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

New to Group: Herniated Disc

tripletmom333
tripletmom333
Hi. I am new to the group. I have had chronic lower back, leg pain for over a year and a half. I first started with a chiropractor. After a year of that not working, I went to orthopedic and had an MRI. It shows that I have a herniated disc in my lower back (the last disc actually). He recommended PT. But I can't afford to go (after 3 visits). Bad insurance. I am in constant pain every day! My pain is all in my lower back, my butt, upper thighs and sometimes goes down my right leg (like a numbness). I am scared to take ibuproben daily for fear of liver damage (and it wasn't helping anyway). I am now taking Turmeric (a natural supplement for inflammation) but it is not helping either. It hurts to sit for any period of time, or stand too. And I am afraid to take pain killers b/c I don't want to get hooked. I have seen too many people get hooked and then start drugs, etc. What a mess! I am so depressed! I have so many days where I don't want to be alive anymore, b/c what is the point? I can't enjoy anything anymore. I can't do the simpliest of things. I am a Writer for work and it is so hard going to work everyday and sitting. I have to get up a lot! I feel so stuck. No $$$ or insurance that is any good, and just tons of pain! I get pain so bad in my butt and 'personal area' too that it is hard to be intimate with my husband. Please tell me I am not alone?! What does anyone do about this?
deleted_user
deleted_user
I do some PT take pain meds that only take the edge off the pain. Pace myself to accomplish anything, and live on. You will not become hooked on pain meds you might become dependent, but that is drastically different from being hooked. In the long run it is a small cost to live.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I agree with imaginos about not becoming addicted, dependent is more what i see myself. Before I went on pain meds, I had no quality of life. If I found some relief with any kind of treatment I would gladly throw them in the garbage. But for now, I am glad that they are taking some edge off my pain.
deleted_user
deleted_user
i feel your pain,i have three hernated disks,feel like all i do is wine to anyone that will listen how bad i feel.,not sure your in come.maybe you could get medical assents.sorry for the spelling also have a brain injury.phiscal thearpy did't help me.i'm out of work like 14 monthes,workers comp won't approve my surgry.ice a few times a day help and then moist heat,i am on pain pills or the pain gets so bad that i just want to die.three and a half months before i crashed my moter cycle on top of this new injury,alve helped me the best with pain.you said you have a sit down job.they say the stronger your core is,cause better blood flow and gives relife.try sitting at your desk that i hope u have good back rest,try holding in your stomac for a few mins at a time.mite help.your in my prayers.sorry you are here going threw the same thing,i have been out of work for,14 months and going out of my mind,was only back to work from my moter cycle for 9 days .never thought i would miss working.,your lucy u have suport from your husband,i am single ,so feeling lonler then i ever have in my life.steching helps too.not to the point it hurts,just to longate the musles.hope today was a good day for you.god bless,maureen
ComputerScienceKid
ComputerScienceKid
I feel for you i am 22 and herniated 3 of my disc in my lumbar region in high school. Since then i have lived in constant pain, i got lucky my family doctor is kind and understanding so i am able to get Vicodin for the pain. I also was told PT but with not insurance i am not really able to go, found that with my back as bad as it is, my relationship just do not last. However i found that with my medications and just not over doing stuff i have managed to get threw 2 years of college. I really do feel for you, just be strong.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Try aspirin. It's the only thing that takes the edge off my pain.

I'm going through the same thing you are, so I really feel for you. My L5-S1 has blown out and I have a dime sized mass of disc jelly crushing my sciatic nerve. I can't work, or even stand or walk properly, I'm in constant and severe pain from my butt to my tiptoes, and if I wasn't drinking senna tea to make my life a little easier, I probably would have taken the coward's way out by now.

Meanwhile the hospital and the insurance are treating my case as a low priority since I'm not in danger of losing life or limb. I had to go on disability a month ago, and they still haven't gotten around to approving an epidural.

I'm learning you have to be aggressive in demanding treatment. The doctors and insurance can't see that you're being torn apart by wolves, so you have to make them take your word for it.

Talk to your doctor about epidural injections or surgery. Yes, people will tell you to avoid these at all costs, but that's because 90% of back problems clear up after one month, and half of the others clear up after six months. If you've had this for a year, it's pretty obvious it's not going to fix itself. And I don't think simple disc surgery is as bad as people make it out to me. Everyone tells me horror stories, but I'm never met anyone who regretted having it done.
Caren28
Caren28
A good physical therapist can teach you exercises and stretches you can then do on your own. It might be worth paying for one or two sessions in order to develop an at-home treatment plan. You said you're afraid to take ibuprofen for fear of liver damage- there are a lot of other NSAIDS out there. Aleve (naproxen is the generic name) is another over-the-counter choice. They all do carry a risk of liver damage, but if you take the prescribed dosage and don't already have liver problems your risk is actually quite low. Tylenol, on it's own or in combinations like cold meds or vicodin, is also hard on your liver in high doses, but relatively safe when taken as prescribed. All medications come with risks, but you have to consider the possible versus the actual. Pain is not benign. Staying in pain for long periods of time has consequences of its own, and from what you describe your life is being compromised. Don't let fear of the possible keep you from at least trying treatments.