to drive and difficulty walking up and down a flight of steps.

I take my next dose in an hour.

i have two full bottles of the stuff minus one pill. i cant take it

 

[BullGear]

i have two full bottles of the stuff minus one pill. i cant take it

Why not? Stomach?

 

[eddie102870]

Why not? Stomach?

made be all screwed up, i cant take strong medication. makes me where i cant sleep, bouncing off the walls going down a hall.

 

[BullGear]

made be all screwed up, i cant take strong medication. makes me where i cant sleep, bouncing off the walls going down a hall.

Yeah, I'm surprised how this prevents me from sleeping but makes me droozy (drowsy and woozy). After 3 doses, I can say that 95% of my pain is gone. Only issue is the wife will have to drop me off and pick me up from Dialysis while I'm taking it.

 

[Doc68]

Tramadol is a hell of a drug. I was on that along with Toradol (NSAID), and mobic. None of it made me feel better. Just loopy and not care about the pain. It was still there. The epidural shots made it worse. Finally the surgery made it better. I can use my hands and arms again with zero pain. I still have pain centrally located in my neck, but its not that bad now.

Doc

 

[BullGear]

Tramadol is a hell of a drug. I was on that along with Toradol (NSAID), and mobic. None of it made me feel better. Just loopy and not care about the pain. It was still there. The epidural shots made it worse. Finally the surgery made it better. I can use my hands and arms again with zero pain. I still have pain centrally located in my neck, but its not that bad now.

Doc

The doc wanted me on an NSAID, but due to my dialysis, he said use the Tramadol alone and see how it does.

 

[TheBigCountry]

Dang this thread took off lol.

@Doc68 and @BullGear hope y’all are feeling better.

I had to give the docs hell on my end. Since my EMG test, which was “shocking”, I’ve had radio silence from the Docs. Messages and calls later I finally get told my Doc is out with family issues. I get it. What I don’t get is the complete silence, and not being able to have another Doc look at my test and come up with a plan. After a phone call to Patient Services with a few choice words, they finally decided I’m going to be sent to “pain management” to have injections done, and a PT plan to get back to “normal”....

 

[Codiekfx400]

Going in for my first ever epidural injection tomorrow. Any suggestions?

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Fucking click bait!!!
I opened this thinking it was about back issues of Playboy

 

[diggler1833]

Herniated discs at L4/L5 and L5/S1. Was privileged to not only be put on narcotics for 11 months straight (military medicine in 2004) but also got surgery at a VA hospital...worst experience of my life. Left with no physical therapy regimen...just "healed" on my own. Obviously I didn't get better. Both discs (had discectomy) were herniated again well before I retired.

Prior to my retirement, they had me on 2,700mg Gabapentin daily...to say that I felt less sharp would be an understatement.

I make fucking do. Some days I'm a 42 year old guy who is normal. Some days I'm an 82 year old guy who has to push a chair around on the floor like a walker. Until I wake up I have no clue which day that will be.

I've heard that they have come a long way with surgery. I have some pretty wicked stenosis too. However I'll just march on until I can't. No more going under the knife for me.