I will be going for another MRI to see what is causing the back nerve pain
Last MRI was 3 years ago, was pretty bad with a lot of issues
@whitey, good luck to you on the MRI! Hopefully you won’t see anything new on it.
@fibrogal
Thank you
MRI is booked for mar 16, back is really sore, L5, L4, SI
Always complaining, icing then heat
Not sure what else to do but wait and see
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Hey Pain one
MRI result
Bulge discs L5, L4
SI with Piriformis muscle syndrome
Started Decompression Chair for the Discs and therapy for the SI & Piriformis muscle
So hard to do anything around the house (Yard work, spring cleaning)
My backyard is slopped, really hard walking round
{{{{{{PainedOne}}}}}}}}}} (Those are hugs in my chat world) I, too, have lower back issues. First because of the train wreck I was involved in. A train hit the VW Rabbit I was driving. I was 19. I walked away from that accident, but could not get out of bed the next morning. I was left with only soft tissue damage from that. Second because of the various diseases I have contracted, not the least of which is fibro.
I moved to a coastal town to be at sea level because of the fibro. The atmospheric pressure, or rather the lack of it, is a God-send. My new doctor in my new town put me on Gabapentin. At the time, I was taking only OTC drugs for my fibro. I came to understand, as the strands of the muscles in my back and hips surrounding my skeleton slowly began unwinding due to the Gabapentin, that my “version” of fibro was causing, for lack of a better way to put it, mini misfires in my brain similar to seizures. Gabapentin helps stop seizures. These seizures were causing the muscles in my back, hips and spreading to my neck to go into spasms. The spasms were so great, the muscles were torqued to the point they were beginning to cause the discs in my spine to bulge. The torqued muscles were also twisting my spine to the point that it looked, on X-rays, like I had scoliosis. The muscle spasms, and torquing, in my hip area, were also beginning to cause my hips to be out of alignment, changing my gait (how I walk) and causing balance issues.
As all of my muscles unwound and my frame and joints moved back into their “normal” positions, the pain I experienced was horrendous. Again my friendly doc came to the rescue. I was put on opioids. Now, this is something my other doc’s had tried in the past and I had rejected. At this point, I could no longer refuse. Just for a few weeks, I told her. Just until the pain of this goes away. Friendly doc informs me I do have chronic pain from fibro. (Had no idea having 2, 8 lb, 11 oz babies 18 months apart–and all that goes with that–would cause my ability to ignore pain to go through the roof.) I eventually came to the realization that not only did I have pain from what this disease did and was doing to my muscles, but also I was battling an on-going fight against its continuing damage to my nerve endings and then in turn to the rest of my body in a cascading effect.
I’ve been on Gabapentin for 7 years. While it does have it’s side effects that need to be watched out for, without it I wouldn’t be able to function. I also sleep in my recliner in a somewhat upright position. This keeps my rib cage, hips and lower back from “freezing” or locking up. I’m on Xanax partially for sleep, partially for it’s muscle relaxing properties and partially to keep my nerves on an even keel. As for exercise, for me, that is like the “snake eating its tail”. It’s just something I can’t do. And I do, as you can imagine, have PTSD (train wreck). I have my own ways of taking care of that.
I still have issues with my bulging disc(s). My doc doesn’t think they’re at the point of needing surgery. (Gee, thanks! {sigh})
This, of course, is only about my fibro. I have been diagnosed with other ANA’s. Like you, that would take pages LOL. I hope my information helps you. The sooner you can find what works for you, the better. For more than one reason, finding mine took me decades.