Help with crippling sciatica

[wall1409]

Now bedridden cant move without pain.I have Oa of lumber spine with disc herniation bone spurs and SI joint disorder. Had sciatica for over a week but kept moving till last night got up this morning to go to toilet and left leg and foot are in pins n needles pain is horrendous. Been trying to get a cancellation appointment with pain clinic to see if anything other than drugs can help. Any tips to deal with this would be appreciated

[Royalspec01]

So sad as I can think of nothing to ease your pain at the moment can a doctor help you as its something new they may be able to prescribe you something as this will heighten your stress lot of spirit y hugs for you so sorry this is all I can do.

[Ballroomdance in reply to Royalspec01]

I do not want to do this for long - but I accidentally found out - and it helps short time, 1 oz lime & 2-oz Tequila - give it 5-min. and you are ALL better - it tastes TERRIBLE - but allows me to go to bed for 3-4 hours

[Ballroomdance in reply to Royalspec01]

Another thing that helps BIG TIME is ultrasound - but insurance only covers short time.

[haribo36]

Good morning,I too have been having sciatica but not as bad as you.The one thing that helped me when I had horrendous sciatica when I was pregnant was the tens machine that the hospital loaned me.Have you got one and if not ask the pain clinic if they can loan it to you xxx

[Ginsing]

I too have awful sciatica continuously with pns and needles in both legs. somehow I sort of get used to it well if you ever can. I find the disorientation when I stand very difficult to cope with. At the moment the middle of my back is making me very woosy and increasing pain in my body, actually I feel as if my head belongs to someone else.

Well we know rest is important so bye for now xgins

[Marz]

...do you have a good Bowen Therapist is your area ? Such gentle treatment and will relax and relieve. I had one today and feel so much better. A recent fall and travel to and around the UK has put me off balance. Had spinal surgery in 2007 for stenosis in three vertebrae and also have spondylolithesis at L4/L5 - and it has been there for over 50 years so lots of spurs and congestion. Sciatica is ghastly - try finding some acupuncture points on the outside of your legs - about two fingers below the knee - find the tender spot and massage firmly with fingertips - release and then go there again. Hopefully it will be less painful and may just relieve some of the pain.

If you are able to draw your legs up onto your chest gently and then roll from side to side - on a soft surface like your bed - it may help to relieve the spasms in the muscles that cause so much pain. Just be gentle.....and hope you soon feel better....

[Hidden]

I slipped a disk about 6 months ago. I was seeing a chiropractor but now I can't afford one. My pain is on my left side. Just tonight it was so bad I could not get comfortable in any position. I had bought one of those devices that allows you to turn upside down and take the weight off your back. I used it tonight and it eased most of my pain. I don't have to use it for long. I go upside down for only a minute or two because the blood does go to my head and then flip back up. I did this a few times, (only 10 minutes) and 80% of my pain is now gone. It's something to think about. I plan to keep using it now. Also the one I have was not expensive like you might see on TV. $99.00 US dollars. Tonight it was worth the money.

[justmai in reply to Hidden]

What's it called I"ve not seen or heard of this before how can your pain be reduced by going upside down?

[Hidden in reply to justmai]

It's called Inversion Therapy. Some scientific say it works others say it helps only temporary. I'll take temporary relief over no relief any day. They do say that if you have high blood pressure not to use this therapy because the blood does rush to the head, but you don't have to go completly upside down. Just a little may give some relief. Please do some research before you try this. It's not for everyone.

[justmai in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Mark my bp is always low I will give anything a try

[Hidden in reply to justmai]

Good luck. Let me know how it works and don't use it if you have any of the health condition I mentioned below. All I know is tonight it worked for me. It may not last but I'll take any relief I can get. Unfortunately it does nothing for my Fibro symptoms.

[justmai]

I am going through the same thing admitted to hospital because it is compressing my nerves having issues moving my left leg can't feel myself going to the toilet they did urgent MRI found bone coming out of place crushing two of my discs and compressing my nerves told to go on strict bed rest for 6-8 weeks and then they will review it with possible surgery however I have been asking the pain clinic for a lumber block for months now am hoping my apt on the 4th Feb they will finally agree to it in view of diagnosis hospital wanted to keep me in but I can't sleep on their beds its just to painful

[Hidden in reply to justmai]

Oh hospital beds I think make your back worse.

[Hidden]

Also I'd like to add that if the heels of your shoes are worn, that will throw you back off and cause you sciatic pain. Make sure your shoes are not warn down, even a little, on either side. If they are, buy some new shoes and in a day are two the pain might go away. It was what caused sciatic for a friend of mine. His shoes.

[Clur]

Oh flippin' heck poor you I understand that lot as I've had exactly the same. Its horrendous isnt it. Well my experience was nothing could ease the pain. Pain killers didnt touch it, physio useless, accupuncture was a waste of time and money for me in fact painful because my nerves were screaming. The pain clinic gave me a tens machine, that didnt do anything at all.

The pain clinic desperately wanted to put a needle in my back but so many people said no dont let them so I didnt, after refusing that they were no longer interested in helping me they just kept saying you need this injection! I even contemplated suicide I was in so much despair.

This went on for 2 years, yep I had crippling sciatica for two years. I was so desperate to get rid of the pain I spent hundreds of pounds on chiropractors. This was a total waste of money. I wasnt taken seriously because it wasnt causing me to soil myself.

