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Chronic Back Pain (1 Viewer)

Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.

 
Here's your first post in this thread. How am I wrong about coming in 'guns a blazing'?

Tell your doctor go screw himself. If you're in pain, get pain meds. Work on strengthening and reducing the aggravation, but any quack who tries to tell you that it's better not to risk the possibility of negative effects from painkillers vs the actual certainty of maddening pain needs to have all his fingers continually broken and re broken and then told to tough it out and massage people's corns all day.
Jesus H! I even left out you mentioning that causing bodily harm to the doctor would be warranted.You sound like Gollum being kept from his precious.

And just because you have chronic pain doesn't give you a license to be a complete ### to everyone about everything around here. There are a lot of people that have it worse than you that can find it in themselves to be civil, open minded and accepting of differing opinions.
Oh look, LD's sobering up and moving the goalposts! Note that I was speaking of HIS doctor in HIS example. :lmao: that it went from "he took two aspirin once" to a different tack for you to take. Me Gollum? For a guy that surfaces to come after me every once in a while, kinda seems like you're the obsessive cave dweller, and I'm the precious that you can't stand to be without. Giddyup High Horse, Silver away!!!!
Because you wouldn't have that opinion about all doctors that take that route? And you haven't shown exactly that by lashing out at Dentist for his opinion? And going through your dossier of every doctor that 'wronged' you in the past?

The goalposts are cemented in place. Just like your legacy of being the biggest jagoff this board has seen.

You're seriously one messed up dude. You do know that they make behavioral meds too, don't you? Because you're in desperate need of some.
:lmao: Solid contributions Samwise. You still basing your domination of my opinion because I took two and called in the morning? No, now you're on a different path. Blah blah blah repeat. Zip up, clean up, and go back into your hole.
 
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?

 
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

 
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
Yeah, no one wants to be the object of your fapsession. I got a hint for you: most of the time someone mentions massaging women's corns as punishment, it's probably hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally. But go ahead and like you always do, purposely misconstrue and misrepresent. I know its hard to type with one hand and all the blood rushing away from your brain like it does when you read my stuff. So maybe I should cut you some slack. PS - must suck for you that the doctor is doing exactly what I said that a responsible doctor should do.

 
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Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
Yeah, no one wants to be the object of your fapsession. I got a hint for you: most of the time someone mentions massaging women's corns as punishment, it's probably hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally. But go ahead and like you always do, purposely misconstrue and misrepresent. I know its hard to type with one hand and all the blood rushing away from your brain like it does when you read my stuff. So maybe I should cut you some slack.PS - must suck for you that the doctor is doing exactly what I said that a responsible doctor should do.
So the finger breaking wasn't part of the hyperbole, but the corn massaging was.

Got it.

 
Limp Ditka said:
mad sweeney said:
Limp Ditka said:
phrozen said:
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
Yeah, no one wants to be the object of your fapsession. I got a hint for you: most of the time someone mentions massaging women's corns as punishment, it's probably hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally. But go ahead and like you always do, purposely misconstrue and misrepresent. I know its hard to type with one hand and all the blood rushing away from your brain like it does when you read my stuff. So maybe I should cut you some slack.PS - must suck for you that the doctor is doing exactly what I said that a responsible doctor should do.
So the finger breaking wasn't part of the hyperbole, but the corn massaging was.

Got it.
:lmao: You're clueless. You think you're clever, but you're just plain clueless.
 
Limp Ditka said:
mad sweeney said:
Limp Ditka said:
phrozen said:
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
Yeah, no one wants to be the object of your fapsession. I got a hint for you: most of the time someone mentions massaging women's corns as punishment, it's probably hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally. But go ahead and like you always do, purposely misconstrue and misrepresent. I know its hard to type with one hand and all the blood rushing away from your brain like it does when you read my stuff. So maybe I should cut you some slack.PS - must suck for you that the doctor is doing exactly what I said that a responsible doctor should do.
So the finger breaking wasn't part of the hyperbole, but the corn massaging was.

