my back hurts so effing bad.

the shots vash is talking about..my s.o needs three in each arm, but we've heard they hurt like hell. do they?

try the old fashioned massages. they work wonders for back pain.

[Illusional]

mis... i'm sure that there are other drugs out there at the moment, which would be a lot cheaper. when you talked to these doctors, did you suggest a generic version of whatever they are offering? it usually runs for a fraction of the regular price. if you already did that, then weed usually will work just as good.

raverboy

[vashti]

LNF - misombra is having nerve pain, not muscular. A massage would be of no help, and might even make it worse.

And you are right about the somas - they don't touch nerve pain - they just make you so stoned you don't care about it.

[squirrley]

Mis, massages dont really help, they might make you feel ok for the half hour you have it, but it might not be a good idea to do massages until you find out whats going on. Somas do nothing but make me forget, and I am addicted to them. I usually will take 6 at a crack. My husband is aware, but I can go a couple of weeks without them.

Ok, sounds like you might just need to get the inflammation down and there are other RX'S for that, also ICE! Oh wow, for my neck I iced every half hour and that actually relieved it. I cant handle ice on my back, I use heat. More for the soothing aspect of it.

My fusion, I had 2 herniated disks, they went through the front of my neck, I have 2 plates and 6 screws in my neck, and a year later I havent lost any mobility. Im thrilled with the results! The only drawback is that because Im only 37, I have a VERY HIGH probablity that years down the road I will have to have another fusion above and below the current. But it wasnt painful for me. I had bad night, but not really pain.

Im scared to do that to my back, hence postponing anything there. They're coming out with new techniques every month. You have to be careful Misombra, even the slightest thing can be damaging. My mom had a herniated disk, went to PT for 6 weeks, the therapists made it worse. Acupuncture has helped me a ton! I will continue to do those methods of treatment until the time comes. Try icing, and an anti-inflammatory. Keep your legs elevated!

Have you noticed anything that makes it worse or better? (you are so in my prayers sweetie!)

I do have say there are so many people walking around today with herniated disks, etc and they dont even know it, but then there are those of us OMG who could just die from this pain! Hang in there honey...Look on WEBMD for things too. Ive been directed to it by several of my surgeons.

[Tiay]

ouch, ouch ouch.

I'm gonna join the moaning parade here. I'm a bit under the weather today, feel like i'm getting a cold, and that's when my back gets me. nothing like what you've got, though.

my dad absolutely swears by this back stretch where you're lying down and it's like you're doing a pushup but your hips stay on the ground, and you push back as FAR as you possibly can. He says it feels like you're hurting your back but if he does it every morning his back pain is totally gone. The other thing i'd recommend is getting a really good, expensive mattress. edit: and oh yeah, I've read back pain can to a large extent be a mental/chronic thing, which flares up when you're stressed and such. So I'd definitely say acupuncture is a good idea, even If I dont' much believe in the needles myself, either way it should be relaxing.

but hey, you've probably tried those things. I really hope you feel better soon. My thoughts are with you.

[misombra]

thanks squirrley for your replys and your prayers. you're in mine as well.

does your doctor know how much soma you take?

i just got health insurance that'll start on the 15th. i'm gonna make an appointment and get that shot done.

they'll probably send me for another MRI but perhaps they won't. it hasn't been very long since it was prescribed to me.

my back is still hurting. my friend did acupuncture and it helped for a little while. it definitely calms me down and makes me less depressed, but the pain is not less.

my back hurts so bad that my stomach hurts.

[misombra]

thanks tiay. i've tried stretching. in fact i do yoga every day to maintain my back.

it's usually the only thing that helps. but it's not helping much.

it sounds so strange you know. the things that helped before aren't helping right now.

[Illusional]

your age is finally catching up to you huh? nah j/k...

recently though, did you do anything overly strenuous?? and do you run often??

raverboy

[misombra]

it's true. but i'm only 30. i'm still too young for this.

anyway yes, i've been snowboarding, remember? not good for back.

i used to run a lot. not after back pain stuff though. lack of running=major source of depression that i've recently shaken because of snowboarding i think.

i don't want to slow down. i already have slowed down so much you know? how the hell much less can i stand to do is the question.

[squirrley]

My regular MD has prescribed 60 a month. doesnt last but 10 days. I do notice a flare when Im under a shitload of stress like today. I have to say goodbye to my son. Its killing me.

