Sciatic nerve / Bulging Disk- recovery Questions

Hello Goldie_Loxx... Thank you for acknowledging and responding to my post. I am sooooo sorry for what you have been through and continue to go through. The blessing is that Australia provides you with worry free medical care... I can not tell you how aweful it is to have to go through physical medical issues and also have to worry about losing everything to medical bills because you are un-insured. That is a BASIC need that every human beng should be privy to without being treated or looked at as less than human because you can't pay. That has been my experience. Up until about three weeks ago, I have had to apply for state medical assistance and was denied twice. it took my admission in the hospital for the state to finally take it seriously that I am "medically needy" (an eligibility requirement in order to get insurance if you are unemployed, single with no children)... You either have to be regnant, have a bunch of childen with no job or work at least 100 hours a month with no insurance in order to get approved. Thank GOD, the billing office in the hospital where i was admitted had a very nice man that came to my room before my procedure and filled out all the apps with me to helpf pay my hospital bills as well as get med assistance and also possibly, disability. I have worked my entire life and pay taxes and just because I am doing the right thing, I am not eligible for something I paid taxes for to provide people that could possibl have never worked with meical care... SMH. Don't get me wrong, there are some that NEED it but there are some taking advantage of the system, so... But I am happy you did not have to experience that horror as well as deal with your medical ordeals. IT IS NOT FUN, i tell yah. I am so tired of waking up to live an existence of just being STUCK in pain and in life, period. My fiancee's mo lost her hudband about 3 years ago and she used to live with us, and everyday when i would come in from work I would ask her how her day was and she would say "huh, I am sooooo lonely". i thought I understood her and sympathized but I had NOOOOO idea what lonliness was until now. I can't imagine losing my fiancee' and having to deal with that loss let alone, lonliness in that manner of losing your love and best friend, but this ailment has caused me extreme lonliness (it is one of the most aweful experience, aside from the depression that is trying to take me over). When it rains it pours too. One of my BF's has just come through breast cancer treatment, so had to deal with that and my other BF has been dealing with isolated spider bites which gave her Cellulitis... YES! I am going through it. Upon this medical issue taking place, it seems it pours in that aspect as well... I was diagnosed with 2 huge uterine fibroids and an ovarian cyst and multiple complicated cysts in both breasts. I suppose I can THANK GOD that they are just that; fibroids and cysts... But adding up everything; fibroids, cysts, stomach ulcer, incessant excruciating/debilatating full body nerve and muscle pain... Well, I still feel blessed to be alive. GOD is good. I have gotten soooo much closer to HIM in this time. I have always loved GOD, but one really feels and he makes himself more visible when one goes through things like this. Without him, I can honestly say, i most likely would have given up and not be here today, HONESTLY. I am still going through it all and on top of that, a lawsuit. A letter came from my attorney, a couple days ago and it was a complaint form for me to sign: it listed all the medical terms per my doctor's report of what I suffer from and so i looked them up and I was engulfed in tears. My sister was a little hurt but after a couple weeks she was fine and is living a normal healthy life. but the letter stated that we were even sueing for $50, 000 each. I was sooo hurt and saddened by the fact that my sister's suit was the same as mine since our sufferings were extremely and drastically incomparable. And... $50,000? what is that suppose to do? take care of me if I can never work again? Make me whole? as if moeny could EVER do that... pay all the bills that I had to pay out of pockeet thus far and or pay for future medical bills, for how long and how much in the future. i don't know if this is a long time thing, (suffering or having to be treated indefinitely medically). I am sooooo upset. it is NOT about the money. i could get offered a billion dollars and It still wouldn't be enough. People that have never been throuhg any REAL medical issue or REAL pain would NEVER understand, but I KNOW YOU DO. If I had a choice of a billion dollars or being healthy and BROOOOOKE as dirt. i waould choose that later without hesitation. If you don't have health, how can you enjoy life let alone, money? SMH. People THINK that they can just fix EVERYTHING with money. SMH!!! Yes, i need money to live, and since I can not work it is necessary for a suit... but these insurance companies (are run by so called human beings BTW), set out to screw and already screwed person. I am SOOO sick and disgusted with the way people allow money to corrupt whatever values they MAy have had. IT IS SAD! I AM SADDENED BY IT! I don't even have the strength to look at paperwork let alone fille them out and the thought of court proceedings, UGH! I don't want to dump all my insides on you, but it's just that I have my fiancee' and my family, but not really and YOU KNOW what I mean by that. THEY DON:T FEEL MY PAIN NOR UNDERSTAND the battles that come with it. I have always been the STRONG person in my family and with my friends. So, for them to see me like this (weak, and weeping and crawling) is very difficult, no doubt. They are encouraging and sweet, but I see and feel like the times I need them the most, no one anwers the phone or is there in person, or avoid seeing me because THEY can't deal, I feel so abandoned at times. Though I KNOW they don't intend it that way. I, like you have had to crawl to the bathroom, take an hour to shower (with slow painful movements). This is the ONE thing I wanted to hold on to, bathing myself. If I lost that I would feel sooooooo worthless, though i know I am not, i would feel that way. My fiancee' never knew in the beginning that i did that until I told him. He cried... and said he would bathe me for the rest of his life if he had to...I know he would, but YOU know what I mean. Giving up THAT would mean so much more that me just being sick, it would mean I am a burden now ( in my head) though I know better. When all this started my fiancee' proposed to me in the middlle of not knowing what was happening, when we were waiting for test results to rule out cancer and all kinds of things... So, i know he loves me and could have walked away (some guys would have), but not him. So, the blessing int his is that I KNOW now how loved I am. Without him and my family i would be lost completely. So, with all this said, I am optimistic and hopeful and prayerful... With every breath I am fighting through ALL this. because i long to FEEl physically what it felt like to be pain free (I have forgotten). I long to just be able to do the simple things, like walk along the river bank and enjoy just the flow of water or birds flying. I have managed to keep my sanity, only because i believe the devil will play on weaknesses and try to consume me and I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN. So, Stay strong and encouraged. We may have family and friends who THINk they get it and understand but you and I and others like us know they DO NOT get it or reeeeaaalllly ujnderstand. They can just be there and do what they can. But, you and I and others like us have each other to vent and talk and cry with. WHY? Because WE KNOW. Stay lifted and I pray for your recovery as well as others and myself that are going through this living hell. GOD BLESS you and I will respond to all you posts as long as I have breath. Hope you have a more pleasant day that day before. One Love.

