merry freakin christmas to meeeeee

So my back went out again. This time is really fun...I have hardly any feeling in my left side and extremities are cold. And can't stand up for more than 5-10 minutes without my legs trying to give out. I have an appt. with the spinal institute tomorrow. And I'm out of work until they figure out whats going on. Been the ER twice because of the pain....first dr. tells me it's a kidney stone. Ummm....excuse me! I know it's not! So then he tells me that its probably nothing because my xrays from July looked fine! WTH! Tells me to follow up with my primary----went to see him, that one tells me the muscle weakness, the coldness, everything I'm going thru is 'normal'! This just boggles me! But yet, when I went to work, I had a chiropractor take one look at me walking---and in literally 2 seconds tells me I have something out of place, either a bulging or herniated disc. Told me everything I was going thru. Now how can that be? GAHHHHHH!:mad:

I would go see a chiropracter before I would let anyone ever cut on me. Medical doctors are so quick to give pills and start cutting when you may just need an adjustment.

You asked how can that be? Because he knows, just give him a try what have you got to lose?

Get a MRI done on your back. I had herniated discs and they didn't show up on X-Rays only on the MRI. I would bet it is herniated. I ended up having surgery for mine. Hope you feel better soon.

Had my back surgery about a year ago - well, really neck surgery.
My herniated disc started out as a stiff neck. Then muscle spasms in
my arm, then I could hardly move my left arm, and the pain!!!!
Constant pain in my arm.....I lived on Ocycontin (spelling?) for about a
month before my surgery. Nerve pain really sucks!

If they finally decide you do have a herniated disc and need surgery, don't
be afraid of the surgery if it is in you neck - mine was between C5 and C6,
if I remember correctly. The first thing I remember in the recovery room
was that my arm didn't hurt anymore, and how good that was!

Keep us posted! and Good Luck!!!!

Please at least try a chiropracter first before letting anyone cut on you.

I hope you start feeling better soon and they find out what is wrong with your back. I have back problems too. I can blink and the dang thing gos out:(

So sorry that your back is giving you fits!

(((Hugs)))

I'm not afraid of getting surgery.....much that is lol. I've never really considered going to a chiropractor...but a lot of people swear by them. I have had an MRI done, but the doctors then said it looked perfect and couldn't find anything wrong. My appt. is at 11:30 tomorrow and they are going to do more xrays. Hopefully something will show up this time. All I know is the muscle weakness is really getting to me. I tried to stand up for a bit to fold up some clothes...not many. But I had to prop my self up because my legs wanted to give out again. I'm sick of this.

Sure sounds like a herniated disc, but lower than mine was.
Mine effected my left arm. I couldn't lift it or anything. When I
was standing up, i could only swing it forward a couple inches.

One of the guys I worked with had problems that sound like yours.
His herniated disc was in his lower back.

I went through 180 oxycontin, 40 darvocets, 20 vicodin in the one month
before my surgery. The pain pills didn't hardly take the edge off the pain.
Since the surgey, I've been through maybe 10 - at most!

I hope they find out something today! I'll be thinking of you today...

Good luck at the doctors .. hope they find what the problem is and fix it for you.

Back from the doctor...she thinks I have a herniated disc. And I'm off work for two weeks. I go for an MRI on Monday, so maybe we'll see what it is. And there is degeneration in my back as well.

I feel your pain. I have several herniated disc's in my lower back, they're pinching the nerves, a couple of vertabra out of alignment........pain all the way down my legs, numbness, tinling, coldness.......pain, extremely severe pain. Neurologist wants to do surgery to fix disc's, put in srews and small rod to fix vertabrae. NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! Why you ask.....cause they can not garuntee that I will be any better off after the surgery.

Go get an alignment from a chiropractor, it will help

To me it sounds just like what I have and have had for about 10 years now courtesy of my loving son. He laid on my syatic nerve for 6 months of my pregnacy and caused my syatic to be permantely damaged for life. So periodically (knock on wood it's been a long time now) It will pinch and cause me not to be able to stand up straight nor walk right and the pain is killer and also my leg will go numb and cold. And yes the chiropractor is the one and only person I head to when this happens because he adjusts me and relieves the pinched nerve and I can walk out of there like nothing ever happened. Just a suggestion it might be a good idea to see a chiropractor , what would it hurt if you are in this much pain already.

OMG this is so darn depressing. I have been moving around a bit better today...no pain killers whatsoever today. And then I went to the grocery store for 10 minutes. Yep. Now its hurting worse than ever. The MRI is tomorrow so maybe just maybe they will find something just so I know I'm NOT making this up and its NOT all in my darn head. I had to use my vacation time for this, and now I won't be able to go see my brother and sister in law and gorgeous niece because we won't have the money for me to drive, not to mention I don't think I will be able to tolerate driving 4 1/2 hours it will take for me to get there. Not a long trip I know...but still so darn depressing. I still have a lot of muscle weakness in my legs, and I won't be able to go back to get the results of the MRI until Thursday.

