Back Pain.....Taking my life away

Cuddleswithpuddles · Nov 8, 2011

Hello loveishope,

I am so sorry for your pain. I hope you find relief very quickly.

I used to have sciatica, plantar fasciitis and De Quervain's tenosynovitis. All of them, at some point, have been a hindrance at work and I have gone to the ER for my sciatic pain. Thankfully, I am past all of it after being more cognizant of posture and body mechanics, losing weight and building up my strength through resistance exercises. I am also (slowly) working on flexibility through yoga and stretching.

In the beginning, I scoffed at all of these and said, "Well, duh. No !$%!, Sherlock" but never really implemented them. I guess it just seemed too... I don't know... easy, plain jane advice But they are not easy. These things take time, consistency and some temporarily worse pain which was often enough to make me stop in my tracks. But I persisted. 51 lbs later, I feel great.

I sincerely wish you health and happiness. Good luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

Here's a hug. :hug: I'm so sorry for the pain you're experiencing.

I had sciatica from early 2005 until early 2007. Basically, I had low back pain that radiated to my right leg whenever I would take a few steps. The pain was difficult to bear, so I resorted to a sedentary lifestyle so I wouldn't have to walk anymore. I had somewhat of a spinal claudication, where the pain would become fierce after walking for a couple of minutes and would stop after sitting down.

I went to a chiropractor who did old-fashioned manipulations on me for two months. Within weeks after the last treatment, my back and leg pain was miraculously gone. I was now able to walk long distances without pain. Therefore, my experience with chiropractic care to treat back pain was relatively successful.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Nov 8, 2011

so sorry you have this issue. Hope you find the care you need.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

I have to admit, I often thought of patients with back pain as being overdramatic, but now that I have experienced it, I wish I could take care of those people again and show more compassion. I have a pinched nerve in my neck that is causing horrible pain in my upper back and all the way down to my fingers. Even a touch of my hand elicits horrible pain. I didn't injure myself from what I remember. I lift patients at work. I guess that could have caused the pinch nerve to happen. I went to the ER the other night because the pain was so bad and the ultram given to me at a past visit to the ER, was not working. I was given a Stadol shot. It did not take the pain away. I followed up with a visit to my doctor that day. I was given 2 steroid shots and prescriptions for mobic and vicodin. I am so upset. I never take pills. I take Advil and that is it. Now, I feel like I am becoming this worthless person who relies on pain pills to get through the day. I am so frustrated. My doctor wants me to have an MRI, but my insurance does not start until February because I started a new job. I have an appointment with a chiropractor on Thursday. I have never gone to a chiropractor.
What can I do regarding health insurance? Have any of you been to a chiropractor and how was your experience? Please, any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I am so afraid I will never be without pain again.:crying2:

I personally would never use a chiropractor for neck issues. That's just me. As I type this, I am sitting on the sofa in a major neck brace after having a cervical fusion surgery last week. I have dealt with the neck pain, arm symptoms on and off for years, but when the pain/numbness did not go away after months of therapy, injections, etc., and MRI and other tests showed that not only did I have a herniated disc, but severe bone spurs (which do not go away with any kind of therapy) which were compressing the nerve root and spinal cord, I finally capitulated and had the surgery. You definitely need an MRI to diagnose your problem. It's a huge shame you have to wait until February, because it really is THE standard diagnostic test when you are exploring the possibility of herniated discs or other problems which are affecting the nerve roots. My MRIs did get the ball rolling on treatment, but it finally took a myelogram to finally make the severity of my situation known.

Your problems have the potential to be a chronic situation, so I would be wary of using narcotics to treat a long term problem rather than short term pain such as post op pain. I've had back problems since my teens and have never resorted to narcotics because they don't really address nerve pain well, and that is a path that can get very dicey if it's not a very short term solution. You should ask your doctor about the various drugs which are now being used to address nerve pain issues, such as neurontin or Lyrica. It might not be the answer for you, but it might help you avoid the pitfalls of long term narcotic use.

Sometimes you can point to a single event which causes back or neck pain, but often it is simply the result of age/multiple stresses over time which brings problems to a head.

