Sciatica Pain for Five weeks is there any end

Brain and nerves
1

on April 2nd I was standing in my kitchen and suddenly had lower back pain.  I thought nothing of it and had to go and drive I stuck a support belt on and carried on.  Things got progressively worse I had to initially lift my feet onto the pedals and getting in and out of the car was really really painful . Things started to ease slightly then I had to drive someone to A&E and this agrivated the problem and it settled into my buttocks and sent shooting pains down my right leg.  That's when my problems really started.  I couldn't lie down I couldn't sit down all I could do was walk or kneel for the last five weeks I have had.very little sleep, the kneeling phase didn't last long as my legs started to swell up.  I can sleep for about an hour tops two if I want to manage to move without being reduced to tears with pain.  The doctor has prescribed me naproxen which had no effect and cocodamol which upset my stomach.  I had an operation at Christmas to remove my appendix and gallbladder and around the muscle group in my stomach is sore.  Paracetamol is all I can take and I have munched through over 150 tablets so far.  I can now get to bed and manage to get four hours sleep but wake up with such muscle stiffness it takes up to an hour to straighten out in the morning.

sorry for the long winded explanation but can anyone tell me if things are going to ease I went to the doctor because my osteopath told me if may be a disc problem.  He helpfully told me after having to endure a car trip which is hard as I can't sit stood around for half an hour then was told that I had a sore back was very helpful.  He is sending me to a back pain clinic which will take about eight weeks to get an appointment and I will hopefully get an MRI Scan in twelve weeks.  I have a full time job and I can't work is there any hope.

2

Hi Jill, if you look under 'Inversion Tables' posted by Samanthak you'll see I've put a lot of information on there gained by trial and error as a very long-term sufferer but it's now under control with no tablets and no treatments and no surgery. Yes, it will cost money, but I'd already spent a fortune (two chiropractors and one yoga instructor made me considerably worse!). Read through the posts on inversion and by all means message me if you have any questions or post again on here. Good luck. It's hell, but you can get through it. Start by putting an electric heat pad on it whenever you can - £30 or so well spent, and you have it forever.

3

Hi Jill, l had sciatica for eight years before l had an operation. I was a firefighter and l done it extending a ladder and l thought l had pulled a muscle in my back!

4

Hi Jill,

It does sound like you have a disc herniation / sciatic nerve problem. This can go on for some months to be honest. Sometimes with good rest and recuperation it can get better on its own but really you will most likely need some help to get well. 

Once you get an MRI scan you will know for sure what you are up against, but in the meantime you need to get yourself some good pain relief, not only for your sanity but also so you can get some rest at night. 

There are lots of options regarding medication...ask your GP about Gabapentin and Amitriptyline, these work specificaly on nerve pain and can be used in conjunction to paracetamol or ibuprofen. 

They both take a couple of weeks to start working as they have an accumalitive effect on your system, but when they kick in you should find they will take the edge of the severe nerve pain. 

Also try some natural methods...heat pads on your lower back will ease the aches, maybe a hot water bottle on your leg or foot. Warm deep baths with some relaxing essential oils, floating in water is really good when you have nerve pain. 

Try to get some physio therapy via your GP so they can give you some gentle exercises to ease your spine up and improve your core strength. It sounds like your muscles are suffering, and weakened from your recent ops and this could impact on your core strength significantly...this could well have contributed to your problem in the first place. 

Also acupuncture is a great alternative treatment and gives great results for a high percentage of sciatica sufferers. Again it's something that the NHS will provide but the waiting list could be long. If you have the funds maybe a few private sessions would benefit you to see if it works for you.

I totally know where you are coming from regarding the pain, i've had a prolapsed disc now for 6 months and i'm in extreme pain daily. 

Keep your fluid intake up - plenty of water to keep your spinal discs hydrated...and also to help flush out the toxins that build up from the meds. 

And stay positive, help is on the way, you are on the waiting list and it's just a matter of time before you get properly treated. 

If you need any other info feel free to message me. 

Best of luck, Rachel

5

Hi thanks for all your suggestions and advice.  I saw the physio and he thought that it was just the sacral joint.  Two days later words can not describe the pain.  I was in the bathroom with the usual hip stiffness but all of a sudden my foot got extremely hot and what I can only describe as if fireworks were exploding inside my leg.  I have never felt pain like it I really did think my leg was exploding from inside out.

this meant a visit from the doctor couldn't quite believe I was getting a home visit and am now on diazepam paracetamol and amitriptyline.  Calf still feels odd but have had to take to bed as I can't keep awake.  Couldn't get an explanation of what happened really scared it will happen again but so sleepy on medication.  Doctor said she thought that my disc had burst has anyone else experienced anything like this.

6

Jill that sounds like a disc hernaition to me, especially that feeling in your leg...is it like intense pins and needles / cramp but with a burning? 

I get these sensations daily.

Do you have a date for a scan yet? It sounds like you are getting conflicting advice on what you have wrong with you.

Rachel

 

7

Hi Jill what you have written it what I’m going through right now apart from your surgery,
a few years ago I broke my back in a riding accident and iv had back trouble ever since. but 4 weeks ago I was at work and all my right side got shooting pains a day later I was crippled with the pain couldn’t get out of bed without screaming out in pain and all the things you have written.. I can’t get in the car so Dr did a house visit and gave me the same medication.
I’m fed up of it all and don’t know what to do.

8

hey Jill, a lot of what you described sounds like what my mother is going through. she is 61 years old and currently she has to use a cane to help her walk. most days she’s in excruciating pain and sounds much like you with the lack of being able to sleep as well as taking a lot of time to stretch yourself out in the morning. I know her doctor had recommended that she try a physical therapy rehab which she does not seem too enthusiastic about. she says a lot of this initially started when she went to go to work primary to get her second cortisone shot for her head which is also very arthritic and possibly slightly fractured. the first cortisone shot seemed to help her a lot so she look forward to the second. the second shot was given to her by a physician assistant instead of her regular physician and she says ever since that second cortisone shot she hasn’t been able to walk correctly since. she feels the shot may have been in the wrong place and was excruciatingly painful afterwards (not like the first). I’ve been trying to look at a lot of her symptoms online lately including her leg swelling and the shooting pains numbness etc and it seems like she may have radiculopathy.. I don’t know for sure because I’m not a doctor, but i think its worth mentioning as a possibility. well I’ll keep you posted on my mom’s progress and hope that both of you receive some relief soon. please message with any thoughts or comments or your progress either positive or negative. take care