BTW: thank you for the medication recommendatons. I will inquire about those options. i just don't want to have surgery. I am still young and there are more horror stories about back surgeries that good so I do not want to have to take that risk. Besides, I have never had any procedure doen where I have to be cut. it's bad enough I have to have these fibroids removed. Oh I forgot to mention... there was a period of time that going to the bathroom was excruciating. I have never given birth but I bet it feels like how I felt when trying to go... I have severe constipation because NON of my doctor's told me or emphasized i need stool softners with my pain meds. The tramadol slowedd down my digestive system and I was backed up 3 to 5 days without going to the bathroom at a time... EXCRUUUUUCIATING pain i tell you. Not to mention that on top of the nerve and muscle pain isssue... so, finally i was told to take an OTC medication cal DOCUSATE (Colace caps: 50mg). Had to take 2 a day to soften my stool and help with going. after a while it was easier to go... But the fibroids i had also made it more painful because they are so big each about 5 inches... so they HAVE to be removed. Be careful with thos meds... ask your doc about that with your stool. it took a while to get that way, so even if you are not suffering now just make sure you won:t ask your doctor about it. God bless.

Hello... I know it has been a while since you posted this but it still helped to give me some insight... Thank you for this it give me HOPE. Because I was losing it. THANK YOU. I have bulding in my C4 and C5... Touching on nerve somewhere. My experience on a scale from 1 to 10 was about 100. NO EXAGERATION. I have full body (head to toe), nerve AND muscle pain. It is so excruciating I thought I was dieing, would be brain damaged, etc. Told my mom my last wishes, etc. I am still going through it sin Aug of 2010... the inital whiplash from a minor fender bender was barable compared to this relapse after about 8 months of therapy and was on my way to healing (working out delicately as instructed by my doctors) and then BAM! Pain woke me one night. I am suffering from high blood pressure due to the incessant pain, for months was bed ridden adn still am for the mst part. Meds for the pain gave me a bleeding ulcer nd put me in hospital for two days to stop the bleeding, etc. (so be very careful with those anti inflammatory meds like the one you are taking)... I did not want to have surgery, due to the horror stories for the most part... you are a rare case i have heard of that it has given you your lif back. I DREAM of the day of living again... i am just existing right now and fighting depression because of being in non stop pain for about 6 months. The pain meds I am on (ultrum/tramadol) has JUST started to give me some relief anywhere fron 4 to 6 hours so I am stuck on pain pills 3 to 6 pills a day now, and stool softners, etc. I am sure you have had your share of hell and want to leave it behind as I would love to do, But you shared and so I wanted to share with people that KNOW what it is like to suffer in this way. Still suffer and dealing with depression an possibly have to go see a councilor now. I wanted to commit suicide and thought of it twice, but my faith in GOD kept me from doing it. Wjth that said, I want to thank you for your post and it has given me more to think about in regards to surgery. God bless and one love.

