Lower back pain, Cortisone and Surgery!

[Grinch]

Hello all! I'm new and in need of advice, if anyone can help?

In November I fell over in the ice and hurt myself. Months of pain & physio followed, which was confused slightly by my sympoms changing (at first only had burning cramping pain in leg and buttock and this could only be relieved by crouching/squatting down and leaning forward slightly, this looked ridiculous in the supermarket!) , this then changed to tingling legs, numbness and leaning back, rather than forward to get relief).

An MRI scan was taken and showed '
disc degeneration L3/L4 & L5/S1.
L3/L4 there is right sided posterior annual tear and bulge but no significant root impingement.
L5/S1disc protusion and left S1 nerve root compression.
I had a cortisone injection 2 weeks ago for the root compression and it HURT! But i was willing to put up with this for possible relief.
However, my pain is far far worse now - but its different again. I've gone back to my first set of symptoms. I can only get relief crouching down on the floor and leaning forwards (although it hurts to get into this position). My pain is no longer in my lower back and thigh but now is nearly all in my left buttock and behind my left knee. If I walk that area of buttock gets an almost chronic cramping spasm. I'm no longer getting any numbness. It hurts incredible amounts to walk but also really aches after laying down or sitting for too long.


I'm beginning to suspect that either: the injection didn't work and stirred something up or it worked and the pain relief has let the pain from something else come through or something new entirely is happening!

I have brought forward my follow up appointment with the back specialist later. I am going to ask about surgery (which he offered me weeks ago but which i refused). The turning point for me is waking myself up screaming in pain at 3am every morning. I have tried physio, chiropractors, anti-inflammatories, pain killers and now I'm on moprhine and it hasn't made any difference to the pain at all. The cortisone hasn't worked like I hoped it would and I am running out of options. Its been 7 months of agony.

The only thing thats putting me off is surgery making it worse. I couldn't bear it. Has anyone any success stories? I am nervous about my appointment later and I want tro know what questions to ask.

If anyone could help me with advice I would appreciate it. I think people in real life are quite sick of me being in pain and I feel quite alone.

Thank you for reading this far!
Jo

 

[Christina]

Oh Jo, poor you, I so can empathise with your situation. I would say, (not a medical professional btw, just a chronic back sufferer) that yes, things are changing and the injection may well have caused, triggered, masked one thing or started another.

You need to jot down the symptoms and keep a pain diary to monitor the progress. This will show the progression of what ever is happening. Backs can change very quickly, for instance I have had 4 mri's in the last 2 years and each time the scenario is slightly different with more aspects showing that correlate to the new pain/symptom change etc. The leaning forward, back and the thigh pain will all make sense if you understand the disc and the spine make-up how leaning one way will release pressure on some nerves and discs and then leaning the other way increase it.

The Anti-inflams, did you give them a good chance? I mean a real good try of several weeks? Your symptoms definitley sound to have an element of inflammation.
I find that only one kind works for me, and researched the possible reasons why and found out that because it is one of the older nsaids it actually permeates the membranes far deeper so as to provide a deeper relief, adly though because of this is also can affect the whole body and the digestive system, but I put up with it so I can walk!

Stay positive xxxx

 

[You Look So Fine]

Thank you so much for replying and you have have my sympathies - in 36 years I've never hurt myself once but the minute I reached my 36th everything started falling apart!

Anti inflammatories do help and yes I've been taking them non stop for 7 months.

I've just been to the hospital and they are putting me forward for emergency surgery in the next 3 weeks unless I wake up in the next couple of days miraculously cured!

I am going to be having a Discectomy and Decompression, whatever that is! They said that my nerve is still being crushed by the disc so they are going to shave it. Makes me shiver but at least I'll be unconscious..

 

[ScoKieuaie]

Hi, I don't know what you mean by level? I know cortisone injection was geared towards the L5/S1 root compression. I think his report said the L4 disc bulge wasn't on a nerve.

Do you think current pain could be caused by something other than root compression?

 

[Gesyka]

An annular tear can cause low-back pain but also leg pain (without nerve compression). If your diagnostic injection at L5-S1 failed, then maybe the other disc is causing problems.

 

[Daniel Barraclough]

When I went to see him the other day he seemed pretty sure it was the compression but I will mention this before I have any surgery, thank you.

I've been prescribed pain killers called Lyrica. I was on morphine before but these lyrica are crazy, they don't appear to stop pain and they make you feel constantly stoned. X

 

[Catherine]

Thats cos they aren't actually painkillers lol. They are a serious drug called pregabalin and are prescribed for nerve based problems as they change the way the nerve impulses are perceived.

