I'm Fed Up - Back Pain & Sciatica(sorry, it's long)

Since about April last year , I've had pain in my back and going down my right leg. It wasn't too bad to begin with so I just took nurofen to begin with. I also just carried on as normal with my life and at work. Over the months , the pain got worse , so I started taking paracetomol and nurofen together. It got so bad to the point I was going through a full pack of each per day , sometimes more. In November , I had a week off to be in the house for Missy during bonfire weekend. I stopped taking the nurofen so that I could try Nurofen SR , which is a longer acting nurofen. I had to wait 12 hours after taking normal nurofen before I could use the new one. Next morning , I couldn't move , I was in complete agony. On the Monday , I phoned a Chiropracter to make an appointment. I got one for the Wednesday. At my appointment , I was examined and asked lots of questions about previous injuries. I was then referred to another Chiropracter for x-rays on the Thursday. Friday morning , I was told the results of my x-rays by the first Chiropracter. He told me I have degenerated lumbar vertebrae , L1-5 , narrowing of the spaces between these vertebrae which suggests disc degeneration, and I also have degeneration of my sacroiliac joint. He recommended a treatment programme of 12 weeks. 3x weekly for 6 weeks , then 1x weekly for 6 weeks. I also went to my doctor who told me to keep taking the nurofen and paracetomol. He signed me off work for 1 week. The next day , I walked the half mile to the post office to send my line into work. When I got back to the house I was in so much pain I could hardly move. I phoned the doctor and told him I needed stronger painkillers. He prescribed me Dihydrocodeine. He also said he would refer me for an MRI scan. Over the next few weeks , the pain wasn't getting any better so the Dihydrocodeine was increased to 2 - 4 times a day and a stronger one at bed time. Both my doctor and chiropracter at this point now suspect I have a prolapsed disc , pressing on my sciatic nerve. The pain in my leg starts at the top of my bum , goes down through my buttock ,the outside of my hip and down the back of my thigh to behind my knee. It then goes down the outside and back of my calf , round my ankle and along the top of my foot. I also get pins and needles in my calf , along the outside and along the sole of my foot , ending between my toes. Once , the pins and needles was so bad , I,d been sitting down and stood up to get a drink. When I tried to take a step forward , my ankle buckled right over , almost turning my foot upsidedown. My ankle still gets sore now since that happened. I'm also ashamed and embarassed to say that 4 times when lying in bed , i've needed the loo and wet myself when I stood up. The pain was so bad when I stood up that I couldn't move or hold it in. I now keep a pot by my bed just incase. On Boxing day , worse was to come , I was sick all day and for the next 3 days , couldn't keep anything down. On the Friday , I woke up at 3 in the morning. I was lying on my side and turned over on to my back . The pain was worse than anything I've ever felt in my life. Like someone sticking a burning hot knife in my back and all the way down my leg. I lay screaming , crying and shouting to my mum to try and wake her up. I also tried ringing the house phone from my mobile 20 times. She didn't hear me. At 7 am , when she got up , she heard me crying and came to see what was wrong. I asked her to phone the doctor. She also brought my ice pack out of the freezer to try and ease the pain. The doctor came at 10am. She gave me a tablet to stop me from being sick. One that you put between your lip and gum to dissolve. I was sick again 10 minutes later. She was going to give me a painkilling injection but it was Diclofenac , which I can't take as it makes me sick. An hour after she left , I was back on the phone , crying and begging the doctor to come and help me. The pain was excruciating. She came back and when she saw me , she phoned the hospital. It took 4 hours for an ambulance to come and pick me up. On the way to the hospital , the paramedic tried to move me and I just about went through the roof ! I was taking the gas and air like there was no tomorrow. Just before we got to the hospital , I was sick again. Being sick made the pain rage through my body. In hospital , it took 2 hours before anyone came to see me. The doctor just asked some questions about the pain , took blood samples and left. Another 2 hours later , Mum and I were getting fed up waiting so we were going to leave. Someone told us to stay there and 10 minutes later , came back with a bottle of tablets and discharged me ! Turns out the Dihydrocodeine is making me sick so now I have to take Cyclizine to stop that. So , I'm still off work nearly 12 weeks later. I've heard nothing at all about an MRI appointment. Still going to the chiropracter 3 times a week , although he isn't charging me for any more treatment until I have an MRI done. I spend half the day sleeping as when I take the Dihydrocodeine and Cyclizine at the same time , they knock me out ! I'm bored and frustrated about being stuck in the house most of the time , either because the weather is bad , I'm too drowsy and sleeping , or I'm too sore to move. Thanks for listening .