I've just been diagnosed with a bulging disk in my lower spine in April 2012. I'm only 18 and this seems to be uncommon for males my age. I participate in GAA at the highest level for my age and I'm in superb physical condition. Any ideas in recovery without surgery? Hasn't been finalised but I have an appointment with a specialist in October 2012 and that's just too long a wait for him to just say look you need physio or something. Help!

After watching my 40 year old husband suffer severely thru a herniated disc and tried at least 5 different healing modalities without pain killers: chiropractor, acupuncture, kinesiologist, spine stretching, etc. I finally convinced him to get surgery.  Finding a good spine surgeon is daunting, but we had the good fortune that my sister-in-law had spine surgery with top notch spine surgeons in San Francisco at St. Mary's Spine center.  It was the best decision of his life.  This surgery is called a micro-discectomy and there is barely a scar.  It is fairly non-invasive and highly effective.  He did 6 weeks of physical therapy afterward which was prescribed.

Reading all of these stories have been very inspiring, so I will include mine.

I've been dealing with a ruptured L5/S1 disc for 14 months now.  The symptoms had been around for a very long time, possibly since the beginning of adolesence.  I've been a back and neck self-cracker since then, about 18 years now.  Equal amounts of physical and mental exhaustion have always caused the tension that brings me to do this, so it's just something I've even needed to do even on a day where i only stand up to get food or use the bathroom.  I started noticing serious pain in my feet and lower back by my mid-twenties.  A hot bath and rest would always take care of it though.  Unfortuanately, it was never pushed upon me the fact that I should have been doing stretches/yoga/pilates once or twice a week, or that I should have been using an icepack.  Heat does nothing to promote healing in the lower back, unless you're chasing it with equal amounts icing.  The back is very stubborn, so if you're having any problems at all, big or small, you have to take it seriously because if you rupture your spine it will take more than a year to heal, and you're going to have to do hours of physical therapy, every single day, just to be able to hope to get back to normal again someday. 

In the beginning of spring in 2011, I ripped the disc.   I had just woke up, and I was trying to see the clock.  My clock was on the floor, and there was some laundry blocking it from my view.  Instead of moving it, I just tried to stretching my back and neck more and more upward until I could see it.  Suddenly, I felt the rip happen.  I did not realize that's what was happening, otherwise I could have started, then and there, on a recovery that probably would have only lasted a few weeks.  Instead, I let myself ignore that moment, only because immediate pain didn't occur.  A few days later, my lower back felt pretty awful.  I had the day off so i decided to treat myself to some self rolfing massage; something I did atleast a few times a year with my cheap massage equipment.  Sadly, I got a little too into the relaxation and I opened the windows and let the pollen infested air rush into my apartment for most of the day.  I have really bad allergies, so was i coughing and sneezing a lot by the end of the day.  I got some zinc tablets to avoid coming down with a cold, but the damage had already been done.  Again, I didn't realize this till later, but I blew out my back even more with the excessive and coughing and sneezing.

As I stepped out my car to begin to my 4 block trek to work, I noticed incredible throbbing in my lower back everytime my feet hit the ground.  Every step, for 4 blocks, was a small nightmare.  I was crying by the time I got to work, not by the severity of the pain but from how overwhelmed I was by what was yet another obvious problem in my less than perfect life.  I don't think I've ever taken pain medicine for something other than a headache, but I was smart enough to try it for what was happening.  I took two ibuprofen, and when it kicked in I was heavily relieved.  It did nothing for a yet undiscovered symptom though, which I would discover at bedtime.  All the nerves in my upper right leg felt like they were on fire when I tried to move around on them.  This was even more depressing - not being able to toss and turn freely as I lay in bed. 