Got it.
:lmao: You're clueless. You think you're clever, but you're just plain clueless.
I just wanted to make sure I didn't misconstrue/misrepresent your words. Having people do that to your posts seems to be one of your many pain points. I wonder, do they make a pill for that too?
 
TheIronSheik said:
Limp Ditka said:
phrozen said:
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:lmao:
 
Limp Ditka said:
mad sweeney said:
Limp Ditka said:
phrozen said:
Went to the doctor this morning. We discuss short/medium term and long term options. For short/medium term, he is keeping me on the Norco until we get some answers after the MRI and other associated tests. Next up is the MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. We will see what turns up.
Good to hear. Hopefully it all gets figured out, because as you can see, 24+ years of chronic pain can really turn you into something you probably don't want to be.

Let me ask you, did you have to threaten to break some fingers to get what you wanted?
Yeah, no one wants to be the object of your fapsession. I got a hint for you: most of the time someone mentions massaging women's corns as punishment, it's probably hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally. But go ahead and like you always do, purposely misconstrue and misrepresent. I know its hard to type with one hand and all the blood rushing away from your brain like it does when you read my stuff. So maybe I should cut you some slack.PS - must suck for you that the doctor is doing exactly what I said that a responsible doctor should do.
So the finger breaking wasn't part of the hyperbole, but the corn massaging was.

Got it.
:lmao: You're clueless. You think you're clever, but you're just plain clueless.
I just wanted to make sure I didn't misconstrue/misrepresent your words. Having people do that to your posts seems to be one of your many pain points. I wonder, do they make a pill for that too?
You in particular like to edit my posts and/or use them out of context as if that makes you clever. You even have one in your sig. You're not helping the OP, you're going exactly what you don't like me to do, only you think you're above it all. Fact is, the doc is doing exactly what I said he should do and you're doing nothing but picking a fight and calling names. Congrats, cool guy. I'm sure phrozen appreciates your help.
 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).

 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
So, now you have some direction and a plan. A much better place than you were before. Some people get great results from the injections. I only had one as an "assist" a number of years ago. It helped break the "Elephant Man" pose I was stuck in. Have some faith.

Good luck with the pain management program. Keep us posted. :thumbup:

 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
The Prednisone and steroids aren't so much about opening up the canal, but to calm down the muscles around those areas. At least that is what mine was for.

I get epidural steroid injections at least twice a year, FWIW.

 
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Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
The Prednisone and steroids aren't so much about opening up the canal, but to calm down the muscles around those areas. At least that is what mine was for.
good to know. was the treatment helpful for you?
 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
So, now you have some direction and a plan. A much better place than you were before. Some people get great results from the injections. I only had one as an "assist" a number of years ago. It helped break the "Elephant Man" pose I was stuck in. Have some faith. Good luck with the pain management program. Keep us posted. :thumbup:
glad to hear some positive results from the treatment. appreciate the encouragement as well :thumbup:
 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
I remember that when my back initially ran into pain, the doctor would give me pain meds and muscle relaxers. They didn't help one bit. Then he gave me the Prednisone. I remember that my back started feeling better within minutes of taking that stuff. Good luck.

 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
The Prednisone and steroids aren't so much about opening up the canal, but to calm down the muscles around those areas. At least that is what mine was for.
good to know. was the treatment helpful for you?
Yes. It wasn't immediate as it takes time for the muscles to relax and nerves to return to normal. Once the muscles relax the inflammation in the nerves can start to go down. I think the longest it took to take effect was a week. That was also the worst its ever been (time of injury). When I injured mine, during an insanity video, I was home alone (wife was visiting her sister) and was unable to move the 10 feet to call 911 for over 8 hours. Worst experience in my life.

 
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Update:

So I had my first visit with my Pain Management doctor yesterday. He did some tests, exercises, etc just to assess my level of pain and my range of motion. I had poor range of motion in my back and he could see my pain as we tested my back muscles. What he decided as a first step is to get "trigger point" pain injections into my upper back. I will get about 5-6 injections and I will have to get these every couple of weeks for a unspecified period of time. The hope is that these injections will help relax the muscles and reduce my pain. If these aren't successful, the next step is epidural pain injections and potentially joint pain injections.