You poor girl, I am sorry you are suffering and have been for some time. Can I ask have you got an appointment for you MRI scan ?

April last year and you are still in pain -

Ooh - sounds painful and I sympathise as I've had a lot of shoulder, back, lumber pain but was also experiencing dizzy spells. For my dizzy spells I had numerous appointments with a nuero doc at the hospital plus vestibular tests.

I've also had MRI scans (brain about 1 or 2) plus back (2)which I asumed would flag up the problem.

Nope !

I recognised the name Cyclizine as it's a 'antihistamine' that was sugested for my 'dizzy / vertigo' symptoms.

Dihydrocodeine as the name sugests (codeine) is a pain killer.Slightly different to the stuff I've had but can certainly make you drowsy.

It's crappy I know.

Hi Trixybird , no , I don't have an appointment yet for an MRI. The doctor told me on 12th November he would refer me for one but I have heard nothing more about it. I've asked him about it and he just tells me " that's how it is in the NHS , not enough money". I wouldn't wish this pain on my worst enemy but I DO wish the person responsible for allocating appointments felt my pain. Maybe then they wouldn't take so long. I was also referred to see a neurosurgeon , ( after the MRI referral) and I got a letter back saying I'm on the waiting list and the maximum wait is 26 weeks. 26 weeks from the date of referral takes it into the middle of June !

Thanks Phil. Have you thought about trying a chiropracter ? I know it can be expensive but it does work. I'm not quite as sore as when I first started going. Another patient USED TO be in a wheelchair ! Loads of people there say how it's the best thing they have done. Maybe worth thinking about. The guy I go to is the vice president of the Scottish Chiropractic Association. I paid £35 for the first assessment, £60 for x-rays and each session after that is £27. They also have different payment schemes which saved me £100 off the total cost of my 12 week treatment plan. I paid £550 for that. Now that's used up , I'm not being charged for anything until I have an MRI. 3 times a week at £27 is £81 a week , but I'm getting that for nothing at the moment.

I have recently requested to have tests done privately, 3 in all. When my oh asked we were shocked at how reasonable the costs were. Initially NHS waiting time for one test was 14 months!

I saw my specialist in Sept/Oct and had all 3 tests carried out in December. I am back to see specialist this Monday.

My pain has been since last August but has progressively got worse. Please if you can afford to have the test done privately ASK for it now. Get on the phone tomorrow and ask how much - I wish you a speedy resolve, ongoing pain makes you miserable xxxxx

You're right.

That's certainly the way to go. The problem (with my back problem) is that it comes and goes. I can be in agony for a few months then fine for a few years. As a result I never get around to getting it sorted as it's OK by the time I get to be seen so nothing shows up.

The dizzy thing is something different which although the neck can cause - is still getting looked at.

I would go for a private scan if I could. I've just had to tax my car , and it needs a broken front spring replaced. A mobile mechanic is coming to do that in 2 weeks. After that , it would depend on the cost and how soon I could save up for a private scan.
Phil , I seriously recommend you go to a chiropracter. I've had minor back pains in the past From my own experience , I've tried an osteopath and a physiotherapist , both privately , and out of the 3 the chiropracter is doing more for me than the other two put together. NHS GP's , in my experience , are useless with back problems. A month ago I could hardly walk. Now I have people telling me how much better I look. Please go to a chiropracter if you can. I could ask mine tomorrow if he knows of a good one in your area.

There's one in Perth (that a pal of mine goes to) that I've heard good things about. Everything is OK just now but I have his card at the ready !

MM It must be horrendous to be in that much pain. Is there another hospital you could go to where the wait is shorter?

Can you phone the hospital to enquire about the appointment? I would try pushing someone as these things can get 'lost'.

Sending you some cyber hugs from me and Fudge.