Disc space narrowing at the lumbosacral level, with hypertrophy of the lower lumbar facet joints.’

[DollyDutchGirl_1946]

Please, does anyone have ‘ disc space narrowing at the lumbosacral level, with hypertrophy of the lower lumbar facet joints.’ ?? I also have bilateral hip replacements plus, severe asthma (controlled mainly by steroid inhalers, oral steroids, antibiotics and numerous other asthma meds)….and CKD stage 3.

I desperately want to try and improve my physical strength but, when my pulmonary physio contacted my pain clinic physio regarding this, she was told ‘absolutely NOT’.

I am currently only allowed to undertake a few, gentle, sideways rocking movements plus, a few gentle, forward and backward movements of my lower abdomen whilst pulling in my lower abdominal muscles.

I cannot stand for more than a few minutes nor walk very many steps, before a deep pain and ache eats into my lower back, buttocks, groin , thighs and legs - meaning I have to sit for a while (thank goodness for my wheeled walker - that has a firm seat). My next visit to the pain clinic isn’t due until late November/early December.

[Kemptville]

I recently had decompression surgery for a stenosis at L4 -L5. The pain went immediately post op. I would suspect that the surgeons are not keen to operate on you because of the anaesthetic risk. I would suggest that you see a neurosurgeon with a view as to what they can do. I was fortunate enough to have the money to go privately having recently down sized and my children said they would rather have a dad who could live a normal life again than have the money .

I wish you good luck.

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Kemptville]

Thank you so much for kindly taking the time to reply, it’s sincerely appreciated. I’m so pleased that your surgery was such a success. My husband and I discussed the possibility of surgery with a private consultant but, because of my age and other health issues, decided against it. The consultant clearly laid out the risk issues - and actively suggested that I use medications rather than risk not waking up from the surgery. Hence the pain clinic being my current pathway. I also have minor scoliosis convex to the right with minor anterior vertebral body height loss at T12, L3 and L4. Much to my amusement, my ‘bean pole’ 14 year old grandson likes to refer to me as his ‘titchy, little lopsided grandma’…..😂🤣😂……😊

[Kemptville in reply to DollyDutchGirl]

I hope you manage to find the right analgesic for you. I know how draining constant pain can be.

[Kjun54321]

My lower back still hurts after spinal fusion of L4-L5. You might enjoy swim exercises or just swimming. I swim the breast stroke with a snorkel, and my lower back feels better. The buoyancy makes your body feel lighter.

[DollyDutchGirl]

Thank you for your kind suggestion - I truly do appreciate it and, am very happy that swimming helps you. Unfortunately, I have a morbid fear of water. As a ten year old child, I was saved from drowning in the sea. I was try to retrieve a new beach ball that was drifting out towards the ocean. Like an idiot, I hadn’t realised that the bottom, where I was bouncing towards the ball, suddenly shelved downwards - and my last bounce took me way, way out of my depth. Although I could swim (just) in a swimming pool - the sea was a new creature to me. Scared to death, I tried bouncing up and down to attract the attention of my mother and stepfather. Unsurprisingly, I spent more time under the water than above it however, a gentleman had spotted the beach ball floating around and then, suddenly saw little me floundering. He kindly swam out and pulled me ashore coughing and spluttering and sat me at the water’s edge. Neither my mother or my stepfather were any the wiser….

[Annamaudebug]

I severed my back at L5-S1 resulting in literally thousands of bone chips everywhere in my lower back. Looked like the night sky on a CT scan. Obviously I had to have surgery to repair and I now have Titanium there and bone grafts. This was done in 2002. I am so grateful all these years later because I can walk but as the years have progressed it is now much more difficult for me to stand for any length of time. Recent CT’s have revealed there is slippage with my L5-L4 plus other problems and surgery has been suggested. So far, I have declined the surgical treatment. Occasionally I have slight numbness in my right foot and for awhile awful sciatica. I decided to try a very strong ultra dose of steroids for a week as opposed to anesthetic injections under general anesthesia and what a huge difference! I rarely have numbness, no sciatica and am relatively pain free. Plus it hasn’t hurt my asthma one bit. Perhaps something like this might assist you. I too am a Grandmother and sadly, a widow now.