His schedule is super busy over the next couple of weeks so my first injections are scheduled for 11/19. I have no idea what to expect from this so if anyone has had these types of injections, I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

He also gave me a Rx for Mobic which is another type of anti-inflammatory. I haven't heard of this one before so I will do some research online.

 
Update:

So I had my first visit with my Pain Management doctor yesterday. He did some tests, exercises, etc just to assess my level of pain and my range of motion. I had poor range of motion in my back and he could see my pain as we tested my back muscles. What he decided as a first step is to get "trigger point" pain injections into my upper back. I will get about 5-6 injections and I will have to get these every couple of weeks for a unspecified period of time. The hope is that these injections will help relax the muscles and reduce my pain. If these aren't successful, the next step is epidural pain injections and potentially joint pain injections.

His schedule is super busy over the next couple of weeks so my first injections are scheduled for 11/19. I have no idea what to expect from this so if anyone has had these types of injections, I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

He also gave me a Rx for Mobic which is another type of anti-inflammatory. I haven't heard of this one before so I will do some research online.
Beware Cipro. It is a another arthritic anti-inflammatory. My doctor suggested "we" try it when I was having what I can best describe as "clavicular pain"- pain where the clavicle meets the sternum.

One side effect is tinnitus. They weren't kidding. Teh "cicadas" moved in and I haven't been able to shake them. :wall:

Definitely read up on possible side effects and listen to your body...

 
Update:

So I had my first visit with my Pain Management doctor yesterday. He did some tests, exercises, etc just to assess my level of pain and my range of motion. I had poor range of motion in my back and he could see my pain as we tested my back muscles. What he decided as a first step is to get "trigger point" pain injections into my upper back. I will get about 5-6 injections and I will have to get these every couple of weeks for a unspecified period of time. The hope is that these injections will help relax the muscles and reduce my pain. If these aren't successful, the next step is epidural pain injections and potentially joint pain injections.

His schedule is super busy over the next couple of weeks so my first injections are scheduled for 11/19. I have no idea what to expect from this so if anyone has had these types of injections, I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

He also gave me a Rx for Mobic which is another type of anti-inflammatory. I haven't heard of this one before so I will do some research online.
As I mentioned in my first post, my wife gets trigger point injections on a regular basis, and they have been marginally helpful. But her situation is much worse than yours (from what I understand), so you may see more benefit.

To my knowledge, she has never been prescribed Mobic, so nothing to offer on that.

 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
No, it won't help long-term. Unless you plan on taking them for the rest of your life, which isn't possible, they won't fix the problem. It will only be deadened for a little while.
 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
No, it won't help long-term. Unless you plan on taking them for the rest of your life, which isn't possible, they won't fix the problem. It will only be deadened for a little while.
hey GB - one thing that the dr. recommended down the line is posture therapy. my posture sucks and is a contributor on some level to my continued pain. I am guessing I will go to PT and they will help me correct my posture? Are there posture correcting devices/methods to help me sit straight?

he also recommended the theracane - http://www.theracane.com/ not sure if it is effective but it is worth a shot.

 
Update:

So I had my first visit with my Pain Management doctor yesterday. He did some tests, exercises, etc just to assess my level of pain and my range of motion. I had poor range of motion in my back and he could see my pain as we tested my back muscles. What he decided as a first step is to get "trigger point" pain injections into my upper back. I will get about 5-6 injections and I will have to get these every couple of weeks for a unspecified period of time. The hope is that these injections will help relax the muscles and reduce my pain. If these aren't successful, the next step is epidural pain injections and potentially joint pain injections.

His schedule is super busy over the next couple of weeks so my first injections are scheduled for 11/19. I have no idea what to expect from this so if anyone has had these types of injections, I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

He also gave me a Rx for Mobic which is another type of anti-inflammatory. I haven't heard of this one before so I will do some research online.
As I mentioned in my first post, my wife gets trigger point injections on a regular basis, and they have been marginally helpful. But her situation is much worse than yours (from what I understand), so you may see more benefit.

