Extremely severe sciatica caused by a large disc herniation

feria9

Hello everyone. My name is Hannah and I just happened upon this forum a couple of hours ago. I've just been reading people's stories. This is a wonderful forum and I feel a little better having found it. 
I have not been living with pain for years but I will tell you about my situation... I'm hoping someone might have some insight. 
I was on a motorcycle trip and started feeling a tiny weakness in my lower back. This wasn't causing any problems and I was trying to stretch and exercise. This lasted for about 6 weeks (not problematic at all) and then I started having pain in my left leg. Having had a slipped disc a few years ago, I knew it was sciatica. The pain was gradually getting worse and after about a week, my hips moved to the left and I had a crooked back. I was able to walk but it was getting more and more painful. Then a few days after that my back went. The pain was unreal. It took my husband four hours to get me from a hotel lobby to our room (max crawling distance of 30m). I was unable to move off the floor for the first three days. Luckily there was a medical clinic nearby and they ended up coming twice a day to administer IV and IM anti-inflammatory, painkilling and steroid injections. After two weeks I was able to get into an ambulance which took me to a hospital. They did an MRI which showed a very large disc herniation L5S1. A neurosurgeon was happy to operate but did say that normally the advice is to wait 6-8 weeks to see if things improve on their own. So I waited. Up until a few days ago I was able to move around on crutches (still couldn't put my weight on the left leg) and do lots of gentle stretching exercises. I was taking Ibuprofen 600 and paracetamol.  Something happened on Sunday. My leg pain became awful again but this time it feels like a pain in the bone (bum and hip pain mostly). It was probably a coincidence that this was my first day of taking Naproxen instead of Ibuprofen (my GP insisted). Naproxen and paracetamol did not help at all. Yesterday I phoned my GP to explain my pain levels and they prescribed Butec 5 mg patches. I am also taking Codeine and Naproxen. Unbelievably, the pain is not better.... I have to call them again tomorrow to see if they can up dosage of anything. The pain is unbearable. I am not walking on crutches at all, only to go to the bathroom and dreading it every single time. I am in my bedroom for three days now, can't get myself downstairs... It is just miserable. I don't know if it is 'normal' for such a setback to occur as I was getting better and regaining more and more flexibility in my spine. It feels like I'm back to square one. 
I asked my GP to refer me to a back specialist but the waiting time is approximately 6-8 months. I decided to book a consultation privately (shocking amount of money unfortunately) and that is early next week.... And so far, I can't move. I have no idea if I will get enough pain relief (from the GP)  to be able to get myself down the stairs, into the car and into the private hospital where the consultation will take place. I'm just really worried that if nothing can help me with the pain, I will be stuck with no plan of how to get better... Given the fact that I deteriorated recently, I suspect the consultant will want another MRI. That's a lot of car journeys for someone who can't walk 10m on crutches...
Apologies for the very long message. I think I needed to share this... Friends and family (with an exception of my husband) don't understand the pain, they think it is just 'a bit of a backache'. So if you got to the end of this posting, thank you for reading! X 

Sandy_123

Hi @feria9 welcome to the forum , i did get to the end of the page. You have all my sympathy as I suffer with my spine too. I have relapses where I'm unable to do anything, can last a few weeks and a few months depending. Everyone Is different, with different problems. It's good your trying different pain  relief with the gp. It's just finding one that does work. 
Have you considered going to a&e? 
I'm hoping the private Dr will have some answers for you.

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 

I'm sorry you are in so much pain and hope you can get it under control for your appt 

We can't offer any medical advice but have you considered a chiropractor at all they may do home visits 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @feria9 and thank you for taking the time to reach out, I'm glad you're so pleased to have found the forum, and I hope we can help support you, even in a small way.

I'm sorry to read about the extreme pain you're going through at the moment, and I hope the consultations you'll be having will give you some relief and can help you work towards a pain management plan. 

It may well be worth considering A&E or perhaps a chiropractor as our members suggest, but whatever happens in the next few weeks, I hope the pain will lessen enough for you to feel better about moving around. 

It can be difficult when we are met with dismissive attitudes to chronic pain, and sometimes these things aren't done on purpose, but are more down to a lack of awareness or knowledge of what things are really like. 

