I am 33 years old and I have a bulging L5, I have done pt, learned that pain medications are not the answer and taken 2 cortisone shots witch I feel did help a lot until they wore off. I have been doing pretty well for about 6 months, however I have just learned I am pregnant and I am very scared that this will compound the problem. Has anyone out there become pregnant after this type of injury? were you able to have the baby naturally?
anyone with experience in this area, your advice would be appreciated
Thanks
Mom to be
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My L4 vertabrae is compressed by 8mm at the front, causing abulging disc which is causing sciatica , pains run from my back, to some really intense hip pains and all down my right leg.
It has been a complicated path to getting to the bottom of this, ill try keep this short;
Well 6 months ago i had not a problem with me, i started getting a slight hip pain, it gradually increased over time. 2 months into it i was having some fun with my little brother and hurt myself, this was the first intense pain i had felt, it felt like the nerve was burning, deep inside my hip (which is basically where the L4 vertabrae is), other than that i cant explain it.
i went to go to the doctor because this was starting to effect me in all sorts of ways, most nights i would spend having broken sleep, crying out in pain to my partner, and waking the kids up sometimes. that alone told me that i had to do something so i went to a doctor
1. Doctor 1 got me xrayed and gave me a steoid injection into my hip, as he had diagnosed me with sacro illiitis, mind my spelling. he also gave me some anti inflammantries and tramadol, which worked wonders (ive done some research on this med and i dont like the sound of it, i was a bit wary of the effects it started having on me) the xrays review said "vertabrae are well maintained"
2. i was not better after a few weeks so i called doctor 1 back, he stated he coulldn't do anything for me so sent me away. i then called doctor 2, he went through all my notes and diagnosed me with a torn muscle and gave me voltaren.
3. after the voltaren had been used and i was still in pain i went to another doctor and she advised me my leg may be longer than the other, by now ive had enough of doctors, ive paid a considerable amount in doctor fees and still have no accurate answer, this pain is getting worse, from being able to walk with a limp, to deviating to the side, to crawling out of bed and along the floor. mornings and nights were the worst!
4. i gave up on doctors and went to see a chiropracter, who did all he could with giving me info on posture, excersies, and the usual techniques they use to try solve the problem, the first day i saw him he went through my xrays and immediately he found a compressed vertabrae (L4), i continued to recieve treatment from this man, it was good, but i never got better. and eventually he couldnt do more so he referred me to a specialist, told me to go se ea doctor in the meantime and get codiene or tramadol, i was wary of the effects of tramadol since i had used it a month or two beforehand, and codiene well i dont want to take that.
5. i tried a herbal/massage therapist. for the next 2 days after my first visit i was in excruciating pain, he advised me to not go through with his treatment.
6. i ended up back at doctor 2,still with no pain relief and no sign of any decent help, i tried anyway to get some sort of answer, an MRI scan maybe? i knew it was something more than the previous docs had stated. i was on the floor crying doing excersices and explaining to him what my chiropracter had found, still i got no help, doctor 2 gave me panadol, no decent pain relief, and the main thing was i asked for an mri and he never gave me one! as if to say i was some sort of drug seeker or im putting it all on, he told me to come back in 2 weeks if i wasnt ok by then. im hating this, its causing money problems now.
6. finally the specialist got in contact with me, i saw some hope in the fact that i could get better, he instantly got me into an MRI and 2 weeks later (today) i am sitting here confirming i have a bulging disc and have to face surgery in the future, i dont want to do this, basicaly because im a chicken. but i have some kind of happyness inside me that im finally at the bottom of this, i have my sights set on what is needed to get better and am trying to gather the courage to be willing to go through with it. hes also given me tramadol 100mg, which i really dont want to take after reading about peoples experiences with it, all i know is ill use it when i NEED to.
if anybody would like to share similar experiences with me, and help with coping, please dont hesitate to talk with me. i am a 24 year old father of two and its not only hurting me.
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***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed
You can buy the book, but they have a lot on this website.
In a nutshell, whichever is your sore leg, do a deep massage laying on a hard (some are harder than others) tennis ball. You dig it into the soft part of your hip, between hip bone and femur. There's no rule of thumb for "where" except if it hurts, it's a trigger point, so when it hurts you've found it. So sometimes I roll to the muscles in the front of my hip, sometimes right on the side, sometimes more to the back, and sometimes even close to my tailbone in the soft meaty section there. You're trying to get at the gluteus minimus and medius, which are very deep muscles. If you do this a few times a day I guarantee immediate relief, and keep it up and you will do even better.
The point of massage is that as you apply pressure to something stiff it eventually relaxes, so it can take 15 min, but sometimes I'll spend a whole hour. I can focus much better this way than what any massage therapist has done for me. It hurts like crazy, but after you do it awhile the relief it gives makes the hurt actually feel great.