If your problem is a disc pressing on the nerve root, there is always a possibility that the inflammation will eventually subside and your symptoms could improve. I wish you good luck. Use good body mechanics and get as much help as your financial situation will allow. It is a miserable existence when you are dealing with this kind of pain, as over time, it can wear down your morale and seriously impact your ability to function. I truly sympathize. Take care.

flightriskRN · Nov 8, 2011

I just started seeing a chiropractor this week for neck/back pain that has persisted despite pain pills, muscle relaxers, and heat/ice therapy. Hopefully chiropractic will work for me! As far as insurance goes, my insurance does not cover 1 cent of chiropractic, so the first visit was very expensive (Xrays, scans, etc), but the maintenance visits are something I can afford, if I believe that it will work for me. I have been to a chiropractor before a few years ago in highschool/college (before I was an RN(, and I remember it helping a great deal. I hope it works for you!

archangel31 · Nov 8, 2011

Not sure if you have one in your city, but do know of any public clinics for the low income patient, especially the ones who do not have insurance? I know you are working, but it might be a temporary bridge until your policy kicks in. I have upper and lower back pain, probably caused from the combination of scoliosis and numerous back strains. I feel for you so much, and pray you find relief:)

samirish · Nov 8, 2011

I just wanted to say I hope you're feeling better soon. I have suffered from pinched nerves on and off for 7 years now. PLEASE PLEASE be careful with the chiropracter! The one I went to years ago made things much much worse. Physical therapy didn't do anything positive in my situation but what did work wonders for me was massage therapy. It took a few tries to find a good therapist but I finally found an excellent massage therapist who specializes in neuromuscular therapy. I can not say enough good things about it.

Good luck and hope your feeling better soon.

nursemichelle80, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

My chiropractor charges $25 per visit if you pay cash. That's less than what my copay is. He is amazing and really works wonders for me! I've never injured myself but go routinely just for good measure. Good luck...hope you feel better very soon!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 8, 2011

you have my sympathy. i had a serious back injury a few years ago, and occaisionally have flare-ups even now. i'd advise you to bite the bullet and get the mri. i personally have never been to a chiropractor. my former b-i-l was one, and after knowing him, i'd never trust a chiropractor again. but that's neither here nor there. i'd want to know what the mri showed so that i'd know what was what -- and not risk aggravating it and getting a permanent injury. especially in the neck.

nuangel1, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

so sorry for what you are going thru.i have been there .i have severe cervical stenosis with arm pain and numbness.but i won't have surgery.i take motrin and flexeril.i also have disc disease in my thoracic and lumbar regions i have had back pain sciatica numbness in my legs.but i live with it .now i have joint pain in my knees and the leg pain .i have plantar fascititis also .i have had steroid injections.i have gone to chiropractic and for me was great .really helped but my insurance only covers 6 visits.i can't afford it.i just started cymbalta for the chronic and new pain .i don't want to take narcotics.hopefully it will help.i may need new mri but we will see.takecare of yourself.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

been there, done that (lumbar l4-5-s1 laminectomy) and said the same thing: i will never make fun of anyone with spine-origin pain again. it's miserable, squared.

i have seen many, many people with these symptoms and diagnosis during my years of work comp case management. do not do chiropractic, because the good ones who will recognize what they can't treat and refer you to a real physician are so few and far between-- i only know two after twenty years here, and one of them is retiring. you do not want to screw with cervical neuropathy.

if you do have bone spurs, as someone noted, no therapy will resolve them. narcotics are not the drugs of choice for neuropathic pain, which is what you describe-- there isn't really an arm injury, it's static on the wires telling your brain that there is arm pain; the origin is in the cervical nerve root(s). the problem with waiting for definitive treatment is that the longer the nerve root is p***ed off by compression from whatever cause, the longer it takes to recover once the pressure is removed. wait too long and it may not fully recover. pay for the fool mri if that's what it takes to find out definitively-- you're gonna have to live c this neck for a long time, might as well take good care of it.

nerves can also be p***ed off by chemical stimuli, as in, if you have a muscle tear or disk injury with release of inflammatory substances nearby. these can be calmed down with local steroid injections, which i have seen give really dramatic relief. they use a little 'caine with them, so the pain goes away instantly for a few hours, which is both therapeutic and diagnostic. the 'caine wears off, of course, and the next two or three days are hard while the steroid bolus in there starts to work, but if it does, you're golden, maybe needing repeats 2-3x/year or less.

in my experience the best docs to see initially are the physiatrists with a close working relationship with a good ortho spine group, because they will not do surgery unless it's really necessary, they are experts in rehab and will see you postop if you do need surgery, they get you up and moving much faster than neurosurgeons so they have better outcomes, and they have better resources for pain management prn that i won't go into here.

if you were in boston, i would know just who to send you to but i have resources elsewhere-- you can pm me and we can chat.