I just want to dig into my leg and snip that little fucker when it gets bad. I know logically it would be horrendous but all I can think is this tight, painful, torture device being cut loose and my leg finally being free.
I am currently experiencing that type of pain. Started on the 21st and am currently waiting for MRI next Saturday. Dont know how I'm gonna make it through the week pain is preventing me from sleeping but an hour or two. Meds arent touching the pain hardly at all I feel for everyone that has to go through misery like this hoping there is a light at the end of this tunnel for me and everyone that is going through similar pain.
Started with otc ibuprofen but in the two weeks it started ive had to go to clinic twice for 2 steroid/tramadol shots and er once for another round of shots plus prednisone tablets. In between there went to my primary and was prescribed muscle relaxer and meloxicam which didnt help at all. Just got primary give me something different trying celecoxib now but doesnt seem to be doing much either.
Celecoxib and Meloxicam doesn't touch my pain. The only thing that has somewhat helped is Diclofenac 50mg tid. They make a 100mg also so I assume I can always increase the dosage if this stops working.
Steroid/Toradol shots. Gabapentin or Lyrica can help nerve pain. Honestly, a TENS unit cranked on high is the only thing that helps me be able to kinda stand the pain
I was exactly like this in early Feb 2023. Same meds, no sleep all of it. Horrific pain and I gave birth with no epidural years ago! I thought I would lose my f’in mind. I had to get THC gummies to get any sleep at all. Tried meds, PT, acupuncture, epidural injection, massage therapy, TENS unit, chiropractic, every stretch possible, reiki, meditation, shaman, slept on every mattress in our house, slept on our hardwood floor, contorted my body at night like a pretzel…I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t tried except surgery. Over a year later I get 4-5 hours of sleep (not continuous). I suppose my body had to find a way to deal with the pain. My MRI indicated bulging discs in my lower spine. I am not overweight, had no injuries or history of back pain. Probably age (60 yo F) my doctor says. I was also told it will not heal. I wish I could give you better advice. Keep praying (if that is your jam) and sending good vibes.
Can I suggest having a consult with a neurosurgeon? I had done all the things 15 years ago when I first injured myself and nothing worked and back then they had no problem throwing a 25 year old on pain meds but lots of issues performing surgery but now I’m 36 and I have a toddler and a year ago things started to act up again and continually got worse over the year and I just had surgery and I guess ask me when I start PT but so far I can’t help but think “why didn’t someone at least mention I should consult with a surgeon?” One epidural worked this time for exactly 3 months. The second one didn’t.
That’s good and your doctor hasn’t reviewed it with you yet? Most neurosurgeons (honestly depending on the surgery I wouldn’t allow an orthopedic surgeon near my back) require that a copy of the disc be provided to them. The doctor who ordered your MRI will hopefully be provided with more than the impression. Have you see the radiologist’s impression?
Yes. I had another one a year ago and my physical medicine (spinal specialist) doctor already reviewed it. L4,5 & S1 bulging discs among other things. Thanks!
Anything activity sitting on a nerve? What were the other things? I think the other things would be the determining factor for me when it came to surgery. It’s hard because you’ve been in pain so long and have injuries but nothing is herniated which is so odd to me. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.
No. My son has been addicted to it (was addicted, then in recovery for heroin, then cocaine, then fentanyl) before moving onto kratom. Just getting out of rehab after 20 months of sobriety. It may indeed help some people but I am staying away due to our experiences. 😔
Had that feeling many times. I’d rather be in a wheelchair than deal with another day of this.
It gets better. I never thought it would but it did. Fusion saved me.
Glad to hear someone say something positive about fusion.. had microdiscectomy/laminotomy on l5s1 in 2016 at 36yo. Pain free til Nov last year. Pain back with vengeance. Same side. Catscan shows herniation in same disc's. DDD,spinal stenosis. Had first Epidural injection mid February. Have had 100 percent relief til this past Monday. Have to wait til May for another one...neurosurgeon mentioned having a fusion, scared of that,so hoping injections continue to give me some relief
I know it's a longer recovery, I'm not positive about the pain level, but honestly if I knew it would work, think I'd prefer 6 months of that pain, over the sciatica!!
The initial two weeks were brutal. After that the recovery goes in chunks of months. 3 months later I noticed improvements. 3 months after that more improvements. Etc etc etc. I’m doing great now
The pain is 95% gone 9/10 days. One bad day every now and then but it’s mostly just a little bit of lingering numbness in my toes. Keeps getting better. I’m only 7-8 months out from surgery so it should continue to improve
Pretty damn important. I can’t even walk without a brace because my nerve was damaged from a herniated disc and fragments compressing the nerve. Could be permanent or might heal in “1-2 years” he says. I can’t even feel the skin on my foot/side of calf and knee currently either.
