Back pain...

[DWEST]

not one to complain...but damn, im laid up on the couch with a heating pad, eating tylanol like tic tacs, and drinking beer to cut edge off.  I know it aint the best way, but thats all that dulls it here lately.
I broke my back (fractured L-1) bout 5/6 tears ago, and the last time i saw a speacalist had buldging disc in that area...and when i asked him about the pain, he said..."well, you're not getting any younger".  Needles to say i didnt go back to him, but have been fighting through it ever since.
I knew this spell was on its way about a week ago when my hamstrings started tightening up

any tips to get some relief?

  The ol' lady is on me bout goin to the doc, but to tell the truth...im scared they're gonna want to cut on me.  I'm sure some of ya'll out there know where i'm comming from....the man of the house aint supposed to be laid up on the couch...and dang sure dont wanna be laid up for monthes due to surgery

[dodgegirl]

My pops did the same thing and he had surgery done and it made it even worse. His bones didn't take to the fusion I think its called. I think he broke his L-2 & L-3 vertebrae if I recall correctly. I'll find out tomorrow for sure. He has a real hard time sitting up straight for a long time.

[DWEST]

My pops did the same thing and he had surgery done and it made it even worse. His bones didn't take to the fusion I think its called. I think he broke his L-2 & L-3 vertebrae if I recall correctly. I'll find out tomorrow for sure. He has a real hard time sitting up straight for a long time.

yeah, i've dang sure heard some horror stories

[jagdtank]

two words inversion table.

[mod93dirt]

First of this year i was laid up in bed and off work for two months. I have herniated l4 and l5, and was causing severe sciatic pain down my right leg. Pain to the point I cried like a little girl and the only thing that was halfway tolerable was to lay flat on my back and not move at all. I recieved 3 epidural spinal injections which helped immensely. I went from a pain level 12 to probably about a two.

I have sense started a stretching routine, made an effort to lose a few pounds, and doing exercises to strengthen my core. I still have pain, but feel better than I have in several years. I also pay a lot more attention to the things I do as far as lifting and heavy work and all.

I think a key is to find a good doctor. A lot of them want to go right to surgery. My doc said we will try everything in the world to avoid surgery, and use it ony as a last resort. He told me only one of 3 things will come from surgery. You'll get better, get worse, or stay the same. I dont like those odds, so I am doing all I can to avoid surgery.

Good luck man. I wouldnt wish the kind of pain I was in on anyone.

[YELLOWBLACKMASK]

Dang brotha. My heart is bleeding for ya. BACK PAIN is a deal killer.

I have always heard fight it as long as you can with anything besides the knife.

I dislocated my hip joint that ties into my lower back right at the base of my spine.  Not as bad as what you are describing but gets me down and out once every couple months and is a bi@*ch for a younger man like myself.

Been through meds and physical therapy.  No relief.

Finally tried a chiropractor and .....WALLA!  cracked me at the base of my tail bone and instant pressure release.
Dont know if you wanna go thata way with a broken back and some of the spooky stories with back crackers..but it definitely did the trick with me.

Also Tell us more about this inversion board?  

[grittydog]

Back Pain sucks, I have fought it for years. I know when mine is getting bad and I prevent alot of pain. But somethimes I go too far and im down for a week or so. Take care of your back....

[jagdtank]

I have compressed disc in my lower back. very painfull at times and put my pelvic area to sleep and numb just like if you leg goes to sleep.I was talkin to a guy who had herniated disc and he would have to be laid up for weeks sometimes.He said the guy he worked for was from Europe. so he sent him expense paid to a specialist in europe hoping for a miracle. he thought he would do some cutting edge procedure. but when he got there he told him to buy a inversion table. So he did and its the only way he got relief from the pain. he said streching the joints will allow fluid in between your vertebra. The fluid is like a lubricant. it will cushion your disc and all your joints. when you stand up and the joint goes back together it traps the fluid in and you get a extra cushion. I do it when my back starts bothering me and it is a miracle for me. google it. it's described on wikipedia

[athorn]

I did the same thing as mod93 last year.  If you google stretches for sciatica, that is the stuff you do in physical therapy.  That and core strengthening exercise, ride exercise bike, lose weight.  If you take otc drugs, you may want to switch to ibuprofen.  It goes thru kidneys instead of liver like tylenol.

