i have been having serious pain in the
lower back and sciatic area. it gets the
worst if i've done too much walking or
towards the end of the day when i am
settling down it will just throb. it hurts
so bad sometimes i can't do anything but
sit there and cry. my doctor put in for an
mri of my low back. i switched doctors so
i brought my new doctor the results and
looked at it before i gave it to him.
everything seemed normal except it said i
had mild posterior facet anthropathy from
l5-s1. when i looked this up it said it
was a joint problem. i kept telling my
other doctor that it was my joint that was
hurting. my new doctor looked at it and
said everything is normal and not to worry
about it. well i am going to worry about
it because i can not get through one day
without this pain. sometimes it's so bad
that my leg will give right out from
underneath me. what should i do?
|
comalhk414
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Texas
Thanks: 0
Thanked:0
Mri Posted: 08-04-07 18:09pm
I dont like most doctors. Im on my fourth
one. 1 said I had a back sprain with no
Mri to diagnose by. 2 said my sacroiliam
was out of wack and again no Mri or xrays
to diagnose by. 3 actually had MRI done
and informed me that I have compressed two
disc and for a year and a half has tried
physical therapy and has now told me I
need to pay $3600 for a month of intensive
physical therapy after which he says I
will be able to go back to work. 4 had
another MRI done and I read it before
delivering it, my disc are degenerating
and a bunch of other nerve stuff I didnt
understand. 4 has told me that by the time
Im 50 to 55 I wont have any disc left and
has suggested fusion at L5, L4. I ma 42
and not happy. Get another opinion if you
are not comfortable with the last. Dont
take just one docs word for it.
|
lonestarguy
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 551 Location: , Hoosierland, USA
Thanks: 0
Thanked:0
Posted: 08-04-07 18:43pm
Hey sub....Don't take that crap from any
of the doctors. You know you have pain and
you know generally where it is because of
the MRI. It looks like it is really low in
your back where mine is. Remember, doctors
have a tough time diagnosing back pain and
many of them don't believe your pain
because they have never felt pain like
that. Don't expect much empathy until you
find a good back doctor.
I have degenerative disc disease and have
battled back pain for seven yrs. First of
all, find a doctor who believes you. I'm
sorry I don't live in the NC area, so I
can't help with finding one.
There are many options to help you with
pain but I suggest an spinal surgeon,
osteopath or a pain management specialist.
There are specialists that work only on
back problems and, hopefully, they can
read an MRI! If your joint problem is what
it sounds like, it could have nerve
involvement on one or more of the facets
of your disc.
There are pain meds from Tylenol and
percocet all the way up to the major
leagues of hydrocodones and oxycodones.
They work but almost all are additive if
taken over time. There are also several
other procedures you can discuss with your
doctor.
There are steroid injections, nerve
blocks, radiofrequency ablation as well a
combination of pain relievers and numbness
medicine. I am presently taking Lyrica, a
nerve pain reliever, and Cymbalta, a pain
reliever and mood enhancer. I found out
that long-term pain leads to depression
and that makes the pain worse. It hurts to
hurt!
The bad part of these procedures is that
they are not all pleasant. They do have to
inject the medicines directly into your
disc spaces to provide relief. If anyone
suggests a discogram to check where your
pain is, be very afraid because that is
the worst procedure ever devised on the
planet.
Sorry I went on so long. I just wanted you
to know what you might be facing.
The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealthForum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealthForum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made.
Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on April 1, 2008