I have very limited finances, so medical emergencies freak me out.  My mind was constantly rationalizing not going to the doctor.  The most frequent thought that frightened was knowing that I had no idea what going on.  I don't have health insurance, so I knew it was going to cost me atleast a thousand dollars just to get a proper diagnosis.  I would be out of money before I even got to the medicine or recovery.  For six weeks, I kept taking ibuprofen and hoping it would get better.  All the while, I would get clue after clue that I was in bad shape.  I figured out that I couldn't jump from distances over a few feet tall.  Landing hurt too much.  One day I was in the shower, and I realized I couldn't bend over to touch my toes anymore.  Sciatica had began and, still, I had no idea what it was.   All of this was becoming so overwhelming that the only good feeling I had anymore was perpetually avoiding it. 

Then one evening I'm sitting on the couch, leaning forward.  i shift my body to the right a little bit and all of a sudden I hear this big rip.  It was the sound of that little rip finally becoming a full on rupture.  My brain rationalized the sensation as some kind of relief, so I got excited.  I thought I was getting better.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  It was the beginning of the worst year of my life.  A few days later, I did some heavy lifting at work that lasted for over an hour.  After that hard part of the work evening had passed, I could not bare to walk at all.  I had to sit down.  Every second on my feet was now completely unbarable.  All the nucleus fluid had been pushed out of the disc.  The disc was now completely disfunctional.  I had to take a few weeks off work.  I did nothing but sit on the couch. 

When I went back to work, nothing had changed.  I couldn't stand for longer than a few minutes, even when the disc was bulging.  I couldn't lift anything over 12 pounds.  I was beyond pathetic.  Finally, after 9 weeks of growing amounts of suffering I was finally ready to get professional help.  I had been discussing it for a while, and had ultimately decided on a particularly cheap chiropractor/acupuncturist.  She was able to get me in for a consultation the day I called.  I got an x-ray.  She diagnosed the herniated disc; only an MRI could positively determine if it was worse than that.  Of course I would realize with time how worse it was.

The only worse than the pain is having to wake up, day after day, and realize it will never heal over night.   So many other things are that easy, so I can always rationalize never giving up hope that this could be the same.  In reality, I just had to do whatever I had to do to motivate myself to exercise, swim, and do normal activities.  Showers weren't the same anymore because I couldn't just stand there and relax anymore.  I took nothing but baths for atleast 6 months.  My whole world changed.  It was awful.  I got fired from my job because I couldn't effectively manage my normal amount of social disorder anymore now that my physical strength was completely in jeopardy.  I refused to take indefinite time off because I needed money, so after 2 months my bosses ran completely out of patience with me.  They couldn't trust me to work, so they couldn't schedule me.  I hated working there in the first place, but now I couldn't even leave on my own terms.  It was a blessing in disguise, but at a ridiculous cost:  all of my dignity.

All I have to say about recovery is stay positive.  You'll have to wrestle your own nerves all of the time, but there's no other way to get through it.  Even if you can afford a $50,000 surgery, you'll eventually reinjure the same area again if you don't work on your core with yoga or pilates.   All I did for 6 months was stretches, all of them off my feet.  Then, I finally challenged myself to do some stretches on my feet.  Little by little, I worked into doing more stretches.  I worked on doing all of them for longer periods of time.  Eventually, I started going for short walks.  Then, long walks.   I got an inversion table, and that also helped me.  All of this just takes time.  Like I said, it won't get better for you overnight.  If you want to get back to normal, you have to actively work your way back there.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise because you can't afford to let discouragement derail physical rehabilitation. 

sounds like alot of us are in a similar boat, and its not fun.  I was 43  when I injured my back at work (Paramedic in Canada).

CT both showed I have DDD (degenerative disk disease) which I never knew, and a bulging disk l5-S1, thats new.

Going to a great physiotherapist and taking it easy on my back; NO heavy lifting, no yard work, not even washing my car!

Anyway my best part has been hot baths, lots of hot baths and stretching, have found Tai Chi helpful do to its slow movements and proper posture.

Not being a medical doctor, I am not implying or endorsing  any particular treatment, just what has worked for me.

Take care and listen to your body, sharp pain is bad.

 

Hoah! I feel your pain. I have been an infantryman for 11 year with a total of two years in combat. In 09 I had the same symptoms you are having. It took me well over 2 full months to recover, before I could even begin to walk normal again.
Since then my back has been great until recently it came back but not as severe. I didn't have any issues for about 2 years. I would think that if you stay on your current course you make a decent recovery. Good luck to you don't let the pog's get ya down.