[magnuml]

I feel you buddy. First thing i will tell you is stop the heat. Your back is hurting because it is inflamed" HOT ". Used ICE. Biofreeze is good to use with ice. I would say the next would be find a good chiropractor. Do alot of research and if they do not do x-rays first find another one. I delt with 3 herniated disc's for 10 years and went from being layed up to ok countless times avoiding surgery. Then in 2007 i had leg pain and it got worse fast and i continue to work. my chiropractor told me nothing he could do would help that if after this time i was getting worse. I am sure carring hogs on my back helped alot the whole time when i would feel better. Long story short i tried Spinal decompression therapy and when i was done i could not walk anymore and they tore my sacral nerve. I tried epiderals and everything else while using a walker and a cane when i was good. a year later i got into the University of Florida and had my first surgery. That did not work. Had a second surgery 6 months later and they put in 6 screws and 2 rods from L5.S1, L-5 and L-4. Rehad was a bitch. 6 months later i got worse and found out i fractured the bottom disc and the screws were coming out. A year later a Third surgery, Now i have a 7th screw thru my tailbone and into the bottom of my spine because i did not fuse. I have degenerative disc disese. They can't tell that ahead of time. I have heard their is a Doctor in Texas that uses titanium disc implants and that removes the fusing worry. I don't know the name but i am sure you can find him. That is where some of the UFC fighters have gone and had surgery done. I tried but at the time my doctor said they were experimental and he could not use them.. I will tell you after 4 years of total hell and going broke i am able now to go hunting as long as i have people that can carry what we catch, don't run and be somehwat smart. I have learned to enjoy life the best i can and do well. It is amazing what you can get use to. Toby Keith said it best, "I am not as good as i once was but i good once as i ever was" I am on daily meds but i am not miserable or a zombie as i was when i was layed up in bed. looking back the only regret i have was trying that therapy that tore my pinched nerve without a x-ray.. I still use a cane when the leg pain is bad but over all i am better and glad i did it all. You just have to decide what is better and if you have had enough. I decided fighting it was best for me and not letting it keep me down. You will know but finding a good Doctor is the key and take the best care of your back that you can. If you do decide on surgery file for SSI now because it took me 3 years to get it, SSI is for anyone that has a injury that will keep them from working a year or longer. If you get better then great and drop it and go back to work. If not atleast you have something and insurance. They try to starve you and hope you die before they pay. I never thought at 43 years old i would be like this but life is good now and i am hunting with my Son and good friends and take care of my own dogs . Good luck and i hope some of this helps and make things easier on you. Prayer helped me alot.

[lacurdog]

I feel for you,been there.I hurt my back when i was 19 in the USAF.I had surgery at age 22.I now work in the operating rooms monitoring the functions of the brain,spinal cord and nerve roots during lumbar and cervical fusions.When my back irriates me i take 2 tylenol and 4 ibupofens every 4 hrs.Make sure you get plenty of rest,lying flat on your back.You can place pillows under your knees .Only get up to got to the restroom.Low back pain affects 60-85% of adults.Fortunately the majority of people symptoms are mild and 90% subside in 6 weeks.Chronic low back pain,defined as syptoms lasting beyond 3 months affect 15-45% percent of the population.Epidural shots can help,but usually only mask the real problems.The only way to know for sure is a MRI.If you have one of these problems you will need surgery,HNP (herniated nucleus pulpous) the disc is ruptured,lumbar stenosis ( is the narrowing of the space where the nerve root exits the caudia equina to the muscle it corresponds.),lumbosacral spondylosis(degenerative changes). I would give it plenty of rest.There are different drugs out there that are non-narcotic that will help.If you are near Houston/ Clear Lake area I could speak with my neurologist and see who he reccomends.

[charles]

 i broke my l5 and s1 in iraq and i was in the same pain you are descibing. i used to eat percocet, delodid and morphine pills and chase them with a beer just to get releif, but when i had to start doubling and tripling the dosage and mixing more beer. i just stopped taking anything, stoped drinking and just delt with the pain. i still have the pains, somedeays stronger pains than others, but i grin and bear it and push on. that was 3yrs ago. i had a friend have surgery and it messed him up even more, bc it put severe stress on his neck and now he has to get neck surgery. good luck

[halfbreed]

oohhh laudy !!! i know what ya feeling . i am 57 now and was dealing with that crap for 32 years that i remember . now i'm a tuff ol sob , high tollerance for pain , but when them disc hit that nerve and stayed [ it used to come and go ] i finally broke down and went to the V.A. of course they just dope you up good and tell ya to come back in six months . pain is still there but managable with a drug called gabapentin , a seizure med for epeleptics , but after researching i found that it was also givin to canines for pain [ so it must be allright lol ] it just works in the brain to block nerve receptors that and a low dose of vicatin . i don't hurt  AS MUCH and can manage my daily routine as long as i'm careful if i'm not or move just rite i will still fall down sqealing like a little girl lol. i am never without my cane or walking stick and i use them like an extension of my body lol . hang tuff and everybody will tell you it gets better [ LIE ]  just something you have to figure out how to live with and you will .
 good luck with it and remember you cain't do what you used to do , that's what yunguns are for  lol


                   my favorite old man saying    you just gotta put ya back into it son     YEAH RITE    THANKS DAD   LOL

[Purebreedcolt]

Dwest I feel your pain I royaly messed up my knee last night and can't walk for number 2 so I'm sitting here taking hidrocodone trying to dull the pain.  Bet money I have to have surgery and man not looking forward to that.  You need to come to my house or I come there and we can be grumpy together lol.  Another buddy is laid up from a horse turning over with him yesterday.  Should have seen the docs face when I told him I took my knee cap from the out side of my leg and put it back in place lol.  I aint never felt pain like this so my thoughts and prayers are with ya hope you figure it out. 

