hi, im just new to this site, i to have sciatica it started about 4 months ago in my right side and was say (scale 1-10 10 been worse) it was about a 6 just manageable, it stayed for about a month then went away to my relieve but then a month later it came back even worse on my left side.it started in my bum cheek then traveled down my leg leaving the muscles sore even to touch right to my 2 outside toes leaving them numb completely.i went to the doctor and was told i had sciatica to take ibropruphen an paracetamol which i did for 2 weeks and didnt help one bit, when i went back he done some tests and then put me on co codamol 8/500(over the counter ones) and dicloflex instead of ibrophen, still 2 weeks more later i asked to see a different doctor as i felt the one i had was not fully explaining what was wrong just asking me if i wanted to go on the sick then giving me a load of pills then a goodbye, anyway the new doctor(suposedly the best in the surgery) examined me went through all the things about the sciatic nerve and how the pain ocurs etc that give me a better understanding of what i was going through he then told me he would arange an mri scan and said it could be up to 8 weeks for this.anyway i got a letter the next few days saying an mri scan was available in 2 weeks, but i couldnt stand the pain so went back to the docs i was given solpodol 30/500 (just a stronger cocodamol 30codein/500paracetamol0 dicloflex both to be taken every 4 hours and amitriptyline to be taken at night to calm the nerves and help sleep as i couldnt sleep for the pain. it then got worse over the next 2 days to the point i couldnt put no weight on my leg or else it went into spasm and i was collapsing with the pain, went back to the docs and was given diazepam aswell as the other tablets to stop the spasms. i took a week of work and spent 4 days resting in bed and ive been taken all these pills now for 4 days consisting of
8am- 2 solpodol, 1 dicloflex , 1 diazepam -12pm 2 solpodal,1 dicloflex - 4pm 2 solpodol 1 dicloflex, 1 diazepam - 8pm 2 solpodol 1 dicloflex -12pm 6 amitriptyline, 2 solpodol,
1 diazepam, 1 dicloflex all total i take 24 pills a day(evening dose i often dont even remember going to sleep i just wake up in the morning) i am feeling better and not as much pain but i think most pple wudnt feel pain taking all those pills, i have my mri scan this thursday the 7th feb and the coctor isnt even waiting for the results he has just refered me to a specialist in edinburgh little france as he is 99% sure i have one or more herniated disks i know this has been a lot to read lol but if anyone wants to ask anything feel free to email me on [pm for details](please no spam) and ill keep posting next week after my mri.
neil

Hi Neil , sorry to hear you are suffering too. I know exactly how you feel. You seem to be lucky getting an MRI so quickly ! My doc told me on 12th November I was being referred for an MRI . He also told me the waiting time is 3 months. I'm in Midlothian , Pathhead to be precise. I'm beginning to think my doc has lied to me about referring me for a scan. I've been waiting 12 weeks now and not heard a word ! I thought they would have at least sent a letter to say I was on the waiting list , but no , nothing. Think I'm going to see my doc tomorrow and complain ! He seems happy enough to palm me off with hundreds of tablets and sick notes for my work. Anyway , good luck with your MRI , let us know how you get on.

I had a bad spell of this when I was 28, pain got so bad that walking any distance was too much to bear, even a few yards, I had treatment from various people and conflicting advise and finally had to rest for 6 weeks taking Fenapron 600mg 4 times a day (like 12 brufen tablets).

I have had problems ever since to sciatic and upper back but have used a Chiropractor and ice pack any problems as soon as they appear. Building muscle up and keeping supple helps to ward off more trouble.

If it helps I have just spent the last 4 weeks shifting 25 tons of rock and mud from my front wall that collapsed just after Xmas and I am a mechanic which involves a fair bit of elbow grease and am a lot older now, so it doesn't mean its a lifelong affliction.

One little bit of advise, DO NOT PUT HEAT ONTO THE INJURY, Icepack the area which will be a few vertebra up from the base of your spine, if you push in between the gaps of your spine you will feel where the problem is, ice pack to reduce the swelling, don't listen to Physio's ICE IT!!!

