IM AT MY WITS END,AND NEED ADVISE!!

[Aerohead]

Hello all
I wrote a new popst back in july asking for advise and 4/5 of you replied,and i thank you for doing so.
unfortunately nothing much has changed and just need advise. even if its to say it will prob never get any better,at least i will no and can live with it,but to keep saying it will or should get better is making it worse for me.
please look at my july email for full update,ive had 2 ops,2 steroid epidural injections,phisio,acupunture,osteopath. altho some helped a little it soon comes back with pain. i said my leg pain improved,well it has as trimmed disc a 2nd time but still have not got 100% strength in it(pulling back or frwrds) and pain constantly in back which means i cannot sit or walk for longer than 10 mins b4 i have to lay down to ease it.
nerve root tethering has been mentioned a few times and even a consultant says possible,but nothing showing on MRI and he says when operated on 2nd time didnt see much,so just triommed disc again.
someone else says because it was a locked back of the facet joints and i didnt get any treatment for over 6 months( i just was house bound layed down mostly),that in a back book she has read it says,people like me will probably never get over ongoing problems,is this true??

 

[Jesus]

Hi Shauny3

Sorry to hear that you are still experiencing so much pain, it must be very debilitating for you.

You say The trouble is, with the best will in the world I don't think that any one on this forum would be able to make a judgement like that without actually seeing you!

My husband suffers with his back, though certainly not to the extent that you do, and I work as a Massage Therapist at a Chiropractic Clinic. I can tell you from that point of view, that an acute case can not be sorted over night, and needs several treatments follwoed by maintenance to see an improvement of any kind. It also involves self-help in the form of exercises and care.

Regular massage also can help relieve the pain, my husband certainly does feel the improvement from this, and I have several regular clients that complement their chiropractic care with regular massage.

I hope someone else may be able to give you more advice, take care

Karen x

 

[MasCheauua]

I have contributed a piece like this before but possibly when HP did its last update it may have gone, so I will reiterate what I said before.

Is it possible you have Ankoloysing Spondilitus? This is an arthritic condition of the spine that generally appears in the thirties. The pain is very severe across the middle of the back or can be in the buttocks where the pain feels like someone has given you a good kicking. It can also travel down the leg.

My husband has this condition and at the time he could barely walk. One good thing is that as you get older it improves. The worst thing you can do is rest it because the spine could seize up, gentle movement it the thing to do.

Years ago it was much more serious, my father-in-law had this condition and he was bent double but the experts say this is rarely the case now. He unfortunately at the time was injured elsewhere and had to spend months in bed and when he finally got up he was crippled.

My husband wasn't aware he had this condition until about 15 years ago when he a bad eye infection - or so he thought. He saw an eye specialist at the hospital who said it wasn't an infection, it was iritus and could tell by looking in his eyes that he had AS (the iritus was connected).

When he was in his thirties and in great pain he didn't seek medical help he just soldiered on and fortunately that was the best thing he could do. Another thing he did was to start taking cod liver oil off of the spoon (he doesn't believe the capsules are as affective). He did this everyday taking about 1 dessertspoonful and after three months the pain had gone.

He is now 61 and thankfully he has had over 30 years pain free thanks to cod liver oil.

 

[Marissa B]

Indications of ankylosising spondilitis would have shown up on MRI, x-ray or blood test, so I would worry about that one.

As I think I've said before - if the problem has been there some time, then the area will have become sensitised, with extra growth of pain sensitive nerves and a greater area of the brain becoming allocated to the area.

For any of the therapeutic approaches mentioned i.e. acupuncture or osteopathy, then you would probably need to persue a course of treatment and advice. They are not always a quick fix.

Please forgive me, as I have to make educated guesses about your condition, but suspect that the most likely things that may help, other thatn those that I've already suggested, would be;

Learning to relax and focus on something that you feel good about or want to do or achieve.

Bite the bullet, simply make yourself 'have it' and get yourself moving., without overdoing it. It's dofferent for everyone, so your the only one that can figure this out by trial and effort, but little and often is usually the key.

good luck - And.

 

[Lemon L]

Have you tried core stability sessions to help your muscles support the weakened skeletal system? I would suggest a physiotherapist, or an experienced Pilates teacher who offers clinical Pilates exercises on a 1:1 basis. They would also analyse your posture and gait, and make suggestions for changes, which may help you take the pressure off the affected parts.
Also, the suggestion of relaxation is a sound one. Try this link http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/490483_side1
for a guided imagery relaxation. It's part of an articles about how effective the relaxation was for a group of people with varying degrees of arthritis. They didn't just relax - they were able to let go of their pain and got better.
I'm sorry you're in so much pain - make sure you take good pain relief while you are in the process of recovery.
Sharonx