Please continue to reach out for support if you need to, sometimes it's helpful just to vent, and the community here is good place for that. You can also visit the coffee lounge to get to know our members if that will help to take your mind off things

Let us know if we can do anything further to help, and enjoy having a look around. 

Alex

feria9

Hi @Sandy_123. Thank you for reading 😊 Gosh, your relapses sound awful... 7 weeks seems like nothing compared to your situation with relapses lasting for months. I hope you are able to manage your pain. 
I've been prescribed Tramadol today on top of everything else. My husband will collect it soon... I really hope it will give me some pain relief. 
I did wonder about A&E but having spoken to four GPs now, they all said that A&E wouldn't do anything other than give me some painkillers and send me home... 
I really have to get to that appointment next week although at the moment it feels like a mission impossible... Fingers crossed adding Tramadol to my existing cocktail of drugs will help me move a little... Hopefully I won't do any more damage to my back as it will be an awful lot of painkillers masking the problem 😱 But one worry at a time haha! 😉

feria9

Hi @janer1967. Thank you for your message ☺️ Truthfully, I have not considered contacting a chiropractor at all... I thought I probably need to be seen by a back specialist (neurosurgeon) first... Maybe that's completely wrong. I have an MRI from a month ago but I do think something else has happened on Saturday night/Sunday morning as the pain is definitely different and worse. Do you think a chiropractor would want to touch me without a new MRI? I've never used a chiropractor before hence I'm a little hesitant but that's only because of my lack of knowledge. I will try to read up now, thank you for the suggestion!

feria9

Hi @Alex_Scope and thank you for your message. This forum has been a bit of a revelation - it really is nice to read about people's unfiltered experiences. For the past seven weeks I've been very preoccupied with my own pain but reading some of the stories just made me think that what I'm going through is nothing compared to some people's situations. It is helpful to read real stories. Thank you for having me here ☺️

Alex_Alumni

You are most welcome @feria9 it's great to hear about the positive impact this community is having for you. That's the great thing, someone else might now read your posts and feel the same way  

If there's ever anything you feel we can do to support you further, just ask, and we'll do what we can.

Sandy_123

Hi again if you did go to a&e they  might do scans ect. You can also use 111 services

janer1967

I went to chiropractor for couple of years and it was best thing I ever did 

I put my back out of line after cycling and suffered for months with back pain one leg ended up shorter than the other 

The chiropractor was amazing the sessions were very painful at first but after few weeks started to improve 

I had intensive treatment to start with then went to maintaining it for couple years 

I've had no problems since 16 years on however I understand this may not be suitable for everyone 

feria9

Hi @Sandy_123 good morning. It's interesting you mentioned that A&E might be able to do scans - that's exactly what I asked GPs. They said that they will definitely not be able to do scans, MRIs etc. and only give me painkillers. Now I'm wondering if what they said it's true 🤔 

feria9

Good morning @janer1967. How interesting! Absolutely amazing to read. I will definitely be exploring this once my pain settles a little bit - at the moment it's too painful to get up on crutches 😔 Thank you for the suggestion! X

L_Volunteer

Hi @feria9. I think it depends on the services available in your local A&E. It might be worth speaking to your local A&E more directly. I hope you are in less pain soon. 

Would anything, in particular, make things feel more manageable for you at the moment? Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to help 

feria9

Hi @L_Volunteer and thank you very much for your message ☺️ Good point! It never occurred to me that the services offered by different A&Es might actually differ. I swear my brain is not functioning as well as before the pain started 😉 
I saw the consultant yesterday and he basically said that despite my severe pain, I still have about 80% chance of recovering without the surgery in the next 1-2 months. He was worried that after nearly 8 weeks I'm on such strong painkillers and clearly in a lot of pain (unable to walk unaided etc.) and for that reason he would steer towards surgery... As I hate the notion of surgery, I'm now thinking that I should wait longer.... And I'm wondering if it would be worth going to see an osteopath for instance? Because the consultation was a bit rushed, I never got the chance to ask that 😞 
I suppose I could try some physio now given that the pain relief works enough for me to move around etc. Honestly, any advice would be appreciated. 
Thank you! 

julesqueen

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/97179/extremely-severe-sciatica-caused-by-a-large-disc-herniation

