Coping with acute back pain
Comments
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Thank you very much chiarieds for these notes.
I will take note of the "shoulders rising" part of the breathing exercise, I hadn't considered that at all.
CBD oil was my next stop - not so much for pain control as for relaxation and treatment of inflammation. The Tramadol and Diazepam my doctor has me taking now is doing a good job of pain control. I know, though, that these are really short term solutions only. The chiropractor agrees with me, but he says he can get me mobile again reasonably quickly, although totally pain-free might take longer. So I am looking for medication that I can take medium to long term to keep my back relaxed and spasm free.
Does the CBD Oil you take help with your relaxation and sleeping?
My progress right now is good on the pain front, less good on the mobility front, and outright peculiar in some areas (I can sleep on my side but not on my back; sitting is easier than laying). So this will be short battle to get enough relief to function and a much longer fight to reach the level of fitness I had before.
Interestingly (and perhaps it will be amusing as well someday) the doctor simply identified a problem in the L5-S1 area which she suspected was a herniated disk. Tablets and a referral to physio which will take about 3 months to bear fruit.
The chiropractor examined me carefully and called for a colleague to complete the same examination. They totally agreed with the location of the problem and, given the reported symptoms, said that it could be either a herniated disc OR an SI Joint Dysfunction.
Went to see them yesterday and they confirmed that I was improving. Then they slightly coyly said that they had been comparing notes and examinations (they had just re-examined me) and could not find any reason why I could not have both at the same time. It appears that this is not impossible, but unusual.
Good, I thought. I now serve as a horrible example.
God bless you all -
Hi @mstev2 -The breathing I recommended is diaphragmatic breathing, which is the correct way; in fact I find it difficult to breathe the wrong way now! See: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/therapies/abdominal-breathing.pdf You don't have to do this lying on your back if that's painful.
About CBD - It's best to try just one oil at a time, otherwise you don't know which one might be helping. You should start very slowly with a low dose first & the green oil I mention is one of the 'starter oils'. You should do this to wake up your body's endocannaboid system gradually. Optimally you start with 1 drop under your tongue 3 times a day for a week ('tho some can only manage 1 drop twice a day because of when they need to take their meds). The 2nd week you take 2 drops 3 times a day; the third week, 3 drops 3 times a day, & build up adding another drop for following weeks. You need to drink extra water as CBD can dehydrate you initially. As you build your drops up, if you start feeling worse, you drop back to the previous week's dose, & that's probably the correct amount for you.....as everyone's different, some need to take more drops than others. You might also add in different CBD oils after a few months.
The green oil is a good one for pain as it also contains CBDa. It's the one I take; some people find it doesn't help their sleep, but it doesn't bother me. Some start with 'Liquid Gold' which has added turmeric & black pepper, which can be helpful with inflammation too. The 'Light' oil is used by some to aid sleep. There is 'Sunset' brought out specifically for that, but again some people found it had the opposite effect & kept them awake! 'Sunset' is not one of the 'starter oils' so one that would only be added after trying those first, & taken as the last drops of the day about an hour before going to bed.
You might also try products from: https://littlehempshop.co.uk/ who do hempy drinks (no time gap needed), & CBD E-liquids to vape, again no time gaps needed. They also sell Simply CBD oils, which can save on P&P if you want to try a few things.
Thank you for keeping in touch; it's good to hear your updates.
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Just checking in @mstev2 - Hope things may have been just a little better today. Goodnight, & God bless.
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Still moving forward, pain now reducing.
The self-help ideas given here have been wonderful.
As I get more testing done, I'll add some further responses which will describe the benefits.
At the moment - ice packs. -
Good to read about the continuing improvement on the pain front, @mstev2You will be able to write a book by the end of all this......'How I beat my lower back gremlins!'
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I think that I am on the way to working this out.
Improving I think, but looking for ways to put what I have learned into a kind of treatment plan.
At a slight tangent. I have found that frozen peas make really good ice packs. We now have 2 packs of peas in our freezer referred to as "bum peas". -
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