I'll add, every person who I've told this to has immediate relief and can't believe doctors, physio, chiro don't know about this!? Frankly I'm blown away.
Hopefully this will help some of you the way it's helped me and my friends.
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Dear friends,
who are suffering l4,l5 disk bulge and severe leg pain please consult Dr.Mehaboob khan, bone setter,unanine medicine at MYsore. Krishnarajanagara,Phone no. 08223262788
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Hi, I was in a car accident on 3/24/2011 and have been going to a chiropractor 3 times a week since April 1st. He sent me for MRIs and today I found out I have 2 buldging discs. One is in my middle/upper back next to my shoulder blade which is the cause of the pain in my shoudler blad (go figure) and the other is in my lower back. I was just wondering are buldging discs permanent? What are treatments and recovery times I may have to go through? I'm getting aggravated because I have a hard time picking up my children and playing with them like I used to and I can't cash at work...I'm stuck in the gas station sitting on my behind gaining weight lol.
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Thanks
bb
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Hello Everyone...
I am crying my eyes out after reading all these bulging disc nightmarish testimonies.... I too am going through this hell as I type this... In August of 2010 I was in a minor fender bender, where I was inthe front passenger seat of my sister's SUV. We got hit on my side and as I noticed we were about to get hit i turned to make sure my one year old niece was secure and BOOM, we ere hit. I felt a little tingle in my neck about 15 minutes afterwards and a slight headache that eventually went away.... For the next two weeks, I continued the finishing plans for my sister's wedding and had slight headaches on and off that I associated to planning a wedding as well being a Maid of honor. The morning after the wedding, I could not get out of bed Neck and mid to upper back pain: diagnosed with whiplash). I was in chiropractic therapy from September 2010 to about March or April of 2011. I was doing well and was discharged from therapy... April through early October 2011, I was able to go to the gymn, doing walks on the treadmill, stationery bikes rides, etc. My Orthopedic and Chiropractor stated that I was able to work out before I started and to continue with the chiropractic exercises to aid in full recovery. I hapen to have an appointment with my OBGYN in mid October (on a Monday) and she stated my blood pressure was a bit high (145 over 130). I have never had my pressure be anything over 120 over 80 (normal and healthy range). Gradually through the week I was not feeling like myself, but went about my daily life. By that Friday, i felt numbness in my left hand, two fingera and tightness in my chest. I knew something was wrong so I jumped in the car and ruched to the hospital, thinking that I may have a heart attack (I am 36 now, this started at age 34). The doctors took EKG and all kinds of tests, including blood tests. They stated I was fine and diagnosed it as a panick attack (symptoms can be similar to having a heart attack)... SMH. I always thought that was a mind thing but researched it (once I could) and it has to do with the body malfunctioning in some way and is a side effect of whatever is happening. I could go on and write endlessly in regards to this but I won't. Short story: since October 2011 I have been in and out of the ER about 7 times. My PCP had multiple blood work done and aside from my bellirubin being abnormal for my liver ('cause I cut out salt completley, which i hardly ate anyway... once I thought I had high blood pressure). Because i did that my liver overcompensated and made too much which determines the color of waste. My sypmtoms got so bad with my bulging C-4 and C5... that i thought i was dieing. i called my mom and gave her my last wishes, not knowing if my brain would be damaged from the excriciating/debilitating burning and muscle pain I was suffering from head to toe LITERALLY. I was put on Prednazone to cut down the inflammation, which didn't work but it gave me a bleeding ulcer which got me admitted and almost killed me. 9Endocapic procedure had to be performed and they wanted to give me blood). After waiting over night my blood count started going back up so the transfusion was not necessary. A MINOR fender bender has made my life a living hell NOW. my family is there as much as they can be but I felt so relieved to know I am not alone in this. That you guys understand. My family and friends keep saying "you are going to be fine"... but i am not sure what is happening. My Orthopedic doc finally had an MRI done to reveale the bulging discs and that It was probably infringing on nerves causing me this painful existence... I am on tramadol/Ultrum for the pain and it just started to help (somewhat). I am NEVER pain free... NEVER. I am a singer, performer and worry about ever being able to do that again... There is this swelling behind my right ear on my neck... Now I can gage how painful of a day it will be by how swollen it is. This pain I would never wish on my worst enemy... i feel pain where I thought pain could never reach and in odd places (my eyes burns fromteh inside and not some soap got in your eyes burnign either)... I have lost hair, not sure if it's because of the meds or nerve pain... Oh and because of The neck injury, it causes me breathing issus (shortness of breath when I am in pain)... The thing is this breathing problem started before the real pain. Like my body was warning me of what was to come.... SMH. People should be made more aware of what whiplash can put you through. This, according to my doctor, happens to the one million and one person in whiplash cases... THAT 1 after the million is me... i have not been able to drive or do ANYTHING since this started. I have mainly gone outside to only got to ER and Doctor appoinments and THAT IS IT. Here it is May 5th and I am STCUK on pain meds. Now my doc wants me to take CYMBALTA because i am now depressed and have thought about suicide twice... The only reason I am still alive is because of my faith in GOD and He has brought me this far and is stil pulling me through. O now understand why people with terminal or painful illnesses would rather end it... I won't take my life but I UNDERSTAND it now. I will never judge in that regards again. I figure if JESUS could go through what he did for me, then I CAN endue this. PLEASE STAYE ENCOURAGED EVERYONE... I have my days where I am in the bottomless pit, but i think of the life I had before this and hope I will one day get past this and be able to share my experience and encourgae others to HOLD ON... I have concerns about addiction on meds... but for now it is the only way I can stomach opening my eyes every morning... Stay Strong and GOD BLESS.