Thanks for the post. I am due to have surgery this Thursday and you have given me hope. I have suffered this cronic pain for three years. They said I had a high pain thresshold but over the past year I have been wanting to kill myself. Waking up to the electric shocks that hit your butt and run to the bottoms of my feet. Please let this work

Hi,
Just wanted to check with you how are you doing with your herniated disc pains. My wife has the exact same pain. Can you please advise?

Thanks
Biswa

I am sorry but I am not clear, did you pass on the MRI?

Hello to everyone who has been dealing with sciatica / herniated disc pain, i am very empathetic. I am a 22 year old male and I have been largely into skateboarding and snowboarding for the majority of my life. I began feeling lower back pain when I turned 20 after I bruised a heel skateboarding. Over the course of the last two years i have experienced my pain progressively worsening. Last April at the end of the snowboard season is when i really caused myself some damage. I showed up to the mountain in the morning walking, and left that day barely able to stand or bend over. For the last 3 months i have experienced a variety of treatments and methods to alleviate my pain. It began with my leg beginning to tingle and go numb...along with the inability to stand. It proceeded to become more and more excruciating and unbearable. I spent the first 3 to 4 weeks investigating my pain. I visited the doctor who repeatedly told me to attend physical therapy...and would prescribe me ib proufen to reduce inflammation. This wasn't good enough. I decided to try anything else. After repeatedly rolling around in agony and occasionally bursting into tears from pain, i researched chiropractic care as well as acupuncture. I was very pleased with acupuncture for my first couple of visits. I felt immediate relief at first..but after the first two treatments i didn't feel any improvement. I was simultaneously receiving chiropractic care. This has been AMAZING for pain reduction. This is now the only treatment i receive. I always leave feeling so relieved after an adjustment. Traction devices have also played a huge roll in my recovery. This allows the discs to stretch and separate enough for the bulging fluid to return to its original place. After many weeks of chiropractic care i was eligible for an MRI. This is when i discovered my herniated discs and degenerative disc disease...bad genetics i guess. After we reviewed the results, i was scheduled for a cortisone shot. This has been extremely helpful for relieving my pain! The process was short and simple and very effective. Although the shot majorly assisted in alleviation of pain, it is not invincible. I shortly relapsed after i went on a camping trip and forgot to bring an air mattress. Sleeping on hard compacted dirt is never good for your spine. Since this recent detour in my recovery, i have been putting a lot more focus on stretching daily. This allows me to get through my day. I purchased a myofascial roller, which is incredible for loosening up my tense back and butt muscles. You can acquire a cheap roller on line or in sporting goods stores. I have learned that tense muscles in the leg and back can contribute negatively to an already bad condition. If you don't have a roller use a soft ball or a squishy ball similar to that size. Along with stretching and relaxing tense muscles, i have been prescribed gabapentin (neurontin) which is commonly used to reduce seizures in patients with epilepsy. It also helps tremendously with reducing nerve pain, especially with sciatic pain! I regularly take those along with Nor cos in order to kill the pain if its too extreme. I also would suggest starting out using ice packs and heat packs on the site of pain. This no longer does much to alleviate my pain, however it did in the beginning when the pain was unbearable! I am still not at 100 percent. I'm not even at 60 percent. But every single day is a minor improvement and a step forward. The biggest thing i would advise is a positive attitude and hope for a healthy and mobile body. If anyone needs prayer for their back I am happy to pray for those in pain.  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

JOB 5:17 Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal!

Hi Friend
I have also been diagnosed with lumbar mild circumferential disc bulge L3-4 level and L5 S1 level with no neural compression.
Moderate circumferential disc bulge L4-5 with encroachment on neural foramina.
I wake a morning with severe pain in both legs (calves). I thought that it was a weakness but unfortunately it was disc pain. I didn’t have a pain in lower back. Now I have been on medication for 6 months and pain reduced a lot but needles like feeling and burning sensation are still there in legs. Now, I have stopped taking medicines and doing some mild exercises for lumbar but I still can’t run. I don’t know how much time it will take but it has already been 7 months gone. I am really fed up with the medication and this nerve pain. I can only wish to the guys a speedy recovery, who are suffering from this.

Nitin
INDIA

hi,

how r u these days? is your bulging disc pain now better? ho was your pregnancy impacted with the bulging disc?



biswa

Physical therapy and massage techniques have been instrumental in eliminating my back pain caused by bulging disk. The many physical therapy methods reduce/eliminated the pain and symptoms rapidly. Give it a try!