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Post by Nora on Sept 25, 2020 20:05:15 GMT
Catman was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome, which has similar symptoms. Pain killers did nothing to help, but a couple months of physical therapy did the trick. Not that the pain has completely gone away, but it's minimal these days as long as Catman keeps up with his exercises. what kind of physical therapy - things one can do at home or did you have to go somewhere and did it include some additional machines or procedures? Best case scenario I am looking at the same, just physiotherapy but surgery need or ultrasound therapy is still not ruled out.
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Post by Nora on Sept 25, 2020 20:08:17 GMT
went to ortho/neuro today. they dont want to give me the epidural without having an MRI first. so going for MRI tmr then monday they decide what to do with me. gave me more pills now. Radiculopathy they say. its so weird because as the nerve has been pinched now for over a week I am losing strenght and sense in my leg and foot, and thats a very alarming feeling for me. but they seem fairly unphased, said that until i start to lose bowel movement control I am not in life threating situation. ok then but still, I Would Like to keep my leg and have its function eventually restore, you know. Hope the nerve can regenerate. o An epidural is just going to numb the pain, not fix the cause. And the nerve will be further damaged because you can't feel pain and will think it's okay. They need to first reduce the inflammation; then fix the cause. A nerve block isn't a cure - it just masks the pain. Hope it works out. Such nasty pain and symptoms! yeah I am on two different anti inflamation pills - quite strong ones too. So far I dont see a change but maybe it needs more than a week of treatment to show? Also, I am wondering if heat packs applied to my lumbar area which Feels better doesnt somehow contribute to the inflammation itself. I switch between rolling in ice and rolling in hot bags of lentils thats my life now. crazy how quickly things can change for a person.
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Sept 25, 2020 20:13:52 GMT
o An epidural is just going to numb the pain, not fix the cause. And the nerve will be further damaged because you can't feel pain and will think it's okay. They need to first reduce the inflammation; then fix the cause. A nerve block isn't a cure - it just masks the pain. Hope it works out. Such nasty pain and symptoms! yeah I am on two different anti inflamation pills - quite strong ones too. So far I dont see a change but maybe it needs more than a week of treatment to show? Also, I am wondering if heat packs applied to my lumbar area which Feels better doesnt somehow contribute to the inflammation itself. I switch between rolling in ice and rolling in hot bags of lentils thats my life now. crazy how quickly things can change for a person. Alternating between hot and cold is good. Unless you've received physical therapy, don't attempt gentle stretches. Sometimes, if the RX oral anti-inflammatories don't work, they will give anti-inflammatory injections into the site - usually corticosteroids, which work very well. But you need to be careful because you'll feel great relief and may reinjure yourself because you feel good! Fingers crossed they start kicking in!!!
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Post by Nora on Sept 25, 2020 20:22:21 GMT
thank you, this was actually very informative article and it aleviated some of my anxiety.
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Post by Nora on Sept 25, 2020 20:24:05 GMT
yeah I am on two different anti inflamation pills - quite strong ones too. So far I dont see a change but maybe it needs more than a week of treatment to show? Also, I am wondering if heat packs applied to my lumbar area which Feels better doesnt somehow contribute to the inflammation itself. I switch between rolling in ice and rolling in hot bags of lentils thats my life now. crazy how quickly things can change for a person. Alternating between hot and cold is good. Unless you've received physical therapy, don't attempt gentle stretches. Sometimes, if the RX oral anti-inflammatories don't work, they will give anti-inflammatory injections into the site - usually corticosteroids, which work very well. But you need to be careful because you'll feel great relief and may reinjure yourself because you feel good! Fingers crossed they start kicking in!!! thanks for the explanation. how do you know so much about this; remind me are you a nurse or a medical caretaker or just dealt with this yourself?
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Post by Catman on Sept 25, 2020 20:24:23 GMT
Catman was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome, which has similar symptoms. Pain killers did nothing to help, but a couple months of physical therapy did the trick. Not that the pain has completely gone away, but it's minimal these days as long as Catman keeps up with his exercises. what kind of physical therapy - things one can do at home or did you have to go somewhere and did it include some additional machines or procedures? Best case scenario I am looking at the same, just physiotherapy but surgery need or ultrasound therapy is still not ruled out. Catman went for outpatient therapy twice a week for a couple months. No special machines, but the therapist did shove Catman's hip back in line a couple times. She also had Catman put an insert in his left shoe to even out his gait. Most of the exercises were designed to be done at home with simple equipment like a volleyball and resistance band. Many of the exercises (like bridges and crunches) require no equipment.
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Sept 25, 2020 20:28:49 GMT
Alternating between hot and cold is good. Unless you've received physical therapy, don't attempt gentle stretches. Sometimes, if the RX oral anti-inflammatories don't work, they will give anti-inflammatory injections into the site - usually corticosteroids, which work very well. But you need to be careful because you'll feel great relief and may reinjure yourself because you feel good! Fingers crossed they start kicking in!!! thanks for the explanation. how do you know so much about this; remind me are you a nurse or a medical caretaker or just dealt with this yourself? Well, I'm old (67), and have had a lot of nerve issues, and worked for a doctor, and worked in the pharmaceutical industry, plus I have family in the medical professions . . . so . . .
