Hi everyone

[cj75s]

hi, I am new here. Just like to say a big hello to all. I also would like to say how good this sight is. It's good to share and hear how others have coped and discovered things.

I am a 62 yr old man. I had an accident at work on 7th June 2015 in the hold of a small aircraft resulting in terrible crippling pain in my lower back and sciatica down my right leg to my toes. Doc thought a herniated disc. Put on fairly strong pain killers and then about a month later started physio. This lasted for about 5 months when I stopped it as I was getting worse with it. By this time i was on 1800mg of Gabapentin. Was referred to a pain clinic and started seeing them in February 2016. This resulted in my getting an MRI scan about March that year which showed up nothing. I was still in pain and could only walk with a stick. My own docs decided to up my pks to 2400 mg a day. This did help and also the surgeon at the pain clinic gave me a steroid injection into my lower spine. This did not help either, except for the duration of the anaesthetic in it.

I was then sent for a nerve conductive test which came out with the finding of mechanical injury to my S1/L5 nerve in my right hip/leg. This was in November 2016. My Union has sent me to see various bone/nerve specialists but with no good results really. My main question is this:

Can a disc have been herniated and then repaired itself (perhaps with the painful physio and in the 7 months it took to get the MRI) and left my L5 nerve damaged? I am now on 3000mg of Gabapentin and still in some pain albeit more manageable.

[Bananas5]

Hello cj75s and welcome aboard. Thank you for kind words. We always need more!!

You will appreciate we are not professionals and can only use our own experiences, plus a few yrs under our belts, to help.

Firstly I am glad Gabapentin is helping you. That is a hell of a dose and so many fall out with it long before that level. It is the Marmite of drugs and can effect some people in a not nice way. Be warned though..if you ever have to come of it NEVER go cold turkey. Slowly...very slowly.

Second your question. I think it is likely you have hit the nail on the head. Many many years ago my husband had manipulation under anesthetic and that was the point of no return when his back disintegrated completely. But that's what they did in those days.

Have you tried anything apart from disastrous physio? Acupuncture? TENS? Swimming or hydrotherapy? Pain clinic used to provide many of these but very hit and miss these days.

Take care

x

[cj75s in reply to Bananas5]

Hi Bananas5, thank you.

I find it ok on Gabapentin. I was very tired to begin with but after 3-4 weeks I suddenly woke up from that effect and am quite ok. I have been warned by my doc about coming off them tho. A bit scary. I'm just trying to make sense of this injury. I can't work any more and really ant do much. I was going to give light exercise a go, walking mainly on my Fathers tread mill (weather here dictates indoors mainly) but after a recent fall (have a few) I landed heavy on my left knee and damaged tendons so can hardly walk. I am glad of TV and internet. My wife gets me out every now and then, bless her, she has to prize me out of the house but once out and in the car I feel fine. I am lucky as can still walk with a stick but have to be very careful how I turn corners. That's when a fall can occur, transferring my balance etc.

I have worked all my life and was on very good salary at time of accident. Now I'm on a pittance although I have been placed on a support group which I think helps keep the pittance coming in.

[Bananas5 in reply to cj75s]

Sadly yore story is all too familiar. Pain doesn't choose who it attacks...just any one of us.

I presume when you say you are in support you mean ESA? Have you applied for PIP? Not the easiest benefit to claim but can make the difference. Matters not whether you work or not and if you already get ESA sg it slightly helps.

x

[cj75s in reply to Bananas5]

yes, I do get pip. Have had it for over a year now. I am also registered disabled and have a blue badge. The latter helps immensely when we go anywhere as I need to open the car door wide to get in or out.

[Hidden in reply to cj75s]

Hi 💗 sorry to hear of your pain, I sympathise I live with a worn lumbar disc, Chronic Lumbago, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and sciatica which means I can't travel because of the Sitting position,I can't get in a car or go on public transport without pain I was on Co-codamol and tramadol for 15 years and now I manage my own pain with heat hot water bottles, patches, treadmill, walking and chiropractic manipulation which I do myself, I live alone and am also 62. I'm glad you have someone who can help and understand you..I wish you luck and hope things get better for you in the future🤓💗💗💗

[cj75s in reply to Hidden]

thank you Tiarmarie. You sound worse than me. 15 years! You must be a strong person in your mind. I've only been afflicted with pain for just over 2 years and it's starting to drive me crazy.

can I ask you, does the treadmill work/help?

I have read on here somewhere that bouncing on a large ball can help too, something about oxyginating the spinal cord.

it does help, mostly, having a partner. However on the downside she does get all my anger piled on her. So far we are strong but I think I push her too far sometimes.

I wish you well.

[ITYFIALMCTT]

You might find some of the discussion in the comments of this post relevant to your enquiry: healthunlocked.com/painconc...

[cj75s in reply to ITYFIALMCTT]

hi Ityfialmctt

Thanks for the link. Quite interesting. I think I will start gentle stretching exercises once my left knee is healed.

Quite a large range of ideas there as to exercise. Just what I have experienced too. I think everyone is different. I have read somewhere that doctors don't really know much about how nerves heal/ regrow. One nerve specialist told me that regrowth may not happen along the original nerve route. I think it's still a very young branch of medicine.