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Annamaudebug]

Thank you so much for your kind response to my post - I truly do appreciate it. I’m so sorry that you have experienced such awful issues with your back - it makes me seem like a real woos!! However I’m delighted to read that the heavy duty steroids really seem to have helped you. I’m due to see my consultant at the pain clinic towards the end of November/early December - so will definitely ask if the heavy duty steroid injections may be of help to me. This getting old - although a privilege - certainly it isn’t for wimps….😂🤣😂

[MSTKing]

if you have decided against surgery it really will be a case of managing pain. Could a back support for your lower back help? I don’t have these issues but do have spinal problems due to spinal cord injuries when I was 18. Now in my 50’s so declining quite a bit.

[DollyDutchGirl_1946 in reply to MSTKing]

Thank you for your kind response to my post, it is truly appreciated. Pain management is definitely my chosen route and, my GP is very helpful in that department, with prescribed dihydrocodiene accompanied with 2 paracetamol 3/4 times daily plus, 60mg of Amitriptyline - along with host of asthma meds and blood pressure meds. The pain clinic is also working with me - and, will re-addressing what other medications we can try….

[Mistygreyhound in reply to DollyDutchGirl_1946]

Hi I have had chronic pain in my back and legs for about 4 months now,can only walk in short bursts then have to sit,only been assessed by the physio as our doctors surgery is useless and typically its either a phone call or txt message,never even examined me just told me to self refur myself for physio,4 weeks of waiting for an appointment he said it was spinal stinosis and am awaiting an appointment at the MSK clinic in 3 weeks time in the meantime I am just muddling through,I have been various pain medication which has upset my tummy,so can't take those,also been? given amitriptyline which made me feel like a zombie,but am that desperate to get some relief I am thinking they might be my best option,can I ask how you have been taking amitriptyline?has it worked for the pain and what time of evening you take it?

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Mistygreyhound]

I’m so sorry that you’re having such issues - it really seems awful that back pain seems to be pretty much ignored by doctors. Mine problems have been ongoing since 2019 and, eventually I became so frustrated, that I booked a private consultation - subsequently an MRI scan that showed the problem (the consultant said that it would have be clearly visible on any of the x-rays I’d had 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️). Medication is Dihydrocodiene plus 2 x paracetamol 4 times a day also 60 mg amitriptyline, that I take at 6pm. It really does help me sleep at night. I was referred to an NHS pain clinic and was seen there 6 months later (in May this year). I told the person, there that I was trying to cut back on the Dihydrocodeine - and I’d manage to get it down to 3 time daily. They weren’t very happy with that - and said definitely not to cut it back any more - at least until they saw me again - in late November/early December this year….. However, they were able to explain what was causing the pain - and although it will never get better - I felt better just knowing what was causing the pain, (disc space narrowing at the lumbosacral level, with hypertrophy of the lower lumbar facet joints). I can only walk short distances with a wheeled walker - and then I have to sit. I have a tall stool in the kitchen, to enable me to prep food because I can’t stand for very long. Hopefully, that helps you a little. 😊

[Mistygreyhound in reply to DollyDutchGirl]

Yes thanks for your reply,I might give amitriptyline another go then an hopefully will help me sleep,I think i could cope in the day if I had a good night's sleep,which is impossible at the moment,I know it's all a waiting game with hospital appointments but if I thought I was on the waiting list for a scan just to see what is actually going on and get a proper diagnosis,all they want to give me is painkillers,co codomol was the latest but not even strong ones,I could buy them at the chemist,i have a walker too but haven't used it yet as i dont drive and its too big to fit on the bus,i am going to call in a centre that does Chinese medicine today when I go to town to meet my friends to ask about acupuncture as I have heard that's supposed to be a good option for pain,its worth a try,not sure how expensive it is and with the cost of living crisis I can't really afford it but will have to dip into my savings,let's hope we get some relief soon.

