ED nurse with herniated disk needs advice in changing career...

bubbasmom · Apr 1, 2011

i was not aware that u were allowed to take narcotics when u were not on shift as a nurse. i have had 2 set of injections but neither worked. they just put me on the medrol pack.i am seeing a moderate improvement-wow i can walk without feeling like i am going to die.thanks for ur message. i never thought at 31 that i would be facing this.i am concerned b/c i apply for nursing school in july and im not sure what to do about my back.i really wish they had a surgery scholarship fund for nursing students that cannot afford it.

Canadian Girl · Apr 1, 2011

Hi,

Glad you are feeling better. You can do whatever you like when you are not on shift as a nurse. Of course, we need to be responsible and professional when not on shift:)

just don't take anything too close to your shift so that you can drive and work safely.

You might like to consider even higher education so that you can have more options: such as finishing a Masters of Nursing so that you can go into management or be a nurse practitioner: something that is easier on your back.

Good luck,

Sue

peacetou · Apr 2, 2011

I just want to add that you do everything possible to avoid surgery. Try to learn hatha yoga. Do it whenever you can...on breaks, before sleep, upon awakening. Learn breathing stress reducing exercises. Drink lots and lots of purified water. Drink herbal teas. Stay away from caffeine, alchohol, negative people. Meditate and if you have to quit school and go into the field later or into a different field, do so. Nothing is worth sacrificing your health. Take care of you because in the end, you are the only one who can take care of you. Be well. You can live an outstanding life. Don't worry about tomorrow, about success or money. God will provide.

Canadian Girl · Apr 2, 2011

Yes, great point. Try to avoid surgery. For example, my disk had a 1 inch herniation, three years ago. That was a huge herniation. Today my disk is completely back in the space, without surgery.

On the other hand, there is minimally invasive surgery to snip out disk that is causing major pain. A lot of people have great success with this. So, please don't be so opposed to surgery as it can help.

I would also check with your doctor before starting an exercise program, even yoga, as you don't want to get in positions that put pressure on your disk.

It is important to put your health first. Nursing school is very stressful, and it's hard for your body to heal when you're under such stress.

Also, keep a proper perspective. You won't be suffering forever: probably this is just a shorter-term problem, and you can resume what you love, a bit later!

God will certainly provide. I thought I'd never ever work in patient care again. However, my neurologist said I can go back to work, so now I am going back to the ER again. Something I thought I'd never do again!! God Bless.

bubbasmom · Apr 3, 2011

thanks. u guys give me hope.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 3, 2011

i had a herniated l5/s1 five years ago. rest did nothing for me. nor did pt or steroid injections. finally had surgery -- and i'm a new woman! i'm back to ccu. i'm not saying that was the best decision -- just that it was possible. frankly, as i'm getting older and my knees are going i think i need to look for something less physical. so what is an advice nurse?

Canadian Girl · Apr 3, 2011

Hi Ruby,

Can you give me any advice about working with a previously herniated disk? I'm going back to direct patient care, in the ER, after three years of not really working. I don't want to tell staff in my new hospital that I have an injury, but at the same time, I want to be very careful. I'm nervous about sliding patients up in bed. Can you give me any advice as how to do routine lifts safely? Sliding up in bed has got to be the most hazardous thing: that's how I herniated my disk in the first place.

Glad surgery helped you!

By the way (to the others out there), be careful with PT and even chiropractic. I was a firm believer in chiropractic all of my life. Now however, I feel as if my chiro actually hurt me more, and kept me injured for longer. He was a "know it all" type guy, and was doing the Cox technique for manually decompressing my disk (a form of manual traction). I feel that all of this "handling" made my disk and nerves more aggravated. I'm sure there are some chiropractors out there who are wonderful, but I'd be careful from now on.

Take care,

Sue

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 5, 2011

hi ruby,
can you give me any advice about working with a previously herniated disk? i'm going back to direct patient care, in the er, after three years of not really working. i don't want to tell staff in my new hospital that i have an injury, but at the same time, i want to be very careful. i'm nervous about sliding patients up in bed. can you give me any advice as how to do routine lifts safely? sliding up in bed has got to be the most hazardous thing: that's how i herniated my disk in the first place.
glad surgery helped you!
by the way (to the others out there), be careful with pt and even chiropractic. i was a firm believer in chiropractic all of my life. now however, i feel as if my chiro actually hurt me more, and kept me injured for longer. he was a "know it all" type guy, and was doing the cox technique for manually decompressing my disk (a form of manual traction). i feel that all of this "handling" made my disk and nerves more aggravated. i'm sure there are some chiropractors out there who are wonderful, but i'd be careful from now on.
take care,
sue

the pt i did post-op helped prepare me to go back to work -- three months of pt before i set foot on the unit again. it was hard work, but so worth it! they taught me how to lift, turn patients, etc. very useful stuff!

i hope you have as good a recovery as i did.