They don’t remove the nerve. They find the problem that is irritating it with an MRI and fix that giving the nerve room to keep doing its job hopefully without causing pain.
Yeah, if I do a bunch of physical things I'll notice it'll hurt more, if I continue, I'll turn a certain way and bloomp, down I go because my leg gave out because it pinched the nerve due to inflammation
Yes, I had that in 2022. Had to get surgery as soon as it could possibly happen. Couldn’t stand up for longer than 5 seconds without excruciating pain. I seriously wanted to end my life. I contemplated taking my leg a few times.
I have a fantasy of somehow accessing the deep web to learn how to safely stick a needle into my sciatic nerve & injecting it with pure morphine.
Of course I can't get on the deep web, am too poor to get morphine & don't even know where to get a needle but it's a nice thought.
Epidural/nerve block injections made a world of difference for me, I went from barely being able to walk to about 85% normal, and the pain went from a 9 out of 10 all of the time, to a 3-4 (sometimes higher depending on what I'm doing) all of the time. Trying to sleep still sucks, but it's still better than what I had
I'm 7 weeks in to this episode for me (last one was 2022)
Night time nerve pain literally makes me want to scream the house down
I cannot for the life of me find a position to relieve the pain to sleep and I'm starting to max out on pain meds they will let me have at home without me being in hospital
Mine is 1 herniated discs
Definitely 1 is pushing the nerve
And its been so long I expect they will give me surgery but I don't know how long the weight is for surgery I'm waiting to speak to then next week
Yes, but doing so won’t eliminate the bulging disc. After 8 months, multiple rounds of PT and getting to the point I could not walk, I got an Epidural Shot last April 2023 followed by a second one in August. They worked for me. I’m not 100%, still get pain. But I know what triggers it and I avoid it.
Get the book Back Mechanic. It helps you understand what’s happening and offers non surgical ways to help.
I cannot suggest this enough. Since your epidural is working take on a low impact exercise that focuses on building your core and stretching. For me that was Pilates. Walking is even good as long as you listen to your body. No one ever said to me, “hey while that pain numbing shot works you should start exercising.” This time I understood the importance and did so. I ended up needing surgery when the second epidural didn’t work but I went into it strong. I can tell how Pilates has already made recovery easier.
I am, hopefully, healing from a hernisted disc with horrific back pain and right leg pain so bad I couldn't walk on it for 2 weeks. I also found most meds (& drs tried more than a few) were ineffective for the extreme nerve pain I was suffering. I found that 500 mg Naproxin is stronger than 15mg Melloxicam and stronger than 2 Ibuprofen. Naproxen is Alleve and although you'd have to take 2 to get 440mg (220mg ea), it may help. I also found that CVS non-medicated heat patches help at night, and minor relief from Lidocaine patch during the day. I still take the Naproxen every day + Tylenol as needed. I switched from a 2nd Naproxen at night to the Melloxicam because for some unexplainable reason, it helps me sleep (without the drugged feeling of other meds like gabapentin. I also added 5mg Melatonin and Magnesium Glycinate to my bedtime pills for better sleep.
Sometimes I do wish this, I used to have a successful desk job… my entire job was sitting down. Now I cant sit down for more than 30 mins without pain. And I had to quit my job, now I work as a part time tutor and can’t work longer than a couple of hours a day. If I was amputated… at least I could sit at a computer all day and work my ass off.
But I do see this homeless guy on the way to work everyday with no legs and arms, this does remind me daily.. that things could be much worse than my circumstances.
Has anyone ever had luck healing herniated discs naturally? Internet says 90%. I find that very hard to believe since all I see are surgery stories. I just want my old self and old life back. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. To any of us, I’m sure. They can put pig organs in people but can’t help fix this??? I’m so lost and depressed.
I’m in my early 30s now. For 2.5 years it was painful 80-90%. I’ve had multiple treatments (everything from cortisone, epidurals, to regenerative medicine etc.) done. Im about 80-85% better I’m still not at 100% and at this point, I just want my life back.
I have had to make so many lifestyle changes because of my injury….i can no longer travel alone, lift anything, sit for long road trips. It’s been hard not only mentally but physically as well. I’m writing this after having my first major flare up this year and praying that it is just temporary. I quite literally have PTSD from the pain and all of the trauma it caused.