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I'm 34 and am sitting down for my short period of lessened pain I have for about 5-10 mins daily....a little info first...
...Living in Australia is good in some ways, as treatment @ Docs and Hospitals is @ no cost... thanks be to God, as I've got no insurance or assets at all - apart from my life!! Which rite now doesn't feel like much of an asset. I have led a fairly, um, colourful life to date, with my share of car accidents (7) and high heels,cycling(wearing glasses, so that my neck was constantly at an awkward angle!) And several years spent being a gym bunny hardcore probably did more harm than good on my twisted frame commonly known as a spine.
I went to see an osteopath-sort of like a chiropractor-first off when i was 17, as one day i just could not get up! Could do b****r all, actually except scream in pain. After 2 days some friends levered me up into my mates van face down on the backseat bent at the knees....when i got there, much screaming ensued until I was standing...but bent inhalf @ 90 degrees so I was facing the ground. Well, the osteopath did his click clack on me and I left there at a new angle of 130 degrees... he gave me some exercises to do, as I had twisted my pelvis SOMEHOW?!
...Anyway, on I went with my life, I worked as a waitress, kitchen hand, contract lawnmower, tyre mechanic and barista.... my life was going along fine, i had a few medical probs, but nothing that stopped me working for more than a day or two... oh a couple broken ribs made me pretty useless for about a month, and a tonsillectomy @24...OMG that was bad..... but NOTHING like November 27 last year, approximately 3 minutes into my shift at the Coffee Club where I'd been working. Idid a classic ballet move,feet positioned correctly to lower me, and the I leaned forward just slightly and BAM! I was stuck, paralysed and in unbelievable pain! My employer walked in, saw the mascara tracks running in teary rivers down my face. He took one look at me and said "you've hurt your back, Helen... go to the doctor NOW!" So I did, i could walk o.k, but i could NOT sit... which made using the toilets in the mall a major embarrassment, neither cheek would take any weight, so I waited il every1 had left and then tried... and screamed and swore and cried... another woman entered unbeknownst to me... until she asked me was i having a baby??!! 'No no, i'm fine, i've just hurt my back somehow'...alright, YEAH RIGHT! I went to a doctor close by my work, who said, "here's a prescription for painkillers, you'll need a medical cert for work... shall we say 2 days?" Well! THAT sounded good, I called my boss & let him know... he said to call him tomorrow, see how I was...here is a man who KNEW what this felt like, he was so confident I'd still be stuffed that he filled all my rostered shifts for the next 2 weeks!! Which I found out AFTER calling him saying that i wasn't any better. He said he'd pray for me... bless the man. So, I went to MY doc, he said, 'oh, you've hurt your back, here's some painkillers, you'll be o.k in 3-4 weeks..WHAT?? that couldn't be right? could it? i couldn't even get on the exam table, & he sent me home with codeine....which BTW did sweet stuff all for the pain.
So... i thought, b****r this for a game of soldiers, I'll get a second opinion! It was all covered under Medicare anyway, so I did.... and this doc saw that I couldn't sit down, or bend even minimally at the waist, and he sent me for a CT scan. I had to wait 3 hours to see him again, but when I did he was SO nice...apparently some people pretend to be injured to get off work or more drugs, but my scan and the report said I had 2 bulging discs L3-L4 and L5-S1. Apparently all those years of self abuse & hard physical labour had taken their toll.. who would'ha thought? lol He issued me with a prescription for some REAL pain relief and diazepam for the muscle spasms, and a severe warning to get to the hospital asap as the L5 bulge was massive & touching nerve roots, and there is nothing that makes you want to die more than NERVE PAIN... a week later, I rode the bus standing for an hour, silently crying the whole 40 min ride to the nearest hospital...they saw me within 10mins, gave me panadol, and hydrocodone and an IM shot of morphine, then put me back pout in the waiting room, with the usual "take a seat"! I stood for almost 2 hours, then finally got called through and they put me on a flat bed...i had to use the 'falling tree' method. I had numbness down my right leg, and I was pretty scared. The head of the Orthopaedic surgery came to review my scans and talked to me, saying he was going to scan the pics into the system and send them to another hospital that has a special spinal unit. Finally he came back and told me they thought it would heal with physio and rest and anti-inflammatories. But because I have Medullary Sponge Kidney(kidneys both full of cysts with stones in them) and chronic recurring peptic and gastro-intestinal ulcers. So they kept me in for a week, all i could do was roll of the bed onto my knees, then crawl to the loo and back... the docs doing their rounds every day thought I was very devout...lol...but it was, aside from lying flat, the only way I could be without pain. I got fed up, so asked to be discharged the next monday, still unable to toilet or shower myself, but i HATED being there so I lied and said my husband would be home with me for the week..well, and he was, just not til after 6pm, LOL.
