my back went out HELP

[dotsncoms]

i'm at home until further notice . does anyone have a cure besides "lets get drunk"?

dotsncoms@msn.com

[Katylina]

Ask the hordeking.

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[hyperspace]

it will be back...right after these messages!!

[TooCute]

It all depends on what you
mean by 'out' - you need to
describe it better.


<img src=http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/toocute2.gif>
ADF makes great sigpics!

[furie]

touch your toes

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Lighting up the New Year

[HordeKing1]

DOTSNCOMS - The overwhelming majority of Americans have disabling back problems at some point in their lives.

The good news is that about 80% are very transitory and heal completely on their own.

Another 10% heal on their own but the pain may be recurrant and longer lasting.

Only about 10% of back pain requires serious intervention, which may be in the form of steroid injections, or even surgery.

Of those that qualify for surgery, almost 98% obtain a substantial improvement in pain and abilities. They are usually (not always) left with residual pain that never leaves.

Only about 2% of people with serious back conditions cannot be helped. I'm one of those 2%. My doctor told me that my best chances lie along the lines of drugs genetically engineered specifically for my dna. We're still quite a way off from them, but some estimates put it at around 10 - 20 years.

Too Cute told you that you need to provide more specific information about your problem. For example there is a huge difference b/w a mussle sprain, a bulge, a HNP, nerve root impingement, spinal impingement, congential defects, generalized edema, infection, degenerative disc disease and menningitis.

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[Christy]

Oh my gosh! I hope you are feeling a little better! Ugh ... I am so sorry!

Feel better sweetie! :-)

<img src="http://norraccm.freeservers.com/images/rnf_ron_christy_01.jpg">

[TooCute]

I hate back pain. I started
having muscle spasms in
my lower back when I was
about 16. The orthopedist
essentially told me it was
due to my back being
curved in so many of the
wrong directions, but that
unless I grew any taller (at
16 that wasnt very likely) it
wasn't really going to be
bad enough to need to
operate. They *could*
operate and it *mit* solve
the problem, but I decided
that didn't instill too much
confidence in me.

It used to recur every few
months and it wouldn't be
too bad. It completely
stopped when I started
horseback riding seriously -
that sport builds up your
back muscles a ton so I
guess they helped stabilize.

Now that I am an indolent
loaf, I get really bad sciatica
fairly frequently. Recently it's
been bad enough that it
keeps me up all night.
Always in the right side.
Time to go see the doctor
again!!


<img src=http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/toocute2.gif>
ADF makes great sigpics!

[HordeKing1]

Too Cute - Sounds like impingement on the right L5-S1 nerve root. You need an MRI preferably w/and w/o contrast (they use gadolinium) to tell for sure.

Be very very wary of doctors who seem eager to opperate. Although in some cases it's unavoidable, it's best to treat conservatively.

<img src="http://members.aol.com/rnfpantera/hking1">

[dotsncoms]

thanks for your response, I have an acute tear on L-5 disk. The doc gave me vicadin aleva and bextra for pain management. Thats all i can do for it I guess unless you have a suggestion. thanks

dotsncoms@msn.com

[HordeKing1]

As the disk lies b/w two vertebrae (where it serves as a spacer and cushioner) the site of your problem would be described as either L5-S1 or L4-5.

L stands for lumbar, S stands for sacrum. The other parts in the spine are the cervical (neck) thoracic (upper and mid back) and below the sacrum, the coccyx. I don't believe there is a disc b/w the sacrum and the coccyx. When there is a very serious problem with the coccyx, it can be surgically removed.

Painkillers are a nice conservative approach. Hopefuly your pain will decrease with time. You may find physical therapy helpful - it can help strengthen the muscles that support the spine. (Abdominal muscles are particualry important for the lumbar spine).

<img src="http://members.aol.com/rnfpantera/hking1">

[Crippler]

The doc gave me vicadin

If you really want to ride space mountain, tell your doctor that you have trouble swallowing pills & ask for liquid Vicadin....some bad ass shit!

And get well soon.

SigPic thanks to TenbatsuZen
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...silent, but violent.
[center](Miles)[center]

This message was edited by Crippler on 1-11-03 @ 12:17 PM

[HordeKing1]

The hell with liquid vicodin, go for the liquid morphine (I believe the generic brand is roxinol) or liquid demerol. Or a Fentanyl patch.



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[ADF]

My back went out for Chinese.

<center><img src=http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/adf5a.gif>
Ce sachet d'emballage n'est pas un jouet.</center>

[FUNKMAN]

Only about 10% of back pain requires serious intervention, which may be in the form of steroid injections, or even surgery


My wife had back surgery to repair a herniated disc, about 10 years ago. It turned out to be very successful.
She had it done in Morristown Memorial, if i remember correctly...


<img src="http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/funkman.gif">

"and when you're bad you die when you die"

[HordeKing1]

I'd be leery of having any sort of procedure done in a hospital with the word "memorial" in it. Creepy!

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[ChickenHawk]

TooCute - I just had an MRI
3 days ago for similar
symptoms. I haven't gotten
the results yet, but I'm
curious if you experience
the same thing as me? My
lower right back hurts
almost constantly,
especially when sitting, and
the pain radiates down my
entire right leg.