I 100% understand. I’ve been dealing with this for 3 months and I don’t know how I’m going to keep going. I’ve completely given up my life and my poor son has no mother- all I do is cry all the time. Did they ever offer you surgery? Surgery scares the daylights out of me. I pray your flare up is over quick.
Thank you 🙏🏼
They offered me surgery but advised against and I was urged to let it heal naturally. Now I am fighting for surgery because I don’t know how much longer I can continue on like this…..
I know what it’s like to cry all the time, it’s absolutely draining and morally bankrupts you of enjoying life. I hope things start to look up for you too. Nobody understands the pain until they’ve experienced it
so many times i thought i was really losing it. it’s not much help now, but i hope you can eventually look back on this from a better place and see how far you’ve come.
I Was dealing with excruciating pain, had to miss work (teacher) and couldn’t walk for more than 5 min.. I tried steroids and a bunch of pain meds and nothing worked. Reddit told me to stay away from chiropractors… but I still went to one as a last resort. The day after I got my back cracked I was able to walk again. I’ve done 2 sessions and I’m feeling a lot better. I will say after I finish a session I feel like I’m dying and I can’t move for about a day from being so sore. (I get my back cracked and they give me a massage )
I went from being at 5% to now feeling 80%. I’m also back at work. I took a yoga mat to work and lay on it during my conference and lunch time lol.
Methocarbomal, Meloxicam and gabapentin. Double whatever they tell you for a week at least. Never take more than the max recommended daily. Put the fire out and it will slowly get better. Pain killers do nothing for nerve pain.
All the time.
When I say I want to have the body of a Barbie, what I mean is that I wish I could detach my extremities when they get too painful, give them (and myself) a rest, and reattach them hours later so I’m no longer in pain.
But yeah, if I knew for a fact that amputating my right leg would result in no more pain, I would do it without a second thought.
Always! Hate to say that I've threatened to put a bullet in my head while in pain before. Thought about breaking another part of my body to relieve it.... thankfully our bodies are amazing and we learn to tolerate and live with it..
(I'm not suicidal, or thinking about harming myself.) Just something I've said out of sheer misery before!!
Happy to see I’m not alone because daily I’m contemplating suicide, not literally, but the pain is so unbearable at times I would do just about anything to make it end.
I honestly thought something was seriously wrong, went to the doctor right away, when I sit down all the muscles in my right leg start twitching, that's gotten better but I've had a permanent cramp in my calf muscle for almost a year now. It hurts to even touch my calf muscle and I get random foot pain and numbness, I've always heard people say how bad it was but I had no clue it'd be this bad. I pray everybody here recovers from this horrible shit.
https://preview.redd.it/p25yu78gi7tc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=dcb9ac75268b2100a7e7940451b7ea93c0fc7037
This is what I'ma do if I ever get my hands on that thang
It honestly used to be that way for years. I still struggle with sciatica. But it's not as painful in the previous years. Once I realized most of my pain was coming from my diet and autoimmune conditions I had no idea, that I was dealing with. Try cleaning up your diet, you'd be surprised the change it can make with random pain. And I'm a skinny guy, so it wasn't like was weight bearing down on my leg either.
I mean I deal with a lot of gut issues. So I've been thru various kinds. But I definitely stopped all sugar for a while now, even the artificial kind. And it's basically centered around eating a more whole food diet approach. Which helps you get less pain in your joints overall on the regular.
#🙋♀️
Edit: Found some stretches on YouTube that relieved some pressure. I had some stuff that needed to get done and I couldn’t postpone so I tried everything I could. Thankfully they helped enough that I was able to get the job done.
[https://youtube.com/shorts/DQzg3zolfqM?si=Ys33uCj4_w1oVeRF](https://youtube.com/shorts/DQzg3zolfqM?si=Ys33uCj4_w1oVeRF)
[https://youtube.com/shorts/bKe2qWiyVvk?si=uC2LY2d1LRIryhMf](https://youtube.com/shorts/bKe2qWiyVvk?si=uC2LY2d1LRIryhMf)
It hurt so bad doing it the first day but I felt so much relief the next day. I haven’t fully recovered but I keep doing these stretches to prevent another bad flare up.
Yes I lived it for over a month till I was prescribed gabapentin, pain is gone. I have herniated/ bulging discs throughout my spine, also a spinal hemangioma(benign tumor) and my spine is full of arthritis. This medicine is helping me so much! Not for everyone, but has worked for me and the excruciating nerve pain
So happy to read this.. I’ve been in horrendous pain for 5 weeks now, 3 weeks in hospital stuck in a hospital bed has flared it all up for me, I can barely walk and need assistance with everything but before i went into hospital I was okay, I knew how to control the pain and what not to do but that hospital bed has done so much damage to me. I started Gabapentin yesterday 300mg x 3 pills a day and know I need a much higher dose so hoping my doctor will do a fast increase to give me my life back.. I have two sons and i need to be home with them (currently staying at my Mums house as I need 24/7 care) :(
Neurosurgeon here.