To my knowledge, she has never been prescribed Mobic, so nothing to offer on that.
From your posts your wife's condition is definitely worse than mine. any progress with moving out to CA?

 
Update 10/10/13:

So I had my MRI yesterday. It was not as bad as I expected and was over in about 40 minutes. I heard from my doctor today. The MRI shows that I have narrowing of the canal that the nerves pass through. He said the narrowing is C4-5-6 and the good news is I don't have any herniated disks :thumbup:

For initial treatment options, my doctor is recommending an oral steroid taper so he has ordered me Prednisone that I will take over the course of 12 days. Also, he is setting me up with an appointment with the chronic pain specialist group and wants me to get epidural steroid injections. He said these can be done several times a year and may help with the consistent pain. He is also going to continue the Norco in smaller refill quantities for breakthrough pain.

I am glad that I have some initial direction but to be honest, I am not sure that taking a pack of Prednisone and getting a shot is going to help my canals open up.

Anyone had experience with this? I am willing to give it a shot but not sure if there is something else out there. I am looking forward to the consult with the pain management group. I want to get set up for routine appointments.

The nerve issue makes sense since I also have never issues with my Ulnar nerves in both arms (mentioned at the beginning of this thread).
No, it won't help long-term. Unless you plan on taking them for the rest of your life, which isn't possible, they won't fix the problem. It will only be deadened for a little while.
hey GB - one thing that the dr. recommended down the line is posture therapy. my posture sucks and is a contributor on some level to my continued pain. I am guessing I will go to PT and they will help me correct my posture? Are there posture correcting devices/methods to help me sit straight?he also recommended the theracane - http://www.theracane.com/ not sure if it is effective but it is worth a shot.
You got it. Better posture will open up the spinal canal and foramen and relieve the pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It's hard to know how to do that on your own. You probably need some some myofascial release done to improve your ROM to allow you to strengthen your postural muscles. I'm not sure why he would have you to wait on that. It can only help you.Eta: Never saw that product before, but if you don't know which areas to release, it won't make much of a difference. Hard to do that with a tool, even if you did know what you were doing.

 
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Update:

So I had my first visit with my Pain Management doctor yesterday. He did some tests, exercises, etc just to assess my level of pain and my range of motion. I had poor range of motion in my back and he could see my pain as we tested my back muscles. What he decided as a first step is to get "trigger point" pain injections into my upper back. I will get about 5-6 injections and I will have to get these every couple of weeks for a unspecified period of time. The hope is that these injections will help relax the muscles and reduce my pain. If these aren't successful, the next step is epidural pain injections and potentially joint pain injections.

His schedule is super busy over the next couple of weeks so my first injections are scheduled for 11/19. I have no idea what to expect from this so if anyone has had these types of injections, I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

He also gave me a Rx for Mobic which is another type of anti-inflammatory. I haven't heard of this one before so I will do some research online.
As I mentioned in my first post, my wife gets trigger point injections on a regular basis, and they have been marginally helpful. But her situation is much worse than yours (from what I understand), so you may see more benefit.

To my knowledge, she has never been prescribed Mobic, so nothing to offer on that.
From your posts your wife's condition is definitely worse than mine. any progress with moving out to CA?
I have a promising interview in a couple weeks, so there is hope.

 
You need to strengthen your core... A PT will set you up with a good program... Strong core muscles help support your back. Plus being in constant pain has probably left you with awful posture - A good PT will help you with this also.

 
Be careful when listening to ortho docs about therapy. Their specialty is not physical therapy. Take advice on therapy or tools from a PT. You would be much better off using a foam roller IMO.

 
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Well I guess I'm in this camp now. Today I was doing something I've done a thousand times, leading the dog into her room by the collar so I could go meet my wife for lunch. I was bent over 45 degrees and as I straightened back up, I felt a jolt in my back and I've been in severe pain ever since and barely able to walk. Went to the ER, got a shot of Dilaudid which helped for about 2 hours, now I'm back in the same amount of pain. He prescribed Percocet, muscle relaxers and a heavy dose of Ibuprofen. He says he hopes it's just a tweaked and inflamed disc which should hopefully resolve in 1-2 weeks. If not, we go with an MRI. Will be doing very little physically in the meantime.