SIGNATURE
PENDING

This message was edited by ChickenHawk on 1-13-03 @ 12:40 AM

[DJEvelEd]

HEATING PAD, BACK MASSAGE, and 2 CATS...

>>Big Bird is Ferrall's bitch<<

[EffMeBoobs]

I started having back pain in Nov 2000. I mean serious back pain that one morning, I just couldn't get out of bed. My dad had to carry me to the car and straight to the ER. I had a MRI, then saw a neurosurgeon. He was AMAZED at how bad my L5-S1 disc was bulging out to the left, which in turn compressed my left nerve root. I had completely lost feeling all the way down my left leg into my foot. You could have stabbed my foot and I wouldn't have known the difference. My calf had this painful-numbing and tingling sensation.....excruciating pain. He told me I was way too young to have this problem where I couldn't walk and had no feeling down my leg. For what I do in my career I NEED to be on my feet all day so I had to take his advice and have a microdiscectomy. I was scheduled for Feb 28, 2001. I stayed home for 3 months and I returned to work in June 2001. I was back to normal 100% and to this day no problems. The only thing that sucks is I have this one and half inch scar on my lower back right in the middle of my tattoo.

Now some are weary of surgery and I was one of them. I researched it thoroughly and got second opinions before I had went ahead to do it.

Physical therapy also did releive my immediate symptoms for a while but then I got lazy with the back exercises.

Good luck and make sure you get second opinions.

<img src=http://hometown.aol.com/lqqieee/effmenew.gif>



This message was edited by EffMeBoobs on 1-19-03 @ 10:26 PM

[Lucento]

Get the book Healing back pain by Dr John Sarno.
It saved my life! Essentailly, you have anger and frustration and your mind is creating this pain to keep you away from work or where you have frustration. Its exactly like when an actor will develop butterflys in your stomach. Its to keep you from going on stage and performing. Read the book!!
Youll be ok. I promise.
In the meantime, get down on the floor on your belly and rest on your elbows with your head up, allowing your stomach to sink into the floor, relaxing your ass muscles. Hold that position for 5 minutes. Then, roll over on your back and keep one leg straight and grab your other knee and slowly stretch your foot straight towards the ceiling and back down. Youll find your hamstrings are tight. Stretch them like this. Then do the other leg as well. After that, roll back over and do that other excercise again. These are called McKenzie excercises.

<IMG SRC="http://www.osirusonline.com/lucento.jpg">

[dotsncoms]

hello horde king! i had a discectomy on april 2 it's going great so far except for a real severe pain attack in my butt. it only last for a minute. when do you think its safe for me to get back to work. i'm a month behind in the rent and i'm stressing out over it. It was the S 1 that was fully removed and the L4 L5 is a degenerated disc. they left that one in.

dotsncoms@msn.com

[HordeKing1]

I'm glad your surgery went well.

A discectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that does wonders for radicular pain (the pain that shoots down your let). It also causes a minimal amount of scaring so that's less likely to be a problem 6 months down the road.

In a discectomy, or laminectomy or similar procedure the entire disk isn't removed. Just the part that extrudes into the the spinal cord or nerve. If the entire disk were removed you'd most likely not have been a candidate for a discectomy and you would be recouperating from a fusion.

L5-S1 herniations are a litteral pain in the butt, and the radiculopathy can extend quite far down your leg as well. When you describe a "real severe pain attack in [your] butt" that lasts a minute, is it safe to infer that your back pain is limited to short bursts of pain in your butt? If so, you're doing absolutely fantastically! It's more typical for some back pain to remain even though the radicular pain is gone.

L4-5 you describe as degenerative. Most people have some degree of degeneration. When it progresses to the point of degenerative disk disease, sometimes fusion is an option. Fortunately, for now at least, this doesn't seem to be the case with you.

As far as returning back to work, check with your doctor and make sure that you do not go back too soon. I returned to work 6 weeks post laminectomy and it was about 2 weeks to soon. You're much better off going back later and avoiding recurrent problems than rushing back and developing complications.



<img src="http://members.aol.com/rnfpantera/hking1">

[dotsncoms]

Hi Horde King! Budday! I was told that the disc was really small and he was able to remove the whole thing. I was released 12 hours later and wasn't told anything except stay in bed for four weeks.I'm to walk as much as possible.Well now I haven't had an ounce of pain since Friday. The hospital was such a cattle call from start to finish ,the surgeons are the best though.I have to start paying the rent or i'll be evicted. Treat 'em and street 'em. I need your advice not the doctors, what type of work can i do right now?

dotsncoms@msn.com

[HordeKing1]

If you must return to work, make sure that you only work to tolerance. Do not push yourself further than you can go. You might consider starting w/3 half-days a week then 5 half-days a week and so on.

If the pain increases at all with physcial activity you MUST stop what you're doing and call your doctor.

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[cheezeemee]

Get a room you two

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[dotsncoms]

Hey! Thanks I'm doing so great right now, there is no pain at all. My follow up is on Thursday so i can ask whats what when i am seen. The problem is I never have the same doctor. You have been so much help.I'm sure they are going to tell me start physical therapy and blah blah blah. I don't have time for that.Thank You.

dotsncoms@msn.com