[TexasHogDogs]

May 26, 2005  I herinated my whole lumbar spine L1-L2-L3-L4 & L5 all at one time in a accident .  L3-4 & 5 were also protruding . I had Left Stenosis , Right Stenosis and Central Stenosis also with DDD and didnt know that at the time .  Let me tell you I know what you are talking about .  I dont know how I done it but I fought threw it all and have not been cut on yet.  Took about 2 years for me to get any kind of back right but over time it seem to get better the pain was not as constant but for a while I thought I was just gonna die from the pain .  Now a days I have to b very careful about what I do and how I do it as long as I do that am fine.  With that said one step out of the ordnary and I may be down for a week are two .

Be damn carefull about chiropractors they can mess you up just as fast as they can help you .  According to how bad and what all is wrong you dont want just anybody popping around on your back .  I know this for a fact cause I had a chiropractor try to help me and ended up hurting me worse than I was for a long time it took to get over just that.

Good luck and find yourself a really good DR.

[TinyTexasCowgirl]

DWest, my family has genetic issue with the sciatic and lower back so we know all about what your going through.

Everyone is right in saying take ibuprofen instead of Tylenol, easier on your body, and it's a anti inflammatory. Also try taking 2 aleve once a day, and 4 ibuprofen every 6 hours.

Find you a bunch of coke or Pepsi bottles, NOT Dr Pepper because it isn't the same shape from top to bottom. Fill them with cold water and freeze em. Once they are frozen, use them one at a time as a sort of lumbar support when your laying down or sitting up. The cold will help with inflammation, and the lumbar support they offer will help with stress on the joints.

All of us have also found buying a 4" memory foam bed topper from Walmart (twin size) helps. Lay it in the floor so that your feet are facing your couch or recliner, then bend your legs at the hips, and again at the knees, and rest that L shape space on the couch. If your calves or hips do not have equal pressure on them while you a lying down, then your couch is to short or to tell, find another base such as a recliner, bed, chair, table, whatever.  If this doesn't make sense, then I'll put it bluntly, your calves should be on top of the couch, your thighs against the side, and your hips/butt/back on the memory foam topper. Then still use the frozen water bottle. It's gonna hurt like muther for the first 5-10 mins because it helps stretch things, but stick with it. You may use a pillow for head support. The travel pillows work best because they offer neck support to keep it in the correct alignment.

Hope this made sense and helps you a little.

[Joe Tullos]

been dealing with back issue 30 yrs have twelve titatium screws and plate for last tight yrs still have alot to of pain. celebrex is the med i take it helps alot i also strecth alot and walk when it hurt Bad. get on celebrex and walk. i dont with back pain on my worst enemey. the ice  celebrex and strecthing walking will help. good luck use a neourologist Not back sorgen...

[Hog_Hunter_57]

Texas back institute great place they work go see them

[charles]

oohhh laudy !!! i know what ya feeling . i am 57 now and was dealing with that crap for 32 years that i remember . now i'm a tuff ol sob , high tollerance for pain , but when them disc hit that nerve and stayed [ it used to come and go ] i finally broke down and went to the V.A. of course they just dope you up good and tell ya to come back in six months . pain is still there but managable with a drug called gabapentin , a seizure med for epeleptics , but after researching i found that it was also givin to canines for pain [ so it must be allright lol ] it just works in the brain to block nerve receptors that and a low dose of vicatin . i don't hurt  AS MUCH and can manage my daily routine as long as i'm careful if i'm not or move just rite i will still fall down sqealing like a little girl lol. i am never without my cane or walking stick and i use them like an extension of my body lol . hang tuff and everybody will tell you it gets better [ LIE ]  just something you have to figure out how to live with and you will .
 good luck with it and remember you cain't do what you used to do , that's what yunguns are for  lol


                   my favorite old man saying    you just gotta put ya back into it son     YEAH RITE    THANKS DAD   LOL

Yep, the va are pill pushers. I would also rather hav a horse vet do surgery b4 letting a va doc work on me

[t-dog]

Hey buddy, there is a doctor in the Tyler, Tx area that is using a non surgical procedure that I wanta say runs about $500. He injects a two part epoxy between the vertebrae to return the spacing to the normal position. Pretty neat stuff, they showed it on screen while he was doing it. Works pretty much like a woman getting an epidural. They're supposed to be having pretty good results. Maybe this could help you. His name is Dr. Kevin Pausa.