 
I too have chronic back pain and neck pain since 06. Personally I think its caused by the shoulder surgery I had but nothing to prove it. I have been to so many doctors and tried so many things. Chiropractors only help for a day or 2. I've had trigger point injections, those help very little and when the meds wear off then its worse. PT/Gym only aggravate it more but I still go to the gym. When they said they wanted to inject botox into my back I stopped going to the doctors at all for anything for a year now. I think I need to go try a different PCP because its to the point where I can't sleep and pretty much miserable 24/7. I want to get another MRI and opinion and see if there is anything they can do to permanently ease the pain without having crap shot into my back on a regular basis.

 
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Well I guess I'm in this camp now. Today I was doing something I've done a thousand times, leading the dog into her room by the collar so I could go meet my wife for lunch. I was bent over 45 degrees and as I straightened back up, I felt a jolt in my back and I've been in severe pain ever since and barely able to walk. Went to the ER, got a shot of Dilaudid which helped for about 2 hours, now I'm back in the same amount of pain. He prescribed Percocet, muscle relaxers and a heavy dose of Ibuprofen. He says he hopes it's just a tweaked and inflamed disc which should hopefully resolve in 1-2 weeks. If not, we go with an MRI. Will be doing very little physically in the meantime.
Sorry to hear this. I've had a bulging disk since August, and along with it chronic pain. I've been seeing a chiropractor, massage therapist, osteopath, and just started PT last week. If I don't see any real change in the next couple of weeks, I'm going to consider steroid injection. I really don't want to go down that path, but have to get more aggressive if I don't see signs of improvement.

2000 mg's of ibuprofen a day and muscle relaxers can only go so far, and I'm done popping pills. Don't get me wrong, the Gabapentin has it's perks, but I really don't want to go down Chevy Chase lane...

 
This is pretty awful. I've taken like 9 pills since I got home from the ER and I'm still in a lot of pain. No idea how I'm going to sleep or what I'm going to do if I feel like this tomorrow.

 
So one week later I'm pain free. I went from being barely able to walk to having no noticeable pain whatsoever. What the hell was that?

 
hi all sorry I haven't updated for a while. I kept missing this on page one.

so today has sucked balls. I have been on bed rest most of the day because I am in so much pain. for some reason, my doctor didn't refill my medicine on Thursday so I have been in awful pain these past few days. I sent him an e-mail asking why and he should respond Monday so am hopeful this was an oversight. the pain has been so bad I have been in tears today and I am moving like my 70 year old grandfather which sucks now being 32.

I have been receiving trigger point injections for about 2 months and they haven't been as effective as I hoped. the holidays didn't help so I went four weeks between treatments. my last visit, I received 14 injections into my back, neck, and shoulders. I could have used more but the doctor didn't want to do more. the injections are so painful as my muscles spasm so violently because they are so knotted up. the level of spasming surprises my doctor as they are really bad. just imagine a charley horse with a needle stuck in the muscle. I am holding out hope that they will help although like I said they haven't been that helpful so far.

I have tried to exercise and I have had good days and bad days. I am going to be starting PT again in the near future so hopefully I can work on my posture.

sorry for the downer update.these last few days have been hell. I feel for my wife as we tried to go out for dinner and a movie for a date night.I barely made it through dinner and we had to go home. my back was so stiff she had to help me out of the chair. all I needed was my cane, orthopedic shoes, and thick glasses and I could have been her grandfather.

 
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hi all sorry I haven't updated for a while. I kept missing this on page one.

so today has sucked balls. I have been on bed rest most of the day because I am in so much pain. for some reason, my doctor didn't refill my medicine on Thursday so I have been in awful pain these past few days. I sent him an e-mail asking why and he should respond Monday so am hopeful this was an oversight. the pain has been so bad I have been in tears today and I am moving like my 70 year old grandfather which sucks now being 32.

