bad back/slipped disc/muscle spasms...

elaine373

This is nothing to do with moneysaving but i didnt know where else to ask. I wanted experience stories and advice from people who have had a slipped disc or similiar. I hurt my back on sunday by getting into my car!! woke in the night and it took 45 minutes of horrendous unbearable pain to get to the loo. last two mornings have had to have help from my sister to get up.(excruciating pain) Have had an injection for pain relief and tablets of co-codomal, diazapan,diclofenic. (I am not able to take aspirin-ibruprofen as i react with a suspected ulcer)Am now mobile and comfortable at last after 3 doctors have advised me or seen me. I am wondering how bad and how long it has to be before they refer for a scan? Is it true they can only diagnose a slipped disc through an MRI? Could i get better if its a slipped disc, without surgery? Thanks in advance for any advice.

sallywl

elaine I know what ur going thru, I have stuffed my back up at work and getting no support at all, and am takin cocodamol dicholfenac and diazepam (diaz for 5 days) Fed up with it all.

Get well soon hun xx

elaine373

sallywl wrote:

elaine I know what ur going thru, I have stuffed my back up at work and getting no support at all, and am takin cocodamol dicholfenac and diazepam (diaz for 5 days) Fed up with it all.

Get well soon hun xx

Poor you 2. I have had 7 children and am no stranger to pain but this is something else.keep me posted on your progress. All the best.

rio

Sorry to be pedantic, but the medical term is a herniated disc, not a slipped disc. Your first point of call will probably be for an xray to see if there is spinal displacement and damage to the actual vertebrae, and then you will be referrred to a physiotherapy unit, where you will be accessed. Quite often you are recommended to use a TENS machine type unit. At this stage they will be trying to reduce the muscle spasm and inflamation in order to ease your pain and increase your avaliable movement. In my case the pain didn't reduce and I was referred for an MRI after about 4 months. Herniated discs will never repair completely, so if that is what you have you will be put on a conservative management programme - mine means I can't hoover or do the ironing (so sad!), as believe it or not small repetitive backwards and forwards movements can do the most damage. You will probably always have a certain amount of discomfort as it is your body's way of protecting your back. One tip though if you do have to attend a back pain clinic, ring up to see if you have to reserve an orthopedic chair, believe it or not you have to at our local hospital - I din't realise this the first time and after a 10 minute wait on a NHS plastic chair I could hardly walk to the appointment room!

tanith

Elaine I sent you a PM , we are not supposed to answer medical questions on the forum........:A

homealone_2

i slipped my disc four yearss ago and stil in excritating pain. have really been through the mll over the years, but will not go into details on here. if you need any advice please feel free to pm me

POSSETTE

its not possible to slip a disc..its the vertebrea that have squeezed together and pushed the "jelly" which supports the discs out slightly which will be pressing on your nerves.:eek: my trouble is sciatica,i have had an mri and it shows a small lump on base of spine in my case.i had to specifically ask dr for scan though!!..ask and you will receive!!...anyway best info i can give is go see an osteopath..i know one who i have seen for years on/off, he tells you everything about your probs,ok so its £28 a session..but i put health and comfort before money, i would go with out food if it meant my back was straight.it should take about 3-4 sessions.you will also learn how to be aware of sitting and standing.
i had to have an ambulance once as i couldnt move..NOT FUN!!..best wishes:A

elaine373

POSSETTE wrote:

its not possible to slip a disc..its the vertebrea that have squeezed together and pushed the "jelly" which supports the discs out slightly which will be pressing on your nerves.:eek: my trouble is sciatica,i have had an mri and it shows a small lump on base of spine in my case.i had to specifically ask dr for scan though!!..ask and you will receive!!...anyway best info i can give is go see an osteopath..i know one who i have seen for years on/off, he tells you everything about your probs,ok so its £28 a session..but i put health and comfort before money, i would go with out food if it meant my back was straight.it should take about 3-4 sessions.you will also learn how to be aware of sitting and standing.
i had to have an ambulance once as i couldnt move..NOT FUN!!..best wishes:A

I was thinking of doing this and will look into it today. Thanks to every-one who answered. It helps to know i am not the only person going through this awful pain.The worst thing for me is how debilitating this has been since only sunday. I am scared and dont know how life will be for my kids/family if this is how i am going to be.

JennyW_2

rio wrote:

Herniated discs will never repair completely, so if that is what you have you will be put on a conservative management programme

this is true. I've suffered with years with on/off back ache. Nothing major but nagging discomfort. Also had physio over the years on and off to help.

However back in April I fell over backwards and banged my head. I wasnt suffering with my back but got myself into a state about my head and any damage I may have done I ended up getting an MRI of my whole spine. It turned out I had 3 slipped (herniated) discs :eek: 2 in my neck (from the fall) and one in the base of my spine - which is the old one which had been giving me problems for years. The neurologist referred me for some physio and I was given exercises to do to keep everything mobile and free. Although I wasn't in any danger or that they would give me any major problems they told me that they would never completely heal and in the end you learn to manage them with the exercises. I believe an MRI would be the best way to go to get a true diagnosis. I've got mine and they are amazing to see

shykins

poor u i feel for u .. i have 3 problems discs, one slipped, one torn and one prolapsed and have suffered for years with this... i was only told the problems after an MRI, trouble is of course that it can take months to get one....i have been offered an op to repair mine but have opted to manage it for now

when i am at my worse i go to a chiropractor who also does acupuncture and they get me back on my feet again..it doesnt get rid of all the pain but it lessens it so that u can move a bit easier....yes it does cost (altho i was told u can get this on the NHS now, talk to your dr) but i find it takes around 5 visits to reduce the pain somewhat, stil better the cost then the pain as far as i am concerned

good luck and i hope it eases soon for u

xx

cruyff73

Had a bad back now for 5years or so. Diagnosed with 2 prolapsed discs and had a number of chiro sessions which didn't do an awful lot of good. Changed to a Physio who after a while gave me 3 sessions of traction. Unbelievable difference at the time and I thought I was cured...Hallelujah!!! No such luck though. Over time the pain came back although nowhere near as excruciating as before (my fault for slipping back into bad habits). I've recently started doing Pilates which seems to be doing a job so fingers crossed.