Prolapsed Disc

Talk to me....?

Haha, no I won't leave this thread that short. Would like to hear peoples experience of having a slipped disc and what worked for them, whether that was surgery/pain killers/physio or a combination ?

reply to post by Death_Kron


....... Do not. I repeat, Do NOT type prolapsed into Google image search.

Let's just pretend you said Slipped Disc. :p

I'd just suggest looking into anti-inflammatory pain killers, my father had used those.

Maybe you can befriend Mary J. until 2050 when we get our iBodies?

Originally posted by Lysergic
reply to post by Death_Kron

 

....... Do not. I repeat, Do NOT type prolapsed into Google image search.

Let's just pretend you said Slipped Disc. :p

I'd just suggest looking into anti-inflammatory pain killers, my father had used those.

I've already made that mistake, I lie awake at night picturing the horrors my eye's have seen

Yeah, I know about NSAIDs, I'm looking more for peoples experience on a longer term solution.

reply to post by Death_Kron


Hi Death,

I have a fair bit of experience on that subject, would you be able to fill us in with a little bit more info about your slipped disk first before i go any further please? : case history for example

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Originally posted by Rodinus
reply to post by Death_Kron

 

Hi Death,

I have a fair bit of experience on that subject, would you be able to fill us in with a little bit more info about your slipped disk first before i go any further please? : case history

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Sure thing, I had back trouble namely sciatica type symptoms roughly a year and a half ago but that was mainly down to stress/anxiety I believe - at that point my back wasn't physically damaged to my knowledge. A month or two after, when lifting a washing machine I felt my back go, intense pain, felt horribly sick, sweating etc.

I left it for a few months, it never felt right but it did feel a bit better until one night I tried moving my coffee table, this time it REALLY went. Fell to the floor, couldn't move and was in absolute agony, was off work for a period of time, went through 2 months of physio and it's never really sorted itself out so was sent for an MRI which confirmed I have a slipped disc.

That's the long and short of it mate in a nutshell.

reply to post by Death_Kron


Thanks for the extra info Death,

Ok here goes with my story :

I'm in my mid 40s and have always led a very active life, when i was younger i played rugby as scrum half and sometimes as a hooker (NO, NOT that type of hooker!) and have also spent many years restauring my old cottage, so lots of extremely physical work which tired my back out no end.

I have always suffered since about 20 years ago from back aches which i have always put down to the physical work that i had carried out and just plain tiredness after a hard days graft...

From time to time, just a good back massage from Mrs Rodinus seemed to put things right with local application of anti-inflammatory creams.

About 7 years ago my back pains, (lower back) got worse and worse, to the extent that i was in so much pain that i even asked my youngest son to stand on my back whilst i was laying down in order to alleviate a little the pain.

However, this wasn't of course the best thing to do, although it relieved a little the pain at the time.

Anyway, as the pain dragged on and on and on, i took the decision to go to my Dr who prescribed a couple of X rays for which it was discovered that i had a slipped disk (L5, S1 in the lower lumbar region). She prescibed local cortisone injections (which were quite painful at the time, but seemed to relieve the pain for a couple of months).

Then the pain came back... at least 10 times worse with sharp stabbing pain emanating down my back, left buttock and all the way down to the back of my left foot. i let this drag on for a while thinking that it would go away until one one morning i woke up, got out of bed and collapsed to the floor as my left leg went out from underneath me.

Mrs Rodinus took my to the doctors and i was immediately rushed into hospital had an MRI and was operated on in the 24 hours that followed (basically they scraped out the slipped disk and sewed my back up again.)

The doctor told me that if i had left it any longer i would find myself in a wheelchair for the rest of my life as the slipped disk was crushing my sciatic nerve beyond repair. I had another two ops afterwards as the surgeon had left tiny pieces of bone in the cavity which caused bone infection which again blocked my back up completely.

After nearly a year off from my job because the pain was still so bad and after taking humongous amounts of pain killers (becoming practically dependent) and anti-inflammatory medication my doctor found out that my Liver was slightly damaged due to all the meds, so all medication werecompletely stopped.

I consulted a pain specialist because something HAD to be done and it was decided that i would have an internal neuro-stimulator implanted into my abdomen with electrodes connected to my spine. When the pain gets too bad i just switch it on with a remote control and it sends electrical impulses to my spine, blocking off all pain.

Over time the pain has decreased somewhat significantly and i can now go back to my job as a specialised veterinary (but only consulting from home on an academic level as i can no longer perform surgery taking into account the amount of time spent bending over surgery tables!)

However, from time to time i still get pain... but have learned with age and experience that now i have to take things much easier.

My suggestion to you is to go see your doctor, who will send you for X Rays and MRI (to confirm a slipped disk or not), and then they will point you in the right direction (whether it be cortisone injections, stretch therapy or surgery).