So how did I resolve this? I had a chance phone call with an old customer and friend of mine and she asked me why I had sold my company, I explained I had fibro and could hardly walk now, she now worked in the pharmacy industry and said you need this drug its expensive but it works. So I asked the pain clinic to give me Pregabalin and within a couple of weeks I was walking again! The docs are not keen on prescribing this one as its very expensive but it works for me. I asked the pain clinic for it, my Dr called me in when I put in the repeat slip, she tried to change my meds!! She wanted to give me Gabapentin (sorry i dont know the spelling) is similar but cheaper but my friend had already said avoid that one make sure its Pregabalin. She then tried to say it was a vitamin D deficiency I had and I should buy Vit D pills. She had ignored all my cries for help because of my pain she said I had depression pain for goodness sake, thats why I paid for all my treatment myself and then this drug that was actually working for me caused so much fuss.

Any way I told the pain clinic about this and I refused to change drugs and she could do nothing about it.

Im not perfect, still have all the disc prolapses SI joint problem and general aches but the real pain was not entirely my back and leg after all it was all the nerves, they needed treating and when I had the correct meds it was like having my life back. So the needle in the back would never have worked either!

Previous meds were cymbalta this had dreadful side effects, after initially being brilliant it started to wain then coming off was agony, Amytriptaline (sorry about spelling) that didnt even scratch the surface.

I dont know your meds situation but you are describing me 12 months ago.

Its just my story but I hope it gives you some hope.

Best of luck

Clare

[justmai in reply to Clur]

My pain clinic consultant is trying to wean me off pregablin no longer works for me and withdrawal symptoms are horrendous

[Clur in reply to justmai]

Yes this is something that scares me, I know this is bound to happen at some stage and if its anything like cymbalta i dont know what I'll do. I went through hell and being a self employed funeral director i am not able to have any time off. I was so ill with the pain in my hip and legs Id have taken crack cocaine if it had helped. I was dragging my leg behind me and lost most of the muscle in my bottom through limping. Its one of those things we have to weigh up its stopped my agony but one day I will have to ween off it.

[Hidden]

Wall, see my reply to Justmai. It's called Inversion Therapy. By going upside down even a little takes the pressure off your disks that is causing you pain. It's like taking the weight off your back. But like I said I only go upside down for 30 seconds to maybe a minute, then I come back upright. I do this three or four times. When you set it up you have it balanced where when you lift your arms, you will slowly go backwards. The further back you lift your arms you will eventually go upside down, but you can control how far you go. Mine even has a bar that prevents me from going all the way over. Sometime I just go a little over and lay there. Even that takes the pressure off my back. The idea is also to help align the spine as well as take the pressure off but the alignment of the spine will happen over time. There are warnings for those with high blood pressure, heart disease, eye diseases (such as glaucoma), or are pregnant should not use it. Please do your own research on this.

[justmai in reply to Hidden]

I will do thanks Mark I have eye problems so will look into first

[Clur in reply to justmai]

Im having eye problems too, whats happening with your eyes?

[justmai in reply to Clur]

the withdrawal from pregablin is the worst I've've ever known, had to come down 25mg a week, not forgetting that the pain gets worse when you come off it but also shakes cold sweats etc, but I've had to go up again at mo due to back pain, but i've been on it now for 4 years so it has stopped working for me and i was on the highest dose 300 mg twice a day, now on 150mg twice a day i did get down to 75 but just couldn't cope with the pain, especially as I have damaged my back quite badly at the moment, let alone the pain from fibro in my legs hips and arms.

i have inflammation in both eyes on the optic nerve so i have very blurred vision most of the time, when the inflammation isn't so bad I can see better but it flares up most of the time, it's made worse on pregablin. my left eye also doesn't react to light so it doesn't dilate when you shine a light on it so it confuses all Dr's, I often forget to tell them just to see the look on their face when they do neuro checks on me lol

[wall1409 in reply to Hidden]

Sounds worth a go thanks

[wall1409]

Thanks for all your kind words and advice. I had an SI joint injection done in theatre about 3 weeks agoIit worked for 2 weeks but pain doc did mention an operation to sever the nerves so really hopong I get a cancellation appointment as my next one isnt till feb. Left leg is in pins and needles so having to drag it which is putting more pressure on my already fragile lumbar spine

[Clur in reply to wall1409]

I hope they can help you. The injection is very short lived isnt it, do you feel it was worth having?

[wall1409 in reply to Clur]

I do as even 2 week relief is better than none plus its also used to determine if you have SI jpint disorder which I have due to oa of spine

[Shazzzy]

When i am bedridden with pain i practise deep, slow breathing and imagine my breath slowly moving down through my body and out of my feet leaving my body relaxed, this usually relaxes my muscles enough to at least let me read or listen to music whilst lying there.

[Shazzzy in reply to Shazzzy]

Quick message for Clur, vitamin D deficiency is commom in people withfibro,taking thr vitamin daily has helped with the muscle pain. Hope this of some use.

[Clur in reply to Shazzzy]

Thanks Shazzzy. You are correct and I do have off the shelf vit D tablets to take. We all have so much to contend with dont we. Im going gluton free in the new year to see if that makes any difference. Some say it makes a huge difference. Then theres the Paleo /caveman diet I have a friend who says it gave her her life back. That diet looks horrible to me though as I love my dairy produce and couldnt not have it!

[patdsmith35]

I had crippiling sciatica that left me paralysed in pain.I was to the point i could not have a Bowel movement ,and had to have six fire fighters remove me from my bed very carefully

Because the pain was great. I was givin several doses of Morhpine to stop the pain,the only one that worked was called dilanta.with in minutes i was able to walk with little pain,then i started stretching my lower back by sitting in a chair placing my left ancle in top of my right knee and leaning forward to i felt the pull,do that with both legs for sixty seconds twice a day.

Its been 1 year and I have Zero pain..