Back Pain Support Group

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care. In fact, about 3 in 4 adults will experience back pain during their lifetime! The term back pain includes pain affecting the neck, midback and low back. Acute back pain may begin suddenly with intense pain but typically lasts fewer than three months. Usually, chronic back pain is persistent, steady, and...

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Brain & Nervous System
/ Back Pain Support Group

At my breaking point

stierney
stierney

I have had pretty severe lower back pain for 3+ years and it's just getting worse. I can't sleep because there's no comfortable way to lay. If I lay on my back, I get pain so severe that I need to wake my husband up to help me roll over. Laying on either side makes my legs burn and go numb and trying to sleep on my stomach is excruciating from the get go. I can't stand, sit or walk for any length of time. Exercising is out of the question because it's just too painful.


I was being treated by a spine specialist who diagnosed me with synovial cysts - one on each side at L4. After doing facet joint injections and epidural injections with no relief, he sent me to a neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon said they weren't causing the issue and sent me on my way. I honestly kind of gave up hope of feeling better at that point and quit going. Now I have no choice to but to start the doctoring process again. I truly can't take the worsening pain and numbness anymore. I can't take it physically or emotionally. I'm worn out. I can't do it anymore. The pain is so severe at times I can't even clean myself after using the bathroom because I simply can not bend enough because of the pain. This has impacted every single aspect of my life.


My question is this, do I see another spinal specialist or skip that step and go directly to a neurosurgeon? I need relief and I need it as quickly as possible.

cockatiel22
cockatiel22
Go straight to a neurosurgeon. I wish you could see my neurosurgeon but I don't know where you live. He is AMAZING and has done my neck surgery and 6 back surgeries for me.
stierney
stierney
Thank you. That's what I was thinking but I always second guess myself when it comes to doctors.
Dovie
Dovie
I hope you can go directly to your neurosurgeon! If he sent you on your way, he may have closed your case to the point where you need a referral from your primary care doc. So frustrating, isn't it???? I wish you the best!
Nanayaya
Nanayaya
For the past seven years since my arthroscopic knee surgery, my lower back pain has been phenomenal! I did some PT, wore my TENS UNIT & DID STRETCHING EXERCISES. The pain become worse so I was sent for Xrays, CT Scans and MRI'S which revealed spinal stenosis, a herniated & bulging disc in my lower lumbar area.also with dessicated discs, I was later diagnosed with SI joint dysfunction along with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. I began Pain Management for steroid injections, facet injections & medial branch blocks which relieved my pain for up to four weeks so opioid pain relievers were prescribed and monitored. I had lost around 25 lbs which took a lot of weight off the joints so I took myself the morphine, oxycodone for breakthrough pain.
After a year I put the weight back on which increased the pain now in both hips, lower back and left knee. Back on opioid pain relievers which now just allows me to barely function normally. I've needed a full knee replacement for a few years now and there is little to nothing to be done for EVERYTHING else except deal with it and continue injections.
I now need to lose 60 lbs to be at my correct BMI. Trying to exercise by riding my bike with Husband, knee hurts too much to walk very far at all.
Chronic pain prevents me from sleeping more than 3 hrs at a time so I doze off every few hours off and on during the day.
mickey816
mickey816
I'm so sorry, I can't even imagine what you've been through. I wish I had something to offer to help, I hope you get relief soon. It must be excruciating trying to exercise through all of that pain on top of everything else. Exercise does sound like a good option if you can manage the pain. I've only had back pain due to three disc problems - one herniated, one torn, and one bulging. The thing that has been helping is a MedEx program, where they focus on helping you gain strength in your back which supports the spine better and takes pressure off the nerves. I've taken opioids to help me get through the pain as I perform the exercises. I have heard that doing weight bearing exercises aids in strengthening bones also, so that could potentially help with your osteoporosis. I do hope you get some help as it must be extremely difficult living with that kind of pain.
mickey816
mickey816
And to the original poster, stierney, I hope the neurosurgeon helped!!! I hope you found some relief I can't even imagine what you must have been going through.
LetsTalk
LetsTalk
Stierney, it seems you have a lot of problems like myself.First of all I would start all over with new doctors(neurosurgeon) I went to my regular doctor and she did a MRI/Cscan done, then she sent me to neurosurgeon,He said my back wasn't bad enough yet for surgery so he sent me to a pain management doctor who put me on pills and psychical therapy. swimming is very good and less stressful on your body. I use my heating pad a lot.most of the meds I am on help me sleep at least 5 hours. I hope you get some relief. And never second guess yourself. You are the only one that knows what you are going through..Good luck!!!
stierney
stierney
Hi, all.

I'm so sorry for the late response. I had totally forgotten about this support group.

I have not found a new doctor or neurosurgeon yet, but am ready to start the process again.

My pain level is a steady 7-8. I'm completely miserable. The numbness and pain is worse now in my legs and feet and is beginning to creep higher up my back (that's probably muscular since I'm always tensed up because of the pain).

I'm just so discouraged. I thought I was having great treatment with my spine doctor before I went to the neurosurgeon, who insisted that there was no way the cysts in my back were causing my issues (btw, nothing else has ever been found to be wrong in my back). After that, all the spine doctor wanted to do was refill pain med scripts.

My issues are getting worse. I'm now having bladder issues, falling a lot because the back will just go out or I lose feeling in a leg. I'm tired of living like this. I'm too young not to enjoy what I have left of my life. I'm tired of everything I do being based on the level of pain I'm feeling how how much I am willing to suffer afterwards.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can find someone who won't just dismiss me.

Thank you all for your support.