I have been receiving trigger point injections for about 2 months and they haven't been as effective as I hoped. the holidays didn't help so I went four weeks between treatments. my last visit, I received 14 injections into my back, neck, and shoulders. I could have used more but the doctor didn't want to do more. the injections are so painful as my muscles spasm so violently because they are so knotted up. the level of spasming surprises my doctor as they are really bad. just imagine a charley horse with a needle stuck in the muscle. I am holding out hope that they will help although like I said they haven't been that helpful so far.

I have tried to exercise and I have had good days and bad days. I am going to be starting PT again in the near future so hopefully I can work on my posture.

sorry for the downer update.these last few days have been hell. I feel for my wife as we tried to go out for dinner and a movie for a date night.I barely made it through dinner and we had to go home. my back was so stiff she had to help me out of the chair. all I needed was my cane, orthopedic shoes, and thick glasses and I could have been her grandfather.
Jeez, sorry to hear it man. Hope you get some relief.
 
hi all sorry I haven't updated for a while. I kept missing this on page one.

so today has sucked balls. I have been on bed rest most of the day because I am in so much pain. for some reason, my doctor didn't refill my medicine on Thursday so I have been in awful pain these past few days. I sent him an e-mail asking why and he should respond Monday so am hopeful this was an oversight. the pain has been so bad I have been in tears today and I am moving like my 70 year old grandfather which sucks now being 32.

I have been receiving trigger point injections for about 2 months and they haven't been as effective as I hoped. the holidays didn't help so I went four weeks between treatments. my last visit, I received 14 injections into my back, neck, and shoulders. I could have used more but the doctor didn't want to do more. the injections are so painful as my muscles spasm so violently because they are so knotted up. the level of spasming surprises my doctor as they are really bad. just imagine a charley horse with a needle stuck in the muscle. I am holding out hope that they will help although like I said they haven't been that helpful so far.

I have tried to exercise and I have had good days and bad days. I am going to be starting PT again in the near future so hopefully I can work on my posture.

sorry for the downer update.these last few days have been hell. I feel for my wife as we tried to go out for dinner and a movie for a date night.I barely made it through dinner and we had to go home. my back was so stiff she had to help me out of the chair. all I needed was my cane, orthopedic shoes, and thick glasses and I could have been her grandfather.
At my worst I described my sciatica as making my leg feel as big as a piano. And on fire. With back spasms.

But those episodes were few and far between. What you are going through makes me :shock: .

I was introduced to the world of acupuncture as a means of combating the spasms. I seriously recommend it for someone as desperate for relief as you.

 
hi all sorry I haven't updated for a while. I kept missing this on page one.

so today has sucked balls. I have been on bed rest most of the day because I am in so much pain. for some reason, my doctor didn't refill my medicine on Thursday so I have been in awful pain these past few days. I sent him an e-mail asking why and he should respond Monday so am hopeful this was an oversight. the pain has been so bad I have been in tears today and I am moving like my 70 year old grandfather which sucks now being 32.

I have been receiving trigger point injections for about 2 months and they haven't been as effective as I hoped. the holidays didn't help so I went four weeks between treatments. my last visit, I received 14 injections into my back, neck, and shoulders. I could have used more but the doctor didn't want to do more. the injections are so painful as my muscles spasm so violently because they are so knotted up. the level of spasming surprises my doctor as they are really bad. just imagine a charley horse with a needle stuck in the muscle. I am holding out hope that they will help although like I said they haven't been that helpful so far.

I have tried to exercise and I have had good days and bad days. I am going to be starting PT again in the near future so hopefully I can work on my posture.

sorry for the downer update.these last few days have been hell. I feel for my wife as we tried to go out for dinner and a movie for a date night.I barely made it through dinner and we had to go home. my back was so stiff she had to help me out of the chair. all I needed was my cane, orthopedic shoes, and thick glasses and I could have been her grandfather.
With regard to the muscle spasms, have you tried botox injections in your back? My wife has gotten them for years and it seems to help with that. Good luck.

 
wow time really flies. hard to believe my last update was early this year. where to begin...

the 100,000 foot view is I am no closer to a solution that I was when I started this thread a year ago. At this point I feel like my doctors are washing their hands and are out of answers. I have another appointment with my PCP tomorrow to talk through things and express my frustration and anger with how I feel. should be interesting. next step is I am trying medical massage and a procedure called dry needling. I heard the dry needling is painful as #### but it can help relieve muscle tension which I have a lot of.