Whatever you do, don't go filling yourself with loads of pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications, if you can avoid this, then the better for your liver and your general health.

Also, don't let it drag on because once the sciatic nerve is damaged it is too late and you only have one back!

Also, infra red lamp therapy from the physio relieves the pain but of course is not curative.

I hope this helps you a little in the decisions you have to make?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Rodinus,

Thanks for your detailed reply, it's always nice to hear a personal story and it helps to put things into perspective in comparison on a similar subject. Thankfully my back issues are nowhere near what you have experienced for the time being, it sounds like you had things pretty harsh and I'm glad that you have made some kind of recovery.

It also sounds like you was quite lucky as well, I couldn't imagine facing the prospect of being told that I was inches away from being paralysed; that must be quite a sobering thought.

Unfortunately for myself, I'm just roughly half your age and in the last decade yeah I've been pretty active with weight lifting, Boxing, various martial arts and general fitness, I haven't really ever done anything particularly taxing or harsh that involves my back.

I have been to physio for a period of 2 months which didn't help to be honest (the physio didn't detect the slipped disc!) and I've been for my MRI which proves a slipped disc is the problem, I'm due back at the specialist in a couple of weeks.

My main concern, apart from the pain and discomfort, is how this will affect my long term. It doesn't feel clever now and I'm young, another 20 years time then I don't want to imagine how it will feel. Positive mental attitude though and all that, I don't take pain killers any way to be honest for other reasons but I'm thinking of going back to the doctors and see if they can prescribe me something to take the discomfort away.

DK

Originally posted by Death_Kron
reply to post by Rodinus

 

My main concern, apart from the pain and discomfort, is how this will affect my long term. It doesn't feel clever now and I'm young, another 20 years time then I don't want to imagine how it will feel. Positive mental attitude though and all that, I don't take pain killers any way to be honest for other reasons but I'm thinking of going back to the doctors and see if they can prescribe me something to take the discomfort away.

DK

As long as you are sound of mind and take care of yourself (take it easy with physical efforts etc...) after whatever the doctor or surgeon decides is the best solution for you, you should not have any problems at all.

BUT, i would at least stop the weight lifting (especially if it is power lifting ad this will really bugger your back up putting much pressure on the affected vertebrae and surrounding disks that are already doing extra work for the damaged one (s)!)

If you want to get rid of the pain without taking meds, you could always ask your doctor to prescribe you a non-invasive external neuro-stimulator, it is basically the same thing that i have (but not implanted), with sticky patches that you stick on the affected area, once you turn it on it will send electrical impulses into the affected area, (no needles or surgery needed and sometimes the physio can lend them out, (it will relieve the pain BUT will not cure the ailment).

You sound as if you already have the positive mental attitude, otherwise you wouldn't be posting here so keep your chin up

Well, thats about it for me today as otherwise Mrs Rodinus is going to smash my face into the screen again if i don't get off the computer

Just a little extra info, i have also tried natural methods, but to be quite honest, in my case they didn't work. I do use natural products for other ailments from time to time without any problems. I advise you not to play around with "witch doctor" so to speak natural remedies for your back because in the long term they will not work.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Thanks for you reply and advice again mate, means a lot and full of useful advice. I've not been very active with regards to the weight lifting, martial arts etc for a while now and at the minute I'm pretty unfit so no danger of hurting myself in that respect; I'm also on light duties at work and not allowed to do any heavy lifting as instructed by my doctor.

It's hard to describe sometimes it's pain and other times it's just a really uncomfortable feeling, my toes sometimes go numb as well :

I'll see what the specialist says when I go back and I'll make sure I let you know what's said but I've taken your advice on board, thanks for taking the time to reply and share your experience. Sometimes I just feel like I'm being a pain in the back....

P.S. Stay off the PC before the missus gives you something to really complain about

Originally posted by Lysergic
reply to post by Death_Kron

 

....... Do not. I repeat, Do NOT type prolapsed into Google image search.

Let's just pretend you said Slipped Disc. :p

I'd just suggest looking into anti-inflammatory pain killers, my father had used those.

I hate you..... You know I had to go and do exactly that.

To OP... My husband and I both have had slipped and bulging discs. It depends on the severity of it and your pain levels as to how your doctor will try to treat it usually. We both did physical therapy and pain meds for a while. Be careful with the narcotics though. Your body will come to depend on them in just a few weeks (if taken fairly regular) and while you may not be foaming at the mouth for a "fix" like an addict.... your body will show signs of needing it (shaky, irritable, nauseated ) when you come off of them. Those usually lasted us 2 to 3 days if we stayed on them for more than a month or two. They have pain patches I tried that worked well at times too. Back pain is an awful thing. I hope you feel better soon.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Thanks for your reply Kangaruex4Ewe, I've already been through 2 months, almost 3 of physio and it didn't really work for me to be honest. The physical manipulation side helped at the session and lasted for a day or two but then I was back to feeling crappy for want of a better word.