At least my loving man and kids are really helping me. They know I hurt. And the puppy won't leave my side :rolleyes:

Now what are we going to do for Christmas??

Hope all goes well with the MRI, and they find the problem!

I had to argue with the emergency room doctor (They sent me there from
immediate care) that there really was something wrong with me. I think
he could tell I was on pain pills, and thought I just wanted more.
He waw much nicer after they had the MRI results!!!!

Good luck, and keep us posted.

depressing......I tried to fix dinner tonight. Yeah that went over like a ton of lead balloons. I can't freakin' stand up for more than 5 minutes without my back locking up or my legs giving out. My doctor's appointment is tomorrow, and by gosh they better find something on that MRI or I swear I'ma gonna shoot myself!

Let us know what you find out. Good luck!!!!

I know what I went through, and it wasn't fun.

Okies, just got back from the doctor. The MRI showed two bulging discs and they are going to set up some type of injection in the middle of them (now doesn't THAT sound like fun!). I am still out of work, no income to speak of and Christmas is just around the corner.

I had to go to my primary doctor to get some antibiotics because I have another blasted UTI---and the dude tells me that he didn't think the xrays were bad at all. But yet can't tell me why I can't stand more than 10 minutes, why I'm still in pain, why my hips keep locking up, etc. etc etc. He tells me it's a kidney stone! UGHHHHHH!

Keep thinking happy thoughts for us....we're going to need it. :(

At least they found something!

My MRI showed 1 herniated and 2 bulging. They just fixed
the herniated one...so I'll proibably have problems in the future.

As for the injection - I had one when I had a mylogram - they had
to inject dye into the spinal fluid. I asked the doctor if he was going
to numb it first, and he said no - the numbing would hurt more than the
shot of dye. And he was probably right. I felt the initial prick as the
needle went in, and that was it. He was watching on a computer
screen that was showing a real-time xray as the needle was going in
so he could get it in the right spot. Kind of interesting.

Hopefully your shot will be as easy.

Good luck! I'll be praying for you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tljohn123

Okies, just got back from the doctor. The MRI showed two bulging discs and they are going to set up some type of injection in the middle of them (now doesn't THAT sound like fun!). I am still out of work, no income to speak of and Christmas is just around the corner.

I had to go to my primary doctor to get some antibiotics because I have another blasted UTI---and the dude tells me that he didn't think the xrays were bad at all. But yet can't tell me why I can't stand more than 10 minutes, why I'm still in pain, why my hips keep locking up, etc. etc etc. He tells me it's a kidney stone! UGHHHHHH!

Keep thinking happy thoughts for us....we're going to need it. :(

---

the doctor is right, you just need to rest it off. If it's been just numbness it'll go away after a few weeks, maybe a little over a month.

Your other option is to pay $30k for surgery and be out for six months for rehab. I'd say relax and go with the rest.

Happened to me a few years back, but i had organ problems. i wasn't being regular b/c my whole left side was numb and organs didn't function. Physical theraby was a b*tch, but paying for it was even worse. Wish i was more patient and didn't listen to the nurses advice.

I had 2 weeks off for my surgery - the time that I had to wear a collar.
Then I had the guys I work with drive me to work for another week or so
while I got some strength back in my arm. (Could have driven at the 2 week
mark if I didn't have a stick shift.)

My surgeon asked if I thought I needed therapy for my arm, to help get
movement and strength back. I told him I didn't - I wouldn't cut it any slack.
I was told that after surgery, the pain wouldbe gone immediately. It was.
That was my first thought in the recovery room. The strength would start to
come back next, and the numbness could take up to 18 months, and might never completely go away. It hasn't, but it's a heck of a lot better than
before the surgery.

If there are other options than surgery, go for it! I tried traction for
almost a month, which didn't help at all. There were no other options fo me
with the pain I was in and the paralysis I had.

I have no idea how much my surgery was. Luckily I had insurance and all
I had to pay was $1500

luckily i do have insurance, and work is being very understanding. Even my ex husband is concerned...and even sent me money for Christmas because he knows how bad things are. Sure surprised me.

I AM resting, and its doing absolutely no good. I still hurt like heck. So I just wait until I get the shots...those are supposed to help. Man I want to go back to work!

Please please please go to the chiropractor, you may be very surprised. What do you have to lose, but all that pain. Keeping you in my prayers.

I'm so sorry for the pain you are going through.One of my friends just was operated on a few weeks ago for the same thing.She went from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong.Mri.X-ray and Myelogram of the back.They all came back negative.Well she finally gave up and told them to do exploratory surgery and guess what ..what she said about the discs herniated were true.The doctor said the MRI didnt show them and he had no explanation why.But since her surgery she is doing much better.Her one leg before the surgery it was dragging and now she can walk fine.But i would try chiropractic first.Surgery should be a last resort if it can be.Best of luck to you!