Yes this is right. I have permanent nerve damage, it causes me no pain, but it does pose a few problems, like I didnt know I had a drawing pin in it, till I saw the blood! Ill try to take pics of my MRI for you to show you what your docs are describing, it sounds identical to mine.

Ok, here they are. First MRI pic is from the side, you can see the normal discs that fit ok, there are a couple that are a little "bulged" but they are not a problem. If you look at the one near the base of the spine, you can see all the disc material has herniated out of the space, and has pushed onto the sciatic nerve. (the white/grey line) Its also pushing into the spinal cord (the knobly bits on the right) which caused my paralysis at times.



These two are taken from a cross section. You can see which part it is from the side by looking at the white line on the bottom right diagram, this first one is the disc above the one that herniated.



This one is the one that has gone, you can see all the disc material has fell out into the space and onto the nerve.



The surgery was to suck out all the material, the pain relief is instant. I hope this helps you understand a bit better what may be going on and I hope you get the help you need quickly.
Dawn.

Thanks fluffybunnyfeet . I suppose the main reason I didn't go to the doctor sooner , was that through experience , I know they are useless with back problems. As soon as the pain got completely unbearable , I looked up a chiropracter in the Yellow pages. Luckilly , there is one just 15 minutes drive away from me. It's the best thing I have ever done ! He is a very popular chiropracter , people come to him from miles around , and he has a very good reputation for making people better. 1 patient had spent years confined to a wheelchair , she is now fully independant. Others have told me how bad they were at the beginning and assure me that it does get better. One guy said he'd forgotten what a sore back was like until he saw me walking in one day. He has also made such a big improvement to people who have been told surgery was their only option. None of which ever did have surgery. I totally agree with you about the ice. I bought a gel ice pack from the chiropracter on my first visit. In fact , I have 2 now. A spare one that I can put in a cool bag to take out with me. My doctor did refer me to a physio and I only went the once. First of all , she spoke to me as if I was a child . When I told her I was going to a chiropracter and that he advised using ice , she was adamant that I should use heat ! Sorry but hurting for hours after having a bath , tells me that heat actually aggravates the pain. When I asked her what could she do for me that would be better than the chiropracter , she said " I'll give you accupuncture". First of all , I don't see how sticking needles into nerves that are already screaming out in pain , would help. Secondly , I didn't like her attitude so I wouldn't allow her to stick any needle within a mile of me ! I never went back. The ice works , the exercises help , and the way he flexes my spine on the treatment table , takes pressure off the suspect disc. The pain AND numbness actually disappear completely for a few seconds when he does that. Once I am able , he also has all sorts of equipment to help strengthen my back muscles , and I will keep going even long after the pain goes. He also has this excellent pain relieving gel called Biofreeze. Much stronger and longer acting than Deep Freeze. The thing I am most looking forward to doing again is agility. My dog had taken to it very well and was proving to be fast and accurate on the equipment at training. Then I had to stop because of my pain.It may take a while but that's my long term goal.

Awe Suzanne, hugs and kisses nothing worse than back pain hun. Hot water bottles are great, ask for physio and if you can get a tens machine.
I had a slip disk / trapped nerve in the 80's was awful the tens worked wonders

Thanks Jaquie . I use ice packs to relieve pain rather than heat. The cold is more effective. I might try , out of curiosity , alternating heat and cold. We used to do that for some leg injuries in horses and it worked for them. Cold to reduce the inflamation followed immediately with heat to increase the blood supply which encouraged healing. I'll try that tomorrow.
Dawn , awesome pictures ! If you don't mind me asking , do you remember how much your scan cost ? I notice you had yours done by Bupa. Thanks. Also , do you have any other tips which may help , seeing as you have experienced the pain I have now ?

I used heat and cold before my hysterectomy, easiest way to do it was with a towel, first in hot water then in cold. To be honest I didnt like it, I don't really do cols, but found a hot water bottle in a pillow case soothing.
Tens machine was brill though

My scan cost £295. I think you are doing everything you can, its really just pain management. Before my op, I was flat on my back, I went into spasm and couldnt move, just getting to the loo was incredibly difficult, I think you need to keep as still as possible to limit any more damage.
Dawn.