Surgeons often usually just dive in and try and target any nerve compression as the source of pain without testing it is true. The fact that the injection didnt work does lean towards the other discs being the cause.

In the US and also over in the UK with Mr Knight, these surgeons test whilst the patient is awake but sedated to see where the pain is. Also in the US they are starting to use nerve blocks before the op to ensure they operate on the right cause. So often the NHS just assumes they know the iste of the pain, which may not also be the same as the most obvious site of the problem.

 

[peter w]

So should I be taking pain killers as well? Does this feeling of being high wear off with use as you get used to it? I work in criminal intelligence and have spent the last two days staring bewilderedly at a screen!! Not good!!

Ok. I will definitely bring this point up. I did say something like it at the meeting because I was concerned that they were going to operate but these were different symptoms after the injection. He asked again where the pain was now - left buttock, behind and further down behind left knee - and seemed happy it was the same nerve butI will phone them next week. But I was too hysterical with pain, I should have come and asked here before so I could be more coherent!

Thing is, why is this hurting now? It hurts waaaay more than anything previously and has only started after the injection.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond, it's much appreciated.

 

[May flower]

Hiyas,

Like I always say I am not a trained doctor just a co-back-pain-sufferer. The Lyrica can help with pain but as you are finding it also interferes with the way we think . It does help some people but perhaps it is those that are off work and that can allow it to work it's 'magic'? I like to be in control a bit more.

Research the nerve endings and where they go down the legs. Each nerve reaches different parts of the legs and so by telling exactly whre the pain is the doc can figure out usually which nerve, but there are exceptions, for instance if the nerve compression is high up in the bundle then it can look like it is the disc above that is causing the pain when in reality the nerve compression is affecting the nerve that will exit at the root lower.

Are you talking from of thigh which is usually L3/L4 or side of thigh which may be L5? Buttock is usually S2/S1/L5 from the butt crack to the outside in order. Oops sorry lol. See what I mean, where the pain is can tell which area of nerve .

 

[Tiara A]

Yep you're absolutely right about control plus realistically I need to awake for work! I keep having to go and lay down in the first aid room!

OK the pain is not and never has been anywhere near the front of my leg or thigh - everything is behind. . Its not even really in my back - maybe just the bit above my buttock. The pain is in the centre of my left bum cheek and from the back of my knee to my calf muscle. I'm sad to say my left foot started going numb again today and that fills me with foreboding as that stopped when I first had the injection - if thats wearing off then I'm dreading the pain in the back of my thigh starting again.

i have tried to find out which nerve bit leads where but (and i don't know if its the lyrica ha ha!) its all a bit confusing...

 

[Visions of Codeine]

Does anyone out there have nerve pain for which an MRI shows no nerve compression?
I fell 9 years ago and damaged a nerve in my bum - unfortunately the muscle no longer works properly and my gait / pelvis position has altered. 2 years later I began to get nerve pain and I've had it every day since. 5 years ago they operated to remove a leaking disc and replace it with an artificial one. This did alleviate my symptoms slightly (although the operation itself has caused many more problems). However I still find that the only way to control the pain is to stand up for 5 minutes and then rest for 30 minutes and I have to keep this routine going all day. I know I'm lucky that I can control the pain but it's impossible to have a life; I may as well be dead.
I'm wondering whether Martin Knight would be able to help me? Did anyone else have similar symptoms that he was able to help?

 

[sparhawk7322]

JHarrison, that sounds terrible.

However I think you're probably better to start your own thread - not that I mind sharing I might add! - but your subject is different to mine and stuck at the bottom and you might be missing replies from people who share the same problem. Hope you get some answers.

 

[Flooffy Panda Bear]

Got a call from the hospital yesterday - my surgery on 1st august.

I am nervous but really glad as I'm getting worse everyday. I've been waking up every 2 hours with pain and can no longer sit for more than five minutes either. Please cross your fingers that I get some relief!

 

[Ithildorfi]

I don't know what to do. I'm noticing that things are going downhill very fast. I've gone from being a bit stiff at night, to waking up early in pain and then waking up every four hours to now only being able to sleep for less than two hours before waking up crying.

I've got more drugs in me than boots pharmacy, nothings working and I can no longer bend down enough to get anything from the fridge.

I cannot lay, sit, walk or stand for more than 5 minutes at a time.

I'm scared, what's going on? Is this normal? Every day it gets much much worse.