24/7 lower back pain

Last May had a terrible pain in the centre of my lower back

For months had pain and in the end had an xray and then MRI which showed bulging between discs

Stopped my main hobby which is gardening and although lower back uncomfortable it was bearable

In Feb started gardening again and now I have 24/7 back pain especially now on the left had side. My doc has suggested pilates to strenthen muscles but I am so miserable and uncomfortable I feel like paying out to see a specialist perhaps a chiropractor?

I have to make a plane journey soon and will have to go to my docs to ask if he can inject me and give me the stongest pain killers available

Help am at my wits end - no it is back and everybody rolls there eyes at this malady but I am so miserable with it - can't do anything for too long i.e. sitting, standing or walking - I have burnt my back with the hot water bottles I place on it to ease the pain

Lower back pain is terrible, I am recovering from surgery at this time but before my surgery I could relate to the 24/7 aspect. Maybe your doctor could refer you to someone else.

Before my surgery I tried physio therapy and injections so maybe there is something that will help you but you need to speak to your doctor.

nicola56

One thing you might ask your Dr. to do is prescribe a Tens Unit (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and give it a try. If you are not familiar with what a Tens Unit is do an internet search for 'What are TENS Units ?' To me, If the TENS works for you it is a lot better than having to take high power pain meds and you may be able to enjoy your trip.

D.

Hi Nicola, after reading your post it sounds like you are totally miserable. back pain has a way of doing that to a person. Yes, it can make you feel like you are at your wits end too, I totally understand that one. What type of drs have you seen in the past and what kind of a dr is treating you now? If you are seeing your primary care physician, then understand the odds are not real good that he is going to give you a strong narcotic for pain and if he does offer a pain medication it will probably be something mild and for short term use only.

There are new guidelines and rules in place concerning narcotics and most drs do not want to get involved because of all the hoopla they have to go through if they are going to rx narcotics to their patient. The DEA is now involved and these drs want no part of them showing up at their office wanting to do an audit. They are scared of the DEA. This is why most of us here at the forum are under the care of a pain mgt doctor. And in all honesty, for someone dealing with chronic pain they are better off being under the care of a pain mgt dr because that is his specialty, dealing with chronic pain.

I would not consider going the chiropractic route if it were me. If you were having a muscular type of pain then I would say yes, But since you have a bulging disc I would shy away from that kind of care. I know of people being made worse and inured further after trying that type of care with bulging disc.

Why not ask your primary care physician to refer you to a neurosurgeon for a consultation to see what he/she could offer up. I hope you can come up with some kind of help to get things calmed down. Take care...Susie

I have a muscle imbalance in my back that causes excruciating pain, especially when the spasms come...and that's a lot of the time. Pain meds may help you but if there's a way to fix the problem, I would try for that. Once you start the pain med route, especially if you don't treat the cause directly so that the pain stops or lessens...then its a path that's pretty long if neverending. So far my condition has no treatment that any dr or specialist deems appropriate for me, so I've been on every pain medication out there pretty much.

The side effects can be pretty horrible, and when your body gets used to the meds you end up in a position where nothing that you can take and stay conscious...helps.

For short term they can be a wonderful bridge to get you through, however. I would talk to your Dr. and do some experimenting to see what works and what does not. Also, if you do choose pain medication, you may also want to ask for an antinausea medication as well if you're prone to feeling sick on them. Developing acid reflux from throwing up so much from feeling sick from the pain meds is not fun. Lol.

I hope you find some relief soon!