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Post by moonchild on Sept 26, 2020 4:13:48 GMT
If it's an epidural then you can leave after the shot. If it's a nerve block then you have to wait until your legs work, around an hour or so went to ortho/neuro today. they dont want to give me the epidural without having an MRI first. so going for MRI tmr then monday they decide what to do with me. gave me more pills now. Radiculopathy they say. its so weird because as the nerve has been pinched now for over a week I am losing strenght and sense in my leg and foot, and thats a very alarming feeling for me. but they seem fairly unphased, said that until i start to lose bowel movement control I am not in life threating situation. ok then but still, I Would Like to keep my leg and have its function eventually restore, you know. Hope the nerve can regenerate. I hope they get it scheduled for you fast. They gave me tramadol and it did nothing
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Post by moonchild on Sept 26, 2020 4:14:38 GMT
went to ortho/neuro today. they dont want to give me the epidural without having an MRI first. so going for MRI tmr then monday they decide what to do with me. gave me more pills now. Radiculopathy they say. its so weird because as the nerve has been pinched now for over a week I am losing strenght and sense in my leg and foot, and thats a very alarming feeling for me. but they seem fairly unphased, said that until i start to lose bowel movement control I am not in life threating situation. ok then but still, I Would Like to keep my leg and have its function eventually restore, you know. Hope the nerve can regenerate. o An epidural is just going to numb the pain, not fix the cause. And the nerve will be further damaged because you can't feel pain and will think it's okay. They need to first reduce the inflammation; then fix the cause. A nerve block isn't a cure - it just masks the pain. Hope it works out. Such nasty pain and symptoms! Actually, the cortisol did help with the inflammation
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Post by Nora on Sept 26, 2020 4:48:08 GMT
went to ortho/neuro today. they dont want to give me the epidural without having an MRI first. so going for MRI tmr then monday they decide what to do with me. gave me more pills now. Radiculopathy they say. its so weird because as the nerve has been pinched now for over a week I am losing strenght and sense in my leg and foot, and thats a very alarming feeling for me. but they seem fairly unphased, said that until i start to lose bowel movement control I am not in life threating situation. ok then but still, I Would Like to keep my leg and have its function eventually restore, you know. Hope the nerve can regenerate. I hope they get it scheduled for you fast. They gave me tramadol and it did nothing just took a vicodine they gave me (first time in my life) and praying it kicks in soon. tonight has been extremely painful. its such a weird pain too. very hard to describe. like if someone had your muscles and tendons in a tight grip from the inside and pulled on it as hard as they could, plus you were being electricuted at the same time. feels very freedie krugerish for some reason.
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Post by moonchild on Sept 26, 2020 5:59:18 GMT
I hope they get it scheduled for you fast. They gave me tramadol and it did nothing just took a vicodine they gave me (first time in my life) and praying it kicks in soon. tonight has been extremely painful. its such a weird pain too. very hard to describe. like if someone had your muscles and tendons in a tight grip from the inside and pulled on it as hard as they could, plus you were being electricuted at the same time. feels very freedie krugerish for some reason. I hope it helps. I have some of that too and it helps me sleep. I described the pain as being like a knife. If I was sitting and it came on then I would grip the arms of the chair
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Sept 26, 2020 17:31:31 GMT
o An epidural is just going to numb the pain, not fix the cause. And the nerve will be further damaged because you can't feel pain and will think it's okay. They need to first reduce the inflammation; then fix the cause. A nerve block isn't a cure - it just masks the pain. Hope it works out. Such nasty pain and symptoms! Actually, the cortisol did help with the inflammation Awesome!!!!
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Post by Nora on Sept 28, 2020 9:15:51 GMT
just took a vicodine they gave me (first time in my life) and praying it kicks in soon. tonight has been extremely painful. its such a weird pain too. very hard to describe. like if someone had your muscles and tendons in a tight grip from the inside and pulled on it as hard as they could, plus you were being electricuted at the same time. feels very freedie krugerish for some reason. I hope it helps. I have some of that too and it helps me sleep. I described the pain as being like a knife. If I was sitting and it came on then I would grip the arms of the chair What is fairly hard for me to gauge is when taking the pill is a good idea and when not. I do remain fairly scared of any addiction. I am thinking that using it for less than a week cannot realisticly cause an addiction I hope. The doctor told me I can take up to 5 pills a day. So far I have only taken 1 a day and tried to do a research if 1 a day for a week can cause something bad but the more I read about it the more scared of the drug I am. So here I am at 5 am in pain; thinking to take it or not to take it that is the question. Leaning toward yes since I have not had any on Sunday. But boy, do I not want to end up toothless buying crack for blow jobs at the train station...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 9:21:49 GMT
I hope it helps. I have some of that too and it helps me sleep. I described the pain as being like a knife. If I was sitting and it came on then I would grip the arms of the chair What is fairly hard for me to gauge is when taking the pill is a good idea and when not. I do remain fairly scared of any addiction. I am thinking that using it for less than a week cannot realisticly cause an addiction I hope. The doctor told me I can take up to 5 pills a day. So far I have only taken 1 a day and tried to do a research if 1 a day for a week can cause something bad but the more I read about it the more scared of the drug I am. So here I am at 5 am in pain; thinking to take it or not to take it that is the question. Leaning toward yes since I have not had any on Sunday. But boy, do I not want to end up toothless buying crack for blow jobs at the train station... Take it. You are not going to end up strung out if you are taking them for legitimate pain.