Hi Hanna I'm Julie I feel your pain 😢 pardon the pun. I was on holiday had a nasty fall didn't think anything of it. Was home for 2 weeks woke up one morning had to crawl to the toilet was in excruciating pain crawling across walls felt like no other pain I had felt before and scarey. I went to a and e they gave me an iv and said I was dehydrated gave me a ct scan said couldn't see anything fall had done no damage sent me home to my GP for pain killers. Dr gave me some strong pain killers with slow release morphine tablet and liquid form 250mg ibuprofen and paracetamol that didn't work replaced strong painkiller with pregablin and I've been a little better. I was using heat pads muscle tension devices nothing took the cramps or the pain away every morning was the worst time. Until I went to see a chiropractor after my private mri still waiting for nhs to help they did give me a 2nd mri but said 2 to 3 months waiting list. So thought I would give chiropractor a go. Best thing I ever did I can walk still have bad pain in a morning but been able to go back to work. Best advice that chiropractor gave me was to stop using heat pads as they put pressure on it as heat expands and to get myself an ice belt the relief is like someone handed me a new lifeline as I really was going down a dark path that my husband was worried about but he says the difference in my mood has been nothing more than a miracle. I still have my down days 😪 that is why I seeked out this forum to see if there are others out there like me. X

longtallsally67

hi there

I’m so unbelievably sorry to hear of your pain and troubles, you really do have my entire body’s worth of sympathy as a fellow ex sufferer! I was exactly the same, often couldn’t even put a foot to the floor, I can completely relate. It’s physically and mentally exhausting. I felt like I wanted to cut my own butt cheek and entire leg off. I did have the spinal injection which didn’t work at all, and I had 2 failed L5S1 microdisectomy and the 3rd was successful.
I know it’s super easy for me to say, and we often feel there’s no light at the end of the tunnel but keep on at your GP and push for the surgery. It really is worth it and getting some sort of life back is paramount. Stay strong ❤️

Dendoo

hi sorry your having so much pain x not had time to read all

Posts yet but if you have any trouble passing wee or poo you need to get to hospital asp . My

Partner had central prolapse of the spine years ago he was in agony ! He was operated on and was told that would be the only op that they couldn’t do it again , they did 6 months later they had no choice I’m

Not saying you have this but it sounds close . I need to read all post properly but any numbness between your legs or trouble using toilet is an emergency . Sorry if anyone’s already said this hope things get better x

Dendoo

sorry just noticed it’s old post hope your well x

RoyWWH

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/97179/extremely-severe-sciatica-caused-by-a-large-disc-herniation

Hi Hannah , I know exactly how you feel. I've suffered with disc problems for 5 years now. My latest episode happened in August and like you I've got a herniated disc in my lower back. I initially took a few weeks off and had strong pain killers and I was able to walk and get myself moving enough to eventually go back to work on light duties. I eventually had an MRI and was refered to the pain clinic by my GP and after weeks they told me i need a steroid injection which im currently waiting for. I'm lucky enough to have access to a rehabilitation centre through work and after a week here of hydro therapy and pilates I felt loads better but during the second week they added weights to my program even though I had a very restricted range of movement and this was very risky and this caused me to be in worse pain and barely able to walk and I have to use a walking aid. I'm now off work again taking tramadol, pregablin and diazapam. My gp says I'm at the top of the pain ladder and next will be morphine which they want to avoid. It is depressing but I am due a steroid injection in a few weeks which should get the disc to go back in. It's very hard as movement is key but I keep getting sciatic attacks when I do. Nothing is comfortable and on these tablets I sleep a lot but I guess thi gs will get better soon.....

Morgan_Scope

Hello @RoyWWH and welcome to Scope's online community.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re in so much pain, are you still trying hydrotherapy and pilates?

Take care of yourself, and don’t be too hard on yourself for needing to rest – recovery can be a long journey. You’re doing all the right things by following your GP’s advice, I hope the steroid injections work for you and you find some relief.

irishman

best thing that I found that works for me are 52.5 buprenorphine patches, they work 4 days and then you change them.

I have had sciatica for the past 5 years awaiting surgery. I have been on pregablin etc but they’re awful make you feel awful.. I found the patches to be the best