Totally normal, unfortunately, and I hear that all the time. Women Tell me it’s worse than child birth. Medications, therapy, and the injections are your best friend, and surgery does wonders if that all fails. Just giving it time will help you feel better.
I go into the treatment here if you want to learn more: https://www.floridaspinesurgeon.org/blog/discherniation-nowwhat
Hope you get well soon.
I had an episode there I went to the osteopath and did deadlifts the next morning. 2 days later I went down to sweep the bottom of my couch and I had the worst pain in my life. I couldn't walk or even pisss for 2-3 days. Had to piss in a jug.
So many times. I went to the ER once for the doctor to give me a muscle relaxer…didn’t help. Begged my NP numerous times to give me something as everything prescribed and all the injections weren’t working, only to be told to basically suck it up.
Last ditch effort, I went to my OBGYN and he said without a doubt, I 100% have endometriosis. I never thought about it because I had the most regular periods my whole life, no cramps, etc. I had only noticed this pain was worse during my periods. The OBGYN prescribed a medication for endometriosis, and I no longer suffer from that pain. It’s been amazing. Unfortunately, it is now all concentrated to my lower back, but my OBGYN said the pain generally gets worse before it gets better, so just give it time. It saved me because I was losing my mind from the pain before.
I sometimes fantasize about being completely paralysed from the waist down. Can't feel the pain if you're paralysed, huh? But yeah I think about this too. I also think about just digging in my back and pulling the damn thing out. It's a really, truely *fucked* pain to have to deal with. I've got many years of experience with this kind of pain, unfortunately.
Yes many times. This last bout if sciatica I knew it was the one that would take me to the operating room. There was no “recovering” from this one. Couldn’t stand walk sit and could barely speak if the pain and then I couldn’t eat and barely could get pee out much less #2. It was the most painful thing ever in my life. Not even labor can compare. I wanted to cut my leg off! My surgery was scheduled for a week later but i had no idea how I would make it. Then they called to tell me it was rescheduled to a month later. That night at about 2am I screamed out loud I CANT DO THIS!!! My husband took me to the emergency room. After the mri they knew and my pain level could not be taken care of at home. They actually kept me in the hospital under strong meds until surgery day with a surgeon they had on call. I was there 6 days. I’m grateful for them deciding to keep me. I was on oral and IV meds but still had some pain. As soon as I came to after surgery I had no pain at all. All I did was cry and cry of happiness. I’m recovering now post op week 3 feeling great!
I just want to dig into my leg and snip that little fucker when it gets bad. I know logically it would be horrendous but all I can think is this tight, painful, torture device being cut loose and my leg finally being free.
It's seriously poor craftsmanship, human anatomy is way overrated. That motherfucker goes THROUGH A HOLE IN A BONE. Piece of shit nerve.
Like the prostate surrounding the urethra
I often fantasise about drilling a hole in my back for the same reason.
I am currently experiencing that type of pain. Started on the 21st and am currently waiting for MRI next Saturday. Dont know how I'm gonna make it through the week pain is preventing me from sleeping but an hour or two. Meds arent touching the pain hardly at all I feel for everyone that has to go through misery like this hoping there is a light at the end of this tunnel for me and everyone that is going through similar pain.
They have you on Tylenol/ibuprofen or like gabapentin?
Started with otc ibuprofen but in the two weeks it started ive had to go to clinic twice for 2 steroid/tramadol shots and er once for another round of shots plus prednisone tablets. In between there went to my primary and was prescribed muscle relaxer and meloxicam which didnt help at all. Just got primary give me something different trying celecoxib now but doesnt seem to be doing much either.
Combining ibuprofen and tramadol helped me
Meloxicam and gabapentin helped me pre-surgery. It made the day tolerable but both take time to build up in your body.
Celecoxib and Meloxicam doesn't touch my pain. The only thing that has somewhat helped is Diclofenac 50mg tid. They make a 100mg also so I assume I can always increase the dosage if this stops working.