MRI's are good every 6 months. Ive had so many of those effer's. They found my disk was torn through another series of test, a diskogram I think. They ran die through me. Youre probably going to have to get another MRI, and possibly a catscan, gawd there are so many tests it drives me boogy.

PLEASE if someone suggests to you Pain Management, Mis dont do it. Its painfull as hell and the results do NOT last. Not to mention the cost of out pocket. They start you off with whats called FACET JOINT INJECTIONS. A series of 4 visits. They give you some stuff to put you somewhat under, and they inject your spine into your damn bone. 2 out of the 4 visits I FELT IT and cried my asshole off. I didnt know until the 4th visit they were TESTS not a form of treatment. It was after those tests and the diskogram, they burned the nerves off, that didnt hurt, but it was the same set up as the injections.

I did notice a difference in pain level, however, it only lasted a few months. I will NEVER go that route again. But when youre in so much agony, you do whatever or will try whatever to relieve that pain.

Ive been to neurosurgoens, and orthopedic surgeons. Have found the orthopedic to work better for me. But your general MD will refer you to who he/she thinks is going to be the best for you symptoms. Sweetie, keep in mind if your MRI is over 6 months old, be prepared to get another one. Your surgeon will want that MRI first. I strongly recommend you get that before you even see the specialist, saves the time.

I can tell you, your mental status IS going to reflect the level of pain, there is no doubt stress exaserbates it. Ok, at least from my experience and everyone I know whose gone or is going through it does. My surgeon did give me something to decrease the inflammation. Thats temporary too. But it all depends on your cause of pain. If it is herniated or bulging, they can do something. After I had my neck surgery, I felt 100% complete relief. The pressure was taken off of my spinal cord. I no longer felt pain in my upper back or shoulder, the tingling and numbness was gone as well. Since that surgery, my back seems to have improved, my surgeon swears that is not the reason why it improved, having neck surgery, I still wonder though.

Keep my posted sweetie, have you found anything to relieve it yet?

[vashti]

Are you taking anything for pain, misombra? You could take ibuprofen, but you can't drink alcohol.

[misombra]

squirrley- yeah, i guess another mri is in my future. this time i'm going to tell them i'm claustrophobic. you know how i feel about being sedated.

YouTube - The Ramones - I wanna be sedated

i really feel for you squirley. part of me wants you to stop taking those somas then the other parts totally understands and empathizes.

vashhhhh- pills don't do much for me. ibuprofen and over the counter stuff seems to make it worse. i was in the habit at one time of narcotics like vicodin and a muscle relaxer 4 or 5 times a day i would take both. but the doc stopped giving me that stuff, and it was really the best thing. it didn't do anything for the pain it just jacked me for a little while. plus i was having horrible nightmares. pills really get to me.

alcohol does too. alcohol does not help the pain or the depression. i know this very well. i do believe this is how people get addicted to stuff.

[Tiay]

I'd try nurofen plus, but you guys don't get that over the counter because there's codeine in it.

damn, I gave mine to a friend who had a cold last week. grr.

[squirrley]

At 2 different times over the last few years I had bad spouts of addiction. Vicodin and Somas, or Valuum, xanax,percocet, darvocet, whatever I could get my hands on, (my mom or grandma always had it on hand). Ive had morphine and hated that crap. And there I was several times a day, 4 or 5 of EACH at a time. Put me in another world and it was my way of escaping, pain, real pain, mental pain. And one period of it happened while dating Ironliftr from here. He saw how bad I was.

Ive managed on my own to stop. I dont do pain pills anymore, and just this last week, have noticed even at 6 somas, I no longer get the feeling I use to. I wont take anymore than that because a few times I did over do it and scared me shitless.

I think as soon as you get to the Dr, and you tell him what works and what doesnt, he should be able to put you on something to help.

Sedation may very well be around the corner! It scares me every time I go through it. Not much to help, unless you tell them you want a valuum.

[Illusional]

sorry, i never really got into the snowboarding thread.

anyhows, running can also put a lot of pressure on the spine. i run a lot, however, i should take up swimming or biking. ellipticals are good because they take the pressure off of your body. being that you are an adventurer, i'm going to guess that you did a lot of jumping while snowboarding, which lead to this immense pain.

other than seeing a doctor, which you've done, i currently don't have a remedy for you. sorry.

raverboy