I have a pretty high pain threshold and most of the time it feels what I would describe as uncomfortable rather than painful but sometimes it does really hurt or it's like my back feels really tired and weak; not very nice at all.

I'm going back to the specialist in a couple of weeks and hopefully will get a clearer answer as to what exactly is going on with my spine and what's the next course of action, I thought I'd put this thread out there to hear from other people as I understand back pain/injuries are extremely common.

Appreciate your response

reply to post by Death_Kron



The physio didn't work much for either of us either. We both had our limit of fluoroscopy injections www.ajnr.org... as well. These worked for me better than my husband. It isn't as painful as it looks, but it isn't pleasant either.... then again back pain certainly isn't. There is numbing medication mixed in with the other medicine so it goes numb fairly quickly. Maybe something to look into if you have no luck with anything else.

My pain was never constantly severe it was just never ending and after a while that works on you mentally and physically. It's there when you go to bed and when you get up. I NEVER cry and I remember just laying in bed crying because I was so tired of the constant nagging pain months on end. I feel for you for sure.

Originally posted by Death_Kron
reply to post by Rodinus

 

I'll see what the specialist says when I go back and I'll make sure I let you know what's said but I've taken your advice on board, thanks for taking the time to reply and share your experience. Sometimes I just feel like I'm being a pain in the back....

P.S. Stay off the PC before the missus gives you something to really complain about

edit on 27/4/13 by Death_Kron because: (no reason given)

My pleasure death,

Back pain isn't the most pleasurable of lifes experiences and can make your life hell!

No worries for Mrs Rodinus, she's watching the last Twighlight film on TV right now so i will have a bit of peace for a while

Saying that, i had best be going because i forgot that i have to sharpen the lawn mower blades... bloody hell, no rest for the wicked

Have a great weekend and keep me upo to date

Warmest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Will do my friend, thanks again

reply to post by Death_Kron


I have the same thing going on and asked for advice back when it all started. I recieved a lot of feedback.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I have tried some of the recommendations and found that a chiroprator has done wonders in my case. MRI, CAT and X-Rays show my 2C, 5C, 3T, 6T, 11T, 3L, 4L, 5L and S1 are all compressed/slipped. I was pretty much paralyzed and could only move under heavy medication which I hated. This is the result of living a vigorous lifestyle for five decades. At least I can say that I've done most of what I wanted to do in life.

PT didn't do squat for me and I'm not a fan of having injections into my spine. It's going on four months now and still feel a mild amount of pain daily.

But the Chiro has me back on my feet and I feel a bit better everyday. I see him once a week and will be transistioning soon to twice monthly, with luck

Hopefully you have insurance that will cover it. Mine doesn't and it has wiped out my account...which is another pain altogether.

Good luck and remember, back injuries take time to heal and will never be 100% again. So be careful with what you do. As soon as you feel that you are better, give a bit more time.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Thanks for your reply TDawg, that sounds like absolute agony mate and I applaud you for being able to discuss it so casually! I don't think I'm anywhere near that bad yet but I'm only a young pup and shouldn't really have this issue at my tender age in the first place; but I hear and read that back issues can affect anyone at any age regardless.

I'm hoping and praying that I'll find a positive outcome, hopefully being younger will stand me in good stead but that remains to be seen.

I'm glad I started this thread because it's bringing people with a common condition together and it's always useful to listen to other peoples opinions and experiences.

Try eating jello? It is more of a preventive medicine. Drinking coffee can help to alleviate the pain a little, the b-carbolines attach to the opioid sensors in the brain and make things hurt less. The chlorinogenic acids can help repair tissues also. Other than that, alcohol metabolites can help to melt tissues and make the lubrication for these areas.

Prescription: Get drunk every night and eat a lot of jello shots....Drink coffee in the morning to try to get rid of the hangover. The hangover headache will make the back pain unnoticeable.

reply to post by rickymouse


Bad advice to an alcoholic my friend!

reply to post by Death_Kron


I've been told that being younger will help, but it will never be the same again. I was basically told that this is the result of getting older.

When I saked the Doc if he had a cure for getting older he told me that he sure did, but it would kill me. But at least I'd stop ageing.

Be aware of your posture as often as you can. My pain started with no real notice, I first thought I had pulled a groin muscle and within a half hour had to leave work because I was limping so bad. Three hours later I was in an ambulance unable to move due to the pain. I was scared snipless and I never want to experiance that again.

As you go through your healing, document what works and doesn't, don't be impatient as time is the main factor here. You be able to see weekly improvements...I don't keep track of daily as it was making me impatient and grumpy.

If your overweight, try to lose some, I think that has helped me as well. Also, if you carry a wallet in your back pocket, start putting it in the front to reduce pressure on your scaitia.

Let us know what is working for you, not everyone heals the same.