So the more detailed version. Since January, I have have 3 MRIs as well as had consultations with pain management, spinal surgery, neurology, rheumatology, and and any other 'ology' you can think of related to back pain. In terms of treatment, I have had physical therapy, countless trigger point injections, three epidurals, nerve studies, you name it. in each case, these procedures have not helped reduce the pain at all. Each morning of each day, I wake up with the continual back pain that is with me every second of the day.

the current state I am in has had so many impacts to my life. Not only physical, but mental, and relational. my health has suffered - I try to go to the gym and workout the usual stuff, light weights, elliptical, nothing high impact. About a couple of hours after my workout, I have to go home and lay in bed. I worked out last Sunday and could barely get out bed the next morning and I worked out biceps and triceps. swimming helps so I try to do that when i can. I have gained about 7-8 pounds since this year as my pain has limited me and the lack of energy has been draining. in terms of mental it has been a challenge to say the least. I really struggle with a lack of motivation when I have my frequent bad back days so my work has suffered. the zeal and dedication I had has been replaced with malaise (hi GM!) and missed deadlines. I rarely can work a full day in the office before my back gives out so I telecommute about 3-4 days a week which has helped.

The biggest challenge is knowing I am dealing with this at 32 and wondering what 62 is going to look like. There are days where I feel like an older person - having my wife help me up the stairs, out of the car, me only being able to be out for a couple of hours before having to come home and rest. it has also impacted my marriage as well. it has been a struggle as my health has been our focus for the year. vacations we planned had to be cancelled because of my back, projects around the house delayed, and sex is a challenge as well :-/

In terms of my doctors, I see a gap with my providers. there are plenty of doctors and specialists available to me but they operate in silos and don't help with the big picture. they examine me, look at my test results and say something like "well you don't need surgery so I can't help you have you tried xxxx?" you go to the other doctor and the same answer. I have been bounced around like a ping pong ball and what I feel is missing is someone with a knowledge of chronic pain to be overseeing my health and working with the other physicians for help. At this point, I feel like no one knows what to do with me so I feel like I am not being heard which is very frustrating.

After I had my third and last epidural, my pain management doctor decided to take me off of hydocodone - something I have been on since last October. I realize pain medicines are a dual edge sword and the subject of a lot of discussion these days but I can say that they were the most effective treatment. when I would take them, I would feel semi-normal for a while and would be able to do things I would have been limited to do. as I am coming off of the meds, the increased pain is back and now I don't have a way for relief. Asprin? :lol: forget it - it doesn't even touch the pain. with coming off of the meds, I have had the withdrawal issues - anxiety, diarrhea, loss of appetite, bone pain, feeling like I have the flu, etc. basically it sucks. and the challenge I have is that I feel I was arbitrarily cut off from the medicine without a clue of treatment for the long-term which makes this even harder.

so here I am tonight, laying in bed and I can't sleep and experiencing withdrawal all the while dealing with constant back and neck pain. basically, I am not in a good place. I don't even know what to expect going into my doctor tomorrow but I am going to be honest and to the point and discuss how I feel like I have been left on my own.

I am also hoping for good things with the medical massage therapy. my back and neck muscles are so twisted and tight I am hoping for some relief.

I'll try to update this more often going forward.

 
Damn dude. I don't have any advice. Just want to wish you well. That sounds awful. I hope you and your doctors can figure something out.

 
Holy crap....have they not diagnosed it at all? herniated disc, bulging disc, something?
nope nothing. 3 MRIs have shown nothing, nerve studies nothing.

my pain management doctor feels it is muscle related which I agree but I think there is more to the story. for example, if i prop my head up on two pillows in bed to read or whatever, I start to get excruciating pain in my lower neck which goes down my entire spine. that is not muscle related but at this point, we haven't found a specific diagnosis to point to, which sucks.

 

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