dla help sciatica/slipped discs

blubberblah

hi to all, can anyone help, ive had sciatica for 8 years suffered on and off, im now at the point of constant pain, my husband gets me up and gets my bottom half dressed, he has to move me in the night as i get stuck and cant get up to use the loo, my left foot is constantly numb the pain shooting through my left leg is unbearable, i have diazepam 5mg, cocodamol30/500 and its not doing a lot, i had an mri scan 2 weeks ago finally, im awaiting the results, im now on ssp as im signed off work, what can i do or get help with? i have 3 children 7,4 and 2, 2 kids go to different schools 1.5 miles apart, i cant walk anywhere near that i have to drive, my car is a manual an kills me everytime i use the clutch, but cant afford to get automatic,or be without a car why i sell mine, my husband has to leave work at the drop of hat as i get stuck, and have trouble lifting and picking my youngest up, i even struggle to change her bum half the time, i cant sit to long or stand to long, i have to lie down at various times throughout the day as that relieves some pain and stops my back seizing up all together, sorry bit long winded but just trying to get every thing in, my 7 year old daughter has to help me with picking stuff up and she does my bending for me, i didn't realise i could qualify for dla, i filled in a form online and submitted it, but ive read a few posts about u should get help to do that, can anyone help?

julie03

cant help but i suffer with sciatica so you have my sympathy, mine isnt quite as bad as yours but i hope you get the help you need
good luck

Conor_3

Yes you can get DLA. Sounds like you're in the state I was a few years ago. I got highest care and mobility. If you get WTC, you can also get the disability component which is an additional £2k.

Just a bit of info. There's an operation you can have to repair your discs. When I had mine, 15 years ago, it was a 50/50 chance of paralysis but I was only 6 months off being wheelchair bound anyway so I had it. It completely cures it.
Unfortunately, the disc above the two I had operated on went in 2001 and it's inoperable so, although its improved, I still get episodes.

lilac_lady

Once you've had a back problem it's always a weakness in your body. I hope you can have an operation to eleviate your pain. I had one years ago but still have "episodes". However, there's never been the same level of pain that I had before the operation. You should claim DLA but I'm sure you'd rather be pain free than receive it.

kaya

ouch, i have the same symptoms but the NHS don't think im worth the cost of an operation!, if your mri shows damage , which it sounds as though it should you will get higher rate mobility and care providing you fill in the forms correctly, if your not a form filling type of person then please get some help with it, they ask the same questions in different ways in order to try and trip you up, recieving the dla made a big difference to my quality of life as i no longer feel "housebound" , please be carefull with the codiene and diazepam, the side effects can hit you without realising and by the sound of it you need your wits about you with all those kids to look after, good luck

D&DD

I damaged a nerve and discs in my back when I was 15 and according to scans I have a 'saggy' nerve which gets trapped leading to excruciating pain,numbness etc..
Over the years I've often been totally immobilized by it and had every therapy going to help with the pain.
They can't operate I've been told I just have to live with it and I've got a pretty high pain threshold so I'm lucky!!

Have you ever tried reflexology?? I was very sceptical when I first had it BUT in 25 years this is the ONLY thing I've found that seems to work..why, I don't know but I do know when the man pressed on the parts of my feet affecting the spine I nearly passed out The pain was unbelievable (in my foot!)
However I've never had such relief from the pain since :j worth a try maybe??
HTH
D

[Deleted User]

kaya wrote: »

ouch, i have the same symptoms but the NHS don't think im worth the cost of an operation!, if your mri shows damage , which it sounds as though it should you will get higher rate mobility and care providing you fill in the forms correctly, if your not a form filling type of person then please get some help with it, they ask the same questions in different ways in order to try and trip you up, recieving the dla made a big difference to my quality of life as i no longer feel "housebound" , please be carefull with the codiene and diazepam, the side effects can hit you without realising and by the sound of it you need your wits about you with all those kids to look after, good luck

I just have to inject a note of realism here,getting an mri scan that shows damage will have no bearing whatsoever on a DLA claim,you dont get it for the medical condition but for the care and or mobility needs you have,reading what the OP said would suggest she may get the highest rates of both care and mobility

scootw1

I would agree with you, Woodbine. I have mild sciatica which showed discs out of place on the MRI scan. I still go out to work full time, don;t claim DLA as I don't need it.

fifitrix123

Ouch!

Iv had same and had a diskectamy in April but still have major pain with it and awaiting another appt after scan to see if they can do any more?
Ask ur doc to try tramadol and also a tens machine helps me lots without having to take so many meds!
good luck

scootw1

fifitrix123 wrote: »

Ouch!

Iv had same and had a diskectamy in April but still have major pain with it and awaiting another appt after scan to see if they can do any more?
Ask ur doc to try tramadol and also a tens machine helps me lots without having to take so many meds!
good luck

Okay, might give that a try as i've had quite a bit of time off sick in the past

Conor_3

scootw1 wrote: »

I would agree with you, Woodbine. I have mild sciatica which showed discs out of place on the MRI scan. I still go out to work full time, don;t claim DLA as I don't need it.

Pretty much the same here with the work although I get DLA at a reduced rate now. I would still qualify for disability component of working tax credits if I didn't as I have a long list of things I can't do workwise because of my injury. Basically I'm not supposed to do any lifting, pushing, pulling, sitting for long periods or standing for long periods. Suffice to say that pretty much gets ignored to a point, as it's pretty unrealistic, but I do agency work so I can take time off or change the type of work I do for a while when I've pushed it too much. I've got good at recognising the warning signs.