Back Pain

Posted on: Tue, Jun 24 2008 4:39 PM

Posted by: vindivixon Posts: 56

Tootsie, I almost forgot....you are blessed to have such a wonderful hubby. My guy works 12 hr shifts.....he has arthritis, also. It's in his right hip & back. Had several epidurals with no success. Lord, it's a daily struggle for him. His job is so physically demanding. He pushes himself, then oays for it the next day. He split wood over the past 2 week-ends. Worked out back from 8AM until it got dark....we had 2 huge Oak trees taken down, and had to split the wood so it would be cured for winter. I bought him a log splitter, a few years back, while I was still working. Good investment. If he had to do that by hand....he'd be dead!!

He's a good man, but has become so moody & critical. I know a lot of it is because he just doesn't feel good. Getting older....he's not handling it, to well. He gets PO'd when he hurts like hell, and takes it out on me.....and then it's on.....he had little to NO sympathy when this all started with me. I get irritated, listening to him crab.....so, to prove a point he makes himself do things that he knows is gonna make him miserable the next day. Like he's telling the arthritis "You will NOT control my life!!" That's great...whatever works for him. I used to have a Harley...loved riding. It got to where I couldn't twist the throttle. He just couldn't phathom that...he's a seasoned rider, also. Kept telling me to make myself do it....yah, right. The hands would go to sleep....not cool, on a scooter. I ended up selling my bike. I miss it, but did enjoy riding when I was able to. He still rides....rarely does he take his chopper out, anymore. He rides a new Ultra Classic....push button start, not a kicker.....he's going out kickin' & screamin'.....I just sorta silently surrendered. 

There was a time when he just didn't 'get it'.....why I hurt like I did, why I couldn't handle walking for hours at car shows....just trying to twist a doorknob, or the throttle on my Harley. He now realizes how it feels. He is lots more sympathetic, now that he has it, too!!

Just wanted to share that with you......thanks for listening. Sometimes, we just need to vent...... 

Posted on: Tue, Jun 24 2008 4:55 PM

Posted by: vindivixon Posts: 56

Rosemary, how about taking 1/2 the dose, so you don't become as sleepy/tired? Or, take some ES Tylenol before you go in for therapy. Sorta sounds like the hydro therapy is aggrevating the condition, more than helping it. Could you stop the 'therapy' and just swim? It's the best exercise in the world.....uses every muscle in your body. I feel that the water pushing against your legs, making your back strain even more, is what's irritating either your sciatic nerve or other nerves.

Before I had my neck surgery, my HMO made me go for PT. OMG, they could have paralyzed me with what they were doing. Rolling my head side to side inside of a towel.....I could hear my neck making these 'cracking' sounds, and the pain would shoot down my left arm. I couldn't handle it. I was almost hysterical before the session was over with...the pain was so intense, I would be shaking.

Once the arm started to shrink, that's when they decided to do the cervical diskectomy. Not all physical therapy is beneficial...some of it is actually harmful. I think this is your case......

Posted on: Sun, Jul 20 2008 4:52 PM

Posted by: rosemary Posts: 6

I can't take pain meds until I am home.  Even if I take 1/2 a pill, I feel drowsy and feel that my judgment is impaired.  I have to wait until I arrive home after PT to take pain meds.  I do take the 800 mg ibuprofen before physical therapy though.

Tomorrow I go for another epidural injection.  This one is supposed to be under live xray and this new anesthesiologist is going to give me vercid to relax.  I'm still always nervous about shots in my back because when I had an epidural when my son was born I lost consciousness.  It really freaks me out to have anyone go near my back with a needle. 

So besides this new epidural injection, I got my back brace on Friday.  I have also been switched to a different physical therapist and am no longer doing hydro therapy.  This new physical therapist is having me do what she calls "casting" every 2 hours.  Which is lying on my stomach for 15 minutes every 2 hours.  This is "supposed to" promote healing.  It just makes me laugh, I'm sorry, my doc told me he wants them to work my abs, this is not working my abs at all, in fact if I made any progress with the previous land and hydro therapy, I'm thinking this is going to ruin any of the progress those therapies made.  Just from the standpoint that I'm not doing anything to build up my abs.  All they have me doing is "casting" every 2 hours.  I think when my doc gets the physical therapist's report he is going to go ballistic.

Rosemary 

Posted on: Sat, Aug 23 2008 4:42 AM

Posted by: Scott Posts: 9

Hi Sean,

I guess were all alittle naive when it comes to going to Dr's, but when your in pain we need to trust in someone and also why Dr's take a oath. We all have seen Dr's we shouldn't have and best we can do is move on. Was this Dr a pain Mgmt. Dr? If he was and did the shots without Fluroscope than that is just irresponsible, period...Scar tissue problems are quite common. Last year I went to a place in Florida called the Laser Spine Institute in Tampa, an there procedures are not as invasive as surgeries and they claim to be able to help with scar tissue pain.I went to see them and wanted to have the laser surgery done but had to put out 20,000 because my insurance did not cover the procedure. So I have to wait until next year, I am retired govt and can change my health insurance once per year. After the 1st of the year I will schedule the procedure and will have to come up with 5k instead of 20k. It might be something to look into. The site is www.laserspineinstitute.com.

Check it out, it may or may not help. Good Luck.

Scott

Posted on: Sat, Aug 23 2008 4:54 AM

Posted by: Scott Posts: 9

Hi There,

I have been going thru back pain most of my life, had 3 surgeries, a pain pump installed which helped alot. It took my wife a long long time to understand what I was going thru. She now gets it and tells me the same thing when I start to do physical things...I also had a physical therapist that had a good saying. We can either manage our pain by doing the things that help(whatever works for him/you), or we can let our pain manage our lives. Sounds as if your hubby is doing just that...letting the pain manage his life...None of us likes what aging does to us, and as we get older we can not work like we did when we were younger, working from the neck down, not using our heads. We need to use our heads and do things that we can and not do things that aggrevate our pain. I wish you both well and that he realizes what his not managing his pain is doing to you and your relationship. God Bless...

Posted on: Thu, Oct 23 2008 6:31 PM

Posted by: dmicohen Posts: 1

 Oilbased pantopaque is a known cause of arachnoiditis, the building block for Stenosis......2nd year medical school info., also used in mylegrams before water based opaque was used...... This is open info., I alsohad a few stupid neuros that did not keep up on their CME credits, therefor didn't know "Jack".  Glad you didn''t go with the DA's recomedation.... fight on people, ">

Posted on: Thu, Oct 23 2008 7:06 PM

Posted by: Tony Posts: 587

 Sean,

 Thank you for starting this post. Whoa, I get nerve blocks every 3 months, at least 6 injections sometimes more each time. Geez. And now I just today get bad news from an MRI and more surgery is likely looming over me, and not an easy one. I am going to really read all the posts and check out information, thanks again for posting.

Scott,

 They want to put a pain pump in me but I refused, instead opted for patches. They work ok, take the edge off most days but never completly. The pump really works for you? Never had any trouble with it?

Thanks

Clark  

Posted on: Sat, Nov 1 2008 1:13 AM

Posted by: nicoletti Posts: 3

Hey LadyBreezy,Nicoletti here. When was your adhesive aracnoiditis diagnosed? How many back surgeries have you had,and what kind? Are you walking or rideing? Have you been given any hope by the doctor's. No Dr. will touch me,although I do have an appt. next week with a ortho to see if  he might suggest any type of therapy to make a dent in the hip pain. Although the pain keeps moving around and usually lands in the hip,it is so hard to exercise as movement flares the pain up.