Ongoing chronic pain.. feet to back compression pain

[MissyLynn]

HI I am new to posting so please bare with me. For 6 years now I have had compression type pain from the bottom of my feet up my legs. I get aproximately 4 minutes on my feet before I can't take it. IF I am walking I have to drag my legs. I have 4 damaged disks. The lower scrubing on a nerve on right side. It is being treated with tramadol, which does little. I can not the meds like lyrica and gabapentin do to a heart condition and lymphedema, high blood pressure etc. I am overweight and loosing gradually with diet changes cutting out processed manufactured foods. I would like to know if anyone else has this type of pain and how they handle it. When I tell the Dr my lowere eextremities feel like they are in a trash compactor they say they never heard of it and it must be siatica. Can ssomeone please give me thoughts and experience of your own. Needless to say I cry alot.

[Trulysad-76]

You need to ask for a second opinion or see a specialist. I really feel for you

[BigBadBack]

I have had laminectomies and discectomies on 4 levels of my lumbar region. Each surgery stopped my sciatica, but nothing took away my lower back pain. Then I saw a Physiatrist and he had me on heavy duty pain meds and I fought through the residual pain for one more year of work. I had 18 months of Pain Management and then I had a SCS implanted. It is still so much pain to walk or stand!

[Tinuccia in reply to BigBadBack]

Where can you find a phisiatrist in London? What type of Doctor is he/she? A physiotherapist?

[BigBadBack in reply to Tinuccia]

A Physiatrist is a doctor who has a lot of knowledge in several disciplines of the medical field. The office tends to have several doctors who can try their medical options to help you manage your health issues.

[Tinuccia in reply to BigBadBack]

Do they exist in UK? Never heard of them before! I know they are in Europe.

[BigBadBack in reply to Tinuccia]

I did a search and you may be correct. I know there aren't many in the states.

[MissyLynn in reply to BigBadBack]

WOW so all that really nothing helped? I am on tramadol and one petcocet a day to help me start the day. But if I stay on my feet past a few minutes its excutiating and my legs have to be dragged while I cry. This is 7 years now.

Did anything stop the pain while walking or standing?

[BigBadBack in reply to MissyLynn]

I had my first back surgery in 1998. Cured the sciatica that was ruling every aspect of my life. The back pain was always present from the start in 1996. It just never reached this level of pain until 2006 or so and then the 2ND surgery in 2007 didn't help the pain much. I was on Tramadol (400 mg maximum per day). Being a anti-depressant that just fools your mind that all is so awesome! I was on it a few years but it wasn't long on Tramadol before I was using OTC NSAIDS which caused serious stomach issues again. My first ulcer back in 2000 or so was from oral NSAIDS. But I went onto Norco 7.5/325 after the Tramadol and was on that for years. I lost my job of 25 years because it was reported to the daytime manager that I was sitting in the office a lot overnight. I had to sit down because I was in so much pain. I know this was wrong, but I bought one of those 8" x 8" x 1.5" plastic ice blocks and would wear it between my belt/jeans and my shirt for 12 to 14 hours a night at work. It made standing and walking possible just enough to be able to supervise my department. Ice seems to be a great substitution for so many issues we deal with pain-wise. I found another job 8 months later and it was even more time on my feet. That is when my insurance covered the Physiatrist. I wore a brace by Res-Med that helped, but what really helped was when the pain management Physiatrist put me on Opana ER 30mg two times daily and then the generic IR of it called Oxymorphone 10 mg tablets for breakthrough pain. That helped the pain level and I worked just short of a year and FMLA eligibility. They let me go before that. Saying I couldn't handle the workload, but I couldn't handle the residual pain even after the narcotics. 18 months of seeing the Physiatrist and he sent me for the SCS. It takes the edge off the back and hip pain. It keeps me from having to just sit down on the floor a few aisles into the store. But I use carts as walkers. I just know my next job will have to be 100% desk work. But for now I have TKR surgery coming up in a month. The pain in my back and hips is lessened 50% max with the SCS but the trial was closer to 80% relief. Sorry for the Book, but it is hard to put into perspective without it. I have failed back surgery syndrome. No real solution but maybe someday stem cell regrowth.

[BigBadBack]

I also was on Gralise, Gabapentin, Nortriptyline, Amitryptiline, Cymbalta, and I would have to look up all the drugs I have tried. They all pretty much knocked me out. One or two times falling asleep while driving made me quit all those nerve drugs.

[MissyLynn in reply to BigBadBack]

Omg thank you so much for sharing.