mcneillmama3, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2011

i have the same issue now-a protruding disk at the L3-4 level, degeneratvie changes at the L4-5 and T11-12 levels. already had diseased cartilage removed from both knees 24 years ago. I'm 51 now. i've already had to give up one nursing job because I couldn't lift the patient. I ended up having to take a dead end case management job which considers me contract labor so there are no benefits and sometimes no cases to manage for long periods of time. So I have to supplement with flu clinics 10 weeks out of every year. I guess I should be grateful I have what I have but I am not making any money now at all. If anything happens to my husband's job we would be in trouble. It's taking every penny I make to keep health insurance. My back problems is causing peripheral neuropathy-burning pain in my feet at night. I don't take pain killers. I exercise everyday to stay flexible and I bought a home TENS unit that I use when the pain gets really bad. I read in Advance For Nurses an article on chronic low back pain, that surgery would not help degenerative disk disease. Has anyone had experience with steroid injections? Do they work? Are the treatments expensive? And are they painful? Also how do you go about getting a doctor to fill out reasonable accommodations paperwork? I want to make sure my rights as an employee are protected. Also, I think under the ADA there are funds a disabled person can apply for that will pay for career retraining. I thought about retraining in the health insurance business so I could do chart audits, but you have to be a Registered Medical Records technician. Those companies won't even talk to nurses unless you have the medical records certification. Also are there any jobs for Registered Nurses in long term care facilities that are pure desk jobs (besides the DON) and involve no lifting. I can tolerate being on my feet as long as I'm moving. It's when I get still that I get stiff and in pain. Lifting is absolutely out for me now.

Canadian Girl · Oct 19, 2011

Hi McNeil Mama,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. All I can do is offer you ideas that have worked for me. I found an epidural steroid injection very helpful, it took most of my pain away for almost a year. It did not hurt too much to have done: I took 2 Percocets before going in. I was having 8/10 pain and it took my pain down to 1/10 by that evening.

My pain comes and goes. I've been back in the ER for 6 months. Things have been going OK. We have these great slippery slider sheets under every patient, and that makes sliding patients up in bed much, much easier. I also have changed the way I slide a patient up in bed. I stand across from the nurse at the other side. However, (if I'm at the left side of the patient) I stand with my right hip near the patients right shoulder, so I'm standing perpendicular to the bed. Then I grab the slider sheet and (using my knees for leverage) take a step backwards: sliding the patient towards the head of the bed. This has helped me.

Now, I see that you probably don't want to work at the bedside anymore, but I would definately not recommend a desk job. Sitting full time is the worst for your back. Is there something else you could do, like a house supervisor job, where you're constantly walking around the hospital? Or, what about nursing education? Then you're moving around a lot too.

Here is what really helps me: I bought a pair of ZCoil shoes. The nurses at Stanford hospital all had them. They have big (covered) spring coils in the heels that takes the shock off your body. They also have extra thick padding over the front of your feet. Seriously, I wouldn't be working if I didn't have these shoes. Totally worth the money. I'm sure no other shoes absorb this much shock. At least check out their website (zcoil.com). No, I have no vested interest in the product:)

I saw a physiatrist, a spine specialist, last week. He recommended the McKenzie Method to me. It is a form of physical therapy (you can do on your own) that was invented in the late 50s, by a physio named Robin McKenzie. Check it out. The book is called, "7 Steps to a Pain Free Life. How to rapidly relieve back and neck pain" by Robin McKenzie. Apparently people swear by it. I am just beginning to try it and feel a bit better. Probably no one ever mentioned it to me because then they would loose business (all the chiropractors, physios, and decompression therapy companies wanted my money). Sorry if I sound jaded: I'm not really:)

I wish you the best! By the way, that book is for sale on Amazon for about $15.

Take care,

Sue

mcneillmama3, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2011

I just saw mention of the McKenzie method on a website written by a group of neuro's. I've been exercising religiously for years which is probably why I don't have to take pain killers. I've been reading about the different types of back disabilities and mine seems to be in the class of position dependent back disability. If I try to maintain a certain position for too long of a time, that's when the pain and stiffness get exacerbated. I already know to get up and take stretch breaks when I am sitting. I barely do anything during CPR class. I certainly do not get in the floor any more during a CPR class. I have taught CNA-1 classes before and thought about doing that again. I would really like to work full time in case management which offers the opportunity to make rounds, but then you can have moments when you can sit down if you need to. I am working as a contract nurse in long term care insurance case management, but here lately I have had very few cases sent my way. The month of August I got no work whatsoever out of the company and it has slowed down again. I can't make a living working for the company I work now, but I am caught between a rock and a hard place with the moblility problems I am having. I even went back to school last year and took a RN to BSN program because all the case management jobs i've seen on Career Builder require a BSN. I had to take an online program because even driving long distances is enough to lock my back up. So I finished that program and I am waiting on my paperwork getting approved by ANCC to take the Case Management exam, Maybe that will open up a door for me, but i"m not going to be stuck pulling and tugging on heavy clients any more or bent over a med cart any more. I just can't tolerate any more painful back spasms. It's going to keep up the way it is until I end up in the skilled facility as a patient. Thanks for the input. I can always trust a nurse's opinion over a doctor. Doctor's don't have a clue what nurses have to deal with on our jobs.

Canadian Girl · Oct 19, 2011

I sometimes feel as if I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I too went back to finish my RN-BScN for the same reason (although I still have 4 classes to go). I even thought about going to NP school but can't spare the time/money right now.

I wish you the best! I'm sure you'll find something.

Sue