Coping with back pain.

[Arsepain]

I've had L4, L5, S3 for over 22 year's. Funny how you remember the time 🤨. I have the biggest pain in my left hip that started last year. (Great) tramadol works for me and learning to live with it. Several injections in the area. Last one in July.

I've cried into my pillow so many times through pain ,anger and frustration.

So what helps? Pillows in bed, stretching, follow a yoga plan, even if it's for 30 seconds of your day. Do it !

Lose weight if you have to, sit down ,lay down , but most of all don't give in. Go to your Doctor, tell him/her everything your feeling, make them work for you . That's what their there for! But don't give in. Stay positive as much as you possibly can. But don't give in 💕

[Hidden]

You are an inspiration. I love your user name , it's great !! Take care Lynne

[Arsepain in reply to Hidden]

Oldham12 your very welcome and I hope it helps. I forgot to add a touch of scoliosis that was diagnosed last year as well. 🤣 I can see me going for pantomime as The hunchback of Notre Dame if it carries on the way it's going lol thank you and keep going x

[Madlegs1]

If it's muscle related ( stretching helps, you say) then consider dry needling from a reputable / experienced physical therapist.

Worked wonders for me.

[Arsepain in reply to Madlegs1]

Shame physiotherapist just done more damage than good

[Arsepain in reply to Arsepain]

What is dry needling? This is far from muscle pain this is l4 l5 and S3 crumbled vertebrae and a slight tick of scoliosis for the side dish

[Reykua]

Thank you so much for your encouraging and informative post.

I am soooo intrigued.

You mentioned you take Tramadol.

How are you finding it?

Have you taken it for the full 20 plus years?

Do you take it on it's own or with any other pain med?

Is there a regime you follow - ie. 1 three times a day or taken as required?

Have you experienced the sort of zombying effect some of us have experienced?

So many questions, so little time.

Sorry but I'm very very interested in your responses.

Thanks in advance.

[Arsepain]

Lol I've often surprised the chemist with the amount. I used to be on co-codamol and naproxen then moved up to to tramadol /paracetamol plus omeprazole plus naproxen. Then moved up to straight tramadol omeprazole and naproxen. Ok I must be lucky with effects, if I take one, I'm asleep! But I take three in the morning, with naproxen and omeprazole. By about 1pm I take my next three depending on pain level. At night I try not to take tramadol and stick with paracetamol. But if the pains that bad I can't sleep, then it's one tramadol. Everyone's different when it comes to medication. I won't take amitriptyline! No thanks! I'm a full time carer for my mum and can't afford to be in zombie state. 🧟‍♀️ All I would like is to get the op done and off the meds. it's got to that stage now where I can't walk 20 steps before the pain really kicking in and that's even with the meds. my back complaint has increased in pain threshold over the past year I would say and within the past 3 months it's got even worse with walking sitting basically doing anything. I had my last injections in July they lasted a month. And so the fairytale begins again lol

[Arsepain in reply to Arsepain]

Oh and also been diagnosed with scoliosis

[Catlady5757]

Well done you! You have a great attitude to your pain. I know that since my accident in 1997 when a drunk driver hit my car from behind and broke my lower back and neneck, I've been in awful pain ever since. I developed Complex pain syndrome which also causes painful parasthesia in my arms, hands, legs, feet and face of my body and strange changes to skin tone and color in the dermatomes of my skin?

At first i had lots of Philip, but after two years they stopped that as it didn't change or help at all? Then I had injections down my spine with local anaesthetic and steroids, under x-ray that did help a little, so they repeated it with phenol ? That was the biggest mistake of my life, it burned the inside tissues on the right side of my thorax, leaving the skin on the outside red with a distinct line down the center of my thorax round to a line running down my back? Its still numb to this day. Unfortunately my neck and back pain is unaltered?

I finally was put on morphine then which was 30 years ago now. They gradually put it up till I was on 250mg twice a day. I was almost pain free, but useless as a mother to my two kids. So after a few years like that I finally worked out i was still in pain, but couldn't keep increasing the morphine? I realised the only times my pain was reduced was when I was engaged with my children or loved ones? I looked into "distraction" techniques with pain. It really works and allowed me to spend part of my days and nights in bed on less pain meds and the active part of my day on the lowest dose of morphine that will let me get through my days!

It hasn't worked so well the last year or so. But none of the hospitals in my area have a pain clinic anymore. They have all been closed down with the cuts. The Anesthetists only see pain patients on the wards now?

I find it hard to keep my spirits up, between the cuts this awful government have made. I try to do a little job at a petrol station, just taking the money in a booth. I had to work a bank holiday and earned £2.50 over my 16 hour allowance and they fined me £1000 plus £50 because they said id done it deliberately! They had already cut all our benefits in half when they began the cuts? I can claim working tax credits, but I wont because if I do they will automatically change me onto Universal credits, I can't risk that because I rent a specially built disabled house and if they stopped paying my rent and council tax benefits for months at a time, as they have done to thousands of disabled people, who have then been evicted and lost their homes. I've lived here for 30 years now and dont want to loose my home? But its all so depressing it makes life even harder. I dont mind paying the two empty bedroom taxes, but its not like they have ever had a smaller property I could rent, so it does feel unfair?

Good luck with your regime. I think id like to try it. Well done to all of you on this group. You are all doing a great job supporting each other.

[Arsepain]

Dearest cat lady. You have to have your doctor on your side and you have to have CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU on your side. there are plenty of sites online that can help you with benefits claiming disability benefit comma council tax, housing benefit, and don't forget to look up for charities that help people in your situation. They do exist. and if all else fails and DSS get on your back I would personally go to the papers about it or your local MP they seem to help as well but to be fined £1,000 I think that's a bit excessive and you need to look into that to get that money back.

It's a lot to think about and it's a lot to have on your shoulders, that try and stay positive and try not to dwell on those things that make you slightly depressed I would also ask your doctor if you can go for a about of counselling as well. I know that's got nothing to do with your injuries but it's another box on top of the box on top of the box on top of a box.. you'll get there you just need to go down the right avenues to get the right help good luck with it my love take care