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Yay! Back not broken!

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Chronic Pain
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Posted 12/6/2011 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Yay!  Back not broken.  No compression fracture showing.  Got a call this evening.  Lots of arthritis at L2,L3, but that's not where the pain is!  It's way down at L5 where it went "pop," actually made a noise and slipping feeling like something bursting out, when I hauled the grandson out from under the Christmas tree where he was grabbing glass balls.  That's where it hurts intolerably, beyond trigger point injections, tramadol, Vicodin, Percocet, Norco, diazepam, TENS, prednisone, Advil, heat pad, ice, little hot tub, and several of them in multiple doses and together.  I still don't know what I really did.

Temazepam (Restoril) is working - at only 15 mg.  It's not usually prescribed as a muscle relaxant but as a hypnotic - for sleep.  It's working fine for that too, only up a couple of times, not every hour or two with the shoulder.  Of course I can't take it during the day, so I suffer after noon.  It's helping the awful pain from the shoulder surgery where nothing else did too! 

I'm supposed to wear my back brace for a while, but it doesn't do anything for this pain.  Bending doesn't hurt.  It's sitting and driving!

I hope whatever popped heals before I have to go off this stuff.  It's usually limited to 10 days to 2 weeks.  Can you see a slipped disk on X-ray?  I know torn muscles don't show. 

Posted 12/7/2011 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Alcie. That is good news. Congratulations.

I understand the frustration of that is not where the pain is. I had surgery at L5S1 almost 7 yrs ago. Most of my pain is illiac, sacrum, and hip area, which they say they think is from my back, but nothing they can fix.

I had a week like that too. MRI yesterday showed no new bulging or disk collapse as the xray technologists from the week before had implied to me over the phone.

It started when two weeks ago today, I went to get out of bed and had that same sensation of something popped or gave way in my lower back. I could not bear any weight on my right leg fo 30 minutes or so and since then, while my flexibility has improved slightly and I can bear weight again, the majority of the pain is still there. I have tried hydrocodone, which is what I was already on for my herniated disks. No help. I then was prescribe oxycodone with soma. No help. Now I am back to Demerol which gives me a raging migraine and horrible hot flashes and it is also not helping the pain.

A slipped disk generally does not show on an xray. I have something like this that happens about once a year and lasts a couple of weeks. New MRI's never show anything. Sitting kills me too and I have not driven since this started. Rest is probably the best you can do for now. They almost always put me on prednisone when it happens, as well. Twelve days.

Good Luck and I hope you heal quickly.

 

Posted 12/7/2011 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
So glad to hear it's not fractured...was worried, but don't think your outta the
woods yet, maybe see about getting an mri done just to make sure your disc are
okay as well...many well wishes, glad you got into your doctor...
Many prayers and well wishes...and sure hope your on the mend, still a little worried about you...
and no more lifting, even children...take care and do keep us posted...
Posted 12/7/2011 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Alcie great news of not having anything fractured. My current PM dr took me out of a back brace. She said that they do indeed cause the muscles to weaken and I have been told this by various other drs as well. Use to back braces were handed out like candy, not no more. Rarely do you ever see anyone in them either. I get a lot of popping in my neck and back, sometimes it can be a little uncomfortable when it happens but nothing horrible. I asked my PM dr about this and she told me that is was good that I was doing this. She did not go into any detail other than that.

I agree watch the lifting. People have actually blown disc out in their backs by lifting a gallon milk or even bending over to put clothes in a clothes dryer, not hard to do and does not take much weight as one would think.A friend of mine was putting a gallon of milk in the refrigerator and blew a disc had to have surgery.

Hope things calm down for you.
Posted 12/7/2011 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Doc called back while making rounds. He looked at the X-ray himself. A disc at L2-L3 is completely collapsed, squashed flat, wasn't at last MRI. But still no fracture visible. If pain doesn't ease up in reasonable time he'll send me for MRI.

Hi Saphire, nice to have you on the forum. Demerol's on my 2-page list of meds that make me sick or don't work. I'm actually on prednisone for sinus infection, just one more I've been fighting for over 2 years, even after sinus surgery. I've gotten tolerant to opioids from having so many surgeries this year. It doesn't even bother me to stop them cold. Have you tried any spinal injections? Some of them, especially when pain is intolerable in legs, have helped me a lot.

Chart and SD, Yes, no lifting! I hadn't thought at all about just bending to put clothes in dryer. I buy milk in half gallons. Thank goodness for housekeepers coming tomorrow. (once a month) I feel guilty for loafing, well, not too much. They'll get nice, well earned, Christmas bonus. Maybe I can sit on the floor and have baby crawl on me instead of lifting him on my lap; even lifting from sitting is too hard.

I'm glad I got wrist and back braces and orthotics before going on Medicare. They don't pay for that stuff. They do pay for the TENS, but the pads will come under my high deductible next month.
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