I went back in a week later for a checkup with orthopaedics, and they said a CT guided cortisone injection might help, since there were no other anti-inflammatories I could safely take...hurt like hades, but the next day felt a little better.
2 weeks later I went back for another cortisone injection, and by this time I could sit down on my left cheek, so was happy with the progress....as it felt a lot better, and I was off work I skipped the Physiotherapy, just doing the exercises he'd given me when I was bedridden...mainly pelvic floor exercises.
At the beginning of February I discovered that I had no job to go back to, and I started to stress out, looking online and in the local papers for ANY work at all. But all that stress led to MAJOR gastric pain...my doc kept saying my bloods were fine, my weight and muscle tone were slap bang normal, and he had been seeing me on and off for this pain for a year, all the time I was working... we'd go round a corner and I would scream in agony...Hubby said 'go back to the doc' but after being turned away 4 times from him, and oncde from the hospital, i was buggered if I was going bak to them, they didn't even believe I HAD pain, and I DESPISE going to the doctor! So, a couple of months ago, the pain was bad, but i walked to the mall to get some dog food and collapsed...God was looking out for me that day, as the ambulance took me to a different hospital, and though they found nothing via U/sound, kept me in o/nte...the next day they found out that I had a massive duodenal ulcer that had perforated and was being rubbed by my pancreas. A week hooked up to 4 machines, and blood transfusions and a little button to push every 5 mins as needed!
But I digress...
.....on April 25th, i lifted up my frinds 8yr old girl...she's quite chunkily formed at the moment, and as I did it, even with my knees bent, i felt and HEARD a distinct 'pop' and I FELT my back go out of alignment. I put her down immediately, but the damage was done. I have damaged that L5 disc again, and this time I have full-blown sciatica with it. MY GOD, HELP ME! lucky I have a notebook computer so I can do it lying down, like now. I went to the hospital, they gave me 15mg morphine IV, 20mcg fentanyl, hydrocodone, panadeine forte, and diazepam. NOT A WHIT OF DIFFERENCE apart from feeling pretty wasted at the end. They sent me home. So did the next hospital 2 days later. The 3rd hospital at least were more thorough, told me to go str8 back to the ER if the numbness gets worse, or i become incontinent. I am 30mg oxycodone twice a day and diazepam as required for spasms. I can't go out to the MAILBOX even, my hubby has to lift me up and hold me standing over the toilet, he's a good man, but it's a shameful feeling regardless, having someone pull up ur undies and shower you and dress you. What's worse is that i KNOW my bad posture has contributed to this condition. So now there is a lot of guilt burning another hole in my stomach, and guilt for having no job, not even being fit to apply for one sux big dogs too.
I have contemplated just falling from a high building, or taking too many pills with some vodka... it gets to be an attractive allur when the nerve pain is not lessened by ANYTHING you take! The ONLY thing that's even helped slightly is a drug that in small doses (25mg) helps with nerve pain, but when taken in high doses like 250-300mg is an antidepressant. I was SO mad that the doc had prescribed me an ANTIDEPRESSANT that I didn't read the information about "other uses"
so missed the part about it being used to relieve nerve pain...oops. .
If nothing else it helps me sleep at night and gets me through the worst of the nightly hell we face as sufferers of this debilitating condition.
SoHoping2Win, you are NOT alone, there are a lot of real sufferers out there just like us...i need a cane/walking stick because this time, the back pain is accompanied unbelieveably bad pain down my hamstrings, behind the knee and then right down the outside of my lower leg, ending in my ankle...when I walk it's like a length of electrified barbed wire in my leg, so I don't drink much, to lessen my trips to the loo! Pain sucks, but thanks for sharing your experience, and please know that there are probably a great number of us standing on the edge of that abyss.... I'm certainly there at the moment, it's nice to know i have company there!
Stay Strong, sister
Blessings to all
goldie_loxx
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