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Mistygreyhound]

You could try asking your doctor to refer you to an NHS pain clinic….as that may very well help. My local surgery had a complete change of doctors last year - and my new GP is excellent. He’s honest and straightforward, listens hard to what I’m saying - and clearly understands. I do have a complex medical history so, he works hard to ensure each of my medications are compatible with each other. He discovered that I had been using Volterol or other NSAID’s to try and get some pain relief - and a full blood test showed my CKD bloods had gone crazy within a short space of time and I’m now at stage 3. Needless to say I can’t take those anymore. He also pointed out that as a severe asthmatic - I should never have taken them….🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. Boy oh boy - am I glad my previous GP retired…!!!! I did try CBD oil - but found that didn’t help at all so, I’d be interested to hear how you get on with acupuncture, should you decide to try that. Take care and enjoy meeting up with your friends… 😊

[Mistygreyhound in reply to DollyDutchGirl]

I have had my 1st acupuncture session today,I must admit lying on the bed face down was very uncomfortable and had pain at bottom of my back,i hardly felt the needles going in and was left for around 20mins with a heat lamp on too(the hottest day if the year)after she manipulated my back for quite a while she knew exacly where my pain was,and said I had a slight curvature of my spine,all in all it wasn't too bad but getting off the bed when she had finished was difficult, I going again on Monday,she also gave me some oil to rub in 3 times a day,she did say it takes a couple of sessions to see any difference so will keep going a few times to see,the phsio did refer me to the MSK clinic which I presume is the pain clinic,but it had a 6 weeks wait, I have another 3 weeks to go hence trying the acupuncture,see what tomorrow brings,take care and I will keep you informed how the acupuncture is progressing x

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Mistygreyhound]

Crikey, that must a bit of trial for your, especially with the added heat from the lamp. I truly hope that you find it gives you some kind of relief from your pain. I really will be interested to know. As well as the disc space narrowing at the lumbosacral level, with hypertrophy of the lower lumbar facet joints - I also have minor scoliosis convex to the right, with minor anterior vertebral body height loss at T12, L3 and L4. On Monday - our daughter came to visit and suggested that we go for a walk around the foot of a popular hill that she and her husband often climb and walk. She chose it because it it was a beautiful wooded area, that provided total shade that reached down to the rivers edge. Stupidly, I’d opted for taking my wheeled walker (with a firm seat) - and so it turned out to be a total ‘walk a little, sit a little’ Fortunately, in general, the surface was pretty smooth - but - it wasn’t exactly flat so, pushing on my walker slightly upwards wasn’t too easy. Needless to say, it wasn’t a very long walk - as we also had to come back down the incline. Unfortunately yesterday and today, my back, buttocks, thighs and legs really are telling me that I made a silly decision using my walker on Monday - when I have a perfectly capable mobility scooter sat in the garage…!!!!😂🤣😂 Guess it was another lesson learned - that I really do need to stop being so darned stubborn about what I think I’m capable of doing….🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ I checked up the MSK clinic and it seems different to the pain clinic. Apparently, Musculoskeletal therapy, (often known as MSK therapy), is a powerful corrective treatment that is used to help with a variety of issues involving the musculoskeletal system. It helps people back to fitness after illness or injury, MSK therapy restores range of movement and strength. According to the NHS website, Pain clinics offer a wide range of treatments and support. They aim to support you in developing self-help skills to control and relieve your pain. Treatments may include; medicine - pain-relief injections - manual therapy - exercise - complementary therapy - psychological therapy. So, it appears that there is definitely quite a difference between the MSK clinic and a Pain Clinic. Anyway, I hope that your next acupuncture session is more comfortable for you - and that you get some long term relief. 😊

[AhBabs in reply to Mistygreyhound]

A new doctor to me recently changed my pain medication to Nefopam a new pain killer and Duloxetine for the nerve pain

It is still early days though I am happy with the results

I can still feel pain though no where near as extreme and no zombie side effects

I have previously taken Codeine amatriptaline tramadol gabapentine Pregabalin and morphine patches

These current meds are the best by far and I’m happy to have a lively awake mind

Kindest regards and all the best on your journey

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to AhBabs]

Thank you so much for your kind help and although it wasn’t direct at me - your message is truly appreciated - and I will mention the meds mentioned, at my next appointment with the pain clinic.

[MSTKing]

Good luck!