Back Pain.....Taking my life away

[loveishope]

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:

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I never get back pain or neck pain (get aches when on computer too much sometimes), but I pulled my shoulder muscle not long ago & it has been tight for a while now. The pain is horrible.

I went to a fantastic chiro here years ago who specialised in injuries, it really helped me.

Try a wheat bag at night on your neck, heats up in microwave for 2 minutes, it works good too.

Try also yoga, stretches. Yes it is going to hurt and will flare up. But the muscles around the injury will be very tight, so you need to do something to loosen them. I also found a higher, firmer pillow helped. Don't sit in front of computers hunched over too much either. Look at how you move, you may need to move differently, take stuff down from high shelves, etc.

A friend told me not long ago get a tennis ball & put that behind ur neck against a wall & roll it up & down, she said that worked for her.

I also see a good physio (when I have the money), they do deep tissue massage & that always takes my pain away.

Feel sorry for you but please don't think this is going to take over your life. I've had friends with bulging discs, sciatica, a & they decided not to let it ruin their life. One took up weights, some lost weight, some tried acupuncture, which helped. You might have to try a few diff things to see what works for you.

And it's a myth that you need an MRI before you go seek treatment. I'd see a PT first and go from there, I reckon, & get some gentle treatment. Then I'd get the MRI done when u can afford it.

Try to do stuff that relaxes you and calms you, and don't give up.

Let us know how u get on.

[Trekfan]

Try to talk to the hospital they may have something to help with the bill. I had to pay for an mra last year at cost of $2000 as long as you have a payment plan you will be fine .

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

And it's a myth that you need an MRI before you go seek treatment. I'd see a PT first and go from there, I reckon, & get some gentle treatment. Then I'd get the MRI done when u can afford it.

Try to do stuff that relaxes you and calms you, and don't give up.

Let us know how u get on.

One can seek treatment without an MRI, but the fact is that the MRI is the gold standard of diagnostics. It's always best to know what the actual problem is that you are addressing if you can possibly arrange to do so. Otherwise, it's guess work and certain treatments aren't appropriate for certain problems, so if you don't know what is actually wrong, you can worsen it by using an inappropriate intervention. Of course if there is going to be a long interval between these symptoms and the MRI, I agree with you that the OP can seek "gentle" help such as physical therapy, NSAIDs, massage, etc., but unlike other posters on this thread, I just would not recommend chiropractic for an undiagnosed cervical problem.

Get the MRI as soon as you possibly can.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I have intermittent sciatica and left cervical nerve damage (skier vs tree in my early 20's). Between skiing, hockey, dirt bikes and life in general, I get intermittent neck/back pain.

I manage with staying in shape, esp core, stong abs go a long way towards preventing back pain. I also see a chiropractor on a regular basis, monthly adjustment and prn for any breakthrough issues. Chiro and staying in shape works for me. No surgery, no meds other than tylenol or motrin, no er visits. Have been dealing with this for a couple of decades.

Good luck.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I hope that you have gotten some info from our posters.

We are crossing the line to providing medical advice though, so I'm closing this thread - wish you well.