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Post by Nora on Sept 28, 2020 13:21:34 GMT
What is fairly hard for me to gauge is when taking the pill is a good idea and when not. I do remain fairly scared of any addiction. I am thinking that using it for less than a week cannot realisticly cause an addiction I hope. The doctor told me I can take up to 5 pills a day. So far I have only taken 1 a day and tried to do a research if 1 a day for a week can cause something bad but the more I read about it the more scared of the drug I am. So here I am at 5 am in pain; thinking to take it or not to take it that is the question. Leaning toward yes since I have not had any on Sunday. But boy, do I not want to end up toothless buying crack for blow jobs at the train station... Take it. You are not going to end up strung out if you are taking them for legitimate pain. yeah took it, thx. tbh I dont see why anybody would continue to take it because i dont feel any “high” or improved mood or anything, but then again, I never tried any drugs or alcohol so maybe I just dont recognize it, but so far have no desire to keep taking it after the pain is either gone or at least smaller than to make me stay awayke/wake me up at night. Part of me keeps wondering if I am going to live with chronic pain now forever and is scared of it, but on the other hand the symptoms Are improving so hopefuly this will not be a permanent thing. I have So Much more understanding now for my family memebers and friends who complain they have chronic or long term pain and are sometimes grumpy because of it. Like I need to call dad and apologize for making him do things through pain (like taking a walk; not killing puppies) cause if his life is anything like mine now I respect that he didnt kill himself yet. I am such a weakling when it comes to pain. i have been oddly lucky in my life never having to bear any massive pain or problems like migraines or backaches or toothaches that other people described to me like mind numbing. Well until now . But maybe I will be more appreciative of my body and its ability to walk and move unrestricted once that ability returns. So thats also something positive that can come out of this all. New and improved outlook on things
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Post by Nora on Sept 28, 2020 17:10:36 GMT
well so its one herniated and one bulging disc causing spinal stenosis going to see a spinal neurosurgeon to see my options later today.
i really hope there are some non surgical options left.
edit: so the recommendtation for surgery is here. i have about 2 weeks to decide ://
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Post by Nora on Sept 28, 2020 22:42:09 GMT
I had a ruptured disc and it was extremely painful. I got epidurals for it so mine is “herniated” and opressing the nerve root, so they say while the body theorerically Could reabsorb the hernia, more likely is they will have to go in and remove it surgically. Did your disc rupture actually Heal, do you know; or have you just stopped having the pain?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 23:23:24 GMT
well so its one herniated and one bulging disc causing spinal stenosis going to see a spinal neurosurgeon to see my options later today. i really hope there are some non surgical options left. edit: so the recommendtation for surgery is here. i have about 2 weeks to decide :// You could always get a second opinion to help you decide. My understanding is that there is usually a good outcome with back surgery for radiculopathy. For localized back pain it's less helpful. You will have to decide if the benefits are worth the risks. They've come a long way with this kind of surgery though, and recovery times are much better now. The pain from the actual surgery might be more tolerable than your sciatica.
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Post by Nora on Sept 28, 2020 23:47:50 GMT
well so its one herniated and one bulging disc causing spinal stenosis going to see a spinal neurosurgeon to see my options later today. i really hope there are some non surgical options left. edit: so the recommendtation for surgery is here. i have about 2 weeks to decide :// You could always get a second opinion to help you decide. My understanding is that there is usually a good outcome with back surgery for radiculopathy. For localized back pain it's less helpful. You will have to decide if the benefits are worth the risks. They've come a long way with this kind of surgery though, and recovery times are much better now. The pain from the actual surgery might be more tolerable than your sciatica. yes I got two more opinions now, and all say the same: given the size of the hernia and the fakt i am losing strenght and sensitivity in leg/foot, they recommend the surgery. miracle could happen in 2-3 weeks by self absorption but they wouldnt count on it. they all say its a minimally invasive quick and relatively minor operation yes, 30-45 minutes under only and fairly speedy recovery - if everything goes well. i guess thats how i need to look at it. it could be worse.
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Post by moonchild on Sept 29, 2020 22:12:14 GMT
well so its one herniated and one bulging disc causing spinal stenosis going to see a spinal neurosurgeon to see my options later today. i really hope there are some non surgical options left. edit: so the recommendtation for surgery is here. i have about 2 weeks to decide :// Yes, those spasms are very painful. If it can be treated with injections I would try that first. I have stenosis and arthritis but I never knew until the doctor saw it when giving me an injection
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