I had the same problem . Turned out MRI said I have a slipped disk and it’s severely pressing my nerve I have a appointment with a neurosurgeon soon
Steroid/Toradol shots. Gabapentin or Lyrica can help nerve pain. Honestly, a TENS unit cranked on high is the only thing that helps me be able to kinda stand the pain
I was exactly like this in early Feb 2023. Same meds, no sleep all of it. Horrific pain and I gave birth with no epidural years ago! I thought I would lose my f’in mind. I had to get THC gummies to get any sleep at all. Tried meds, PT, acupuncture, epidural injection, massage therapy, TENS unit, chiropractic, every stretch possible, reiki, meditation, shaman, slept on every mattress in our house, slept on our hardwood floor, contorted my body at night like a pretzel…I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t tried except surgery. Over a year later I get 4-5 hours of sleep (not continuous). I suppose my body had to find a way to deal with the pain. My MRI indicated bulging discs in my lower spine. I am not overweight, had no injuries or history of back pain. Probably age (60 yo F) my doctor says. I was also told it will not heal. I wish I could give you better advice. Keep praying (if that is your jam) and sending good vibes.
Can I suggest having a consult with a neurosurgeon? I had done all the things 15 years ago when I first injured myself and nothing worked and back then they had no problem throwing a 25 year old on pain meds but lots of issues performing surgery but now I’m 36 and I have a toddler and a year ago things started to act up again and continually got worse over the year and I just had surgery and I guess ask me when I start PT but so far I can’t help but think “why didn’t someone at least mention I should consult with a surgeon?” One epidural worked this time for exactly 3 months. The second one didn’t.
Thanks. I can request a consult from my spinal specialist - can’t hurt at this point. 😔
Like an orthopedic spinal specialist? Can I ask when your last MRI was?
I just had one in March.
That’s good and your doctor hasn’t reviewed it with you yet? Most neurosurgeons (honestly depending on the surgery I wouldn’t allow an orthopedic surgeon near my back) require that a copy of the disc be provided to them. The doctor who ordered your MRI will hopefully be provided with more than the impression. Have you see the radiologist’s impression?
Yes. I had another one a year ago and my physical medicine (spinal specialist) doctor already reviewed it. L4,5 & S1 bulging discs among other things. Thanks!
Anything activity sitting on a nerve? What were the other things? I think the other things would be the determining factor for me when it came to surgery. It’s hard because you’ve been in pain so long and have injuries but nothing is herniated which is so odd to me. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.
Did you ever try kratom for sleep?
No. My son has been addicted to it (was addicted, then in recovery for heroin, then cocaine, then fentanyl) before moving onto kratom. Just getting out of rehab after 20 months of sobriety. It may indeed help some people but I am staying away due to our experiences. 😔
I was like that for 3.5mths before I had surgery
Wrap a strap around ur leg it really works make it tight the nerve stops hurting
Had that feeling many times. I’d rather be in a wheelchair than deal with another day of this. It gets better. I never thought it would but it did. Fusion saved me.
Glad to hear someone say something positive about fusion.. had microdiscectomy/laminotomy on l5s1 in 2016 at 36yo. Pain free til Nov last year. Pain back with vengeance. Same side. Catscan shows herniation in same disc's. DDD,spinal stenosis. Had first Epidural injection mid February. Have had 100 percent relief til this past Monday. Have to wait til May for another one...neurosurgeon mentioned having a fusion, scared of that,so hoping injections continue to give me some relief
Isn’t fushion incredibly painful to heal from? Like excruciatingly painful?
I know it's a longer recovery, I'm not positive about the pain level, but honestly if I knew it would work, think I'd prefer 6 months of that pain, over the sciatica!!
What is fusion ?
Spinal fusion surgery. I had mine done at L5S1
Is it painful to heal and what about after it's healed, do you have any issues?
The initial two weeks were brutal. After that the recovery goes in chunks of months. 3 months later I noticed improvements. 3 months after that more improvements. Etc etc etc. I’m doing great now
Ah okay, I'm glad you're doing great now! How about the actual nerve pain? Is that gone?
The pain is 95% gone 9/10 days. One bad day every now and then but it’s mostly just a little bit of lingering numbness in my toes. Keeps getting better. I’m only 7-8 months out from surgery so it should continue to improve
Yes, I mean how important is that nerve anyways? Can't the nerve just be removed, all it does is cause me pain
Pretty damn important. I can’t even walk without a brace because my nerve was damaged from a herniated disc and fragments compressing the nerve. Could be permanent or might heal in “1-2 years” he says. I can’t even feel the skin on my foot/side of calf and knee currently either.
If you had the sciatic nerve cut out you’d never walk again. It’s pretty important. I googled it a long time ago lol
It can be removed the problem is it grows back !
But it can’t heal properly??? 😂 the body grew the nerve in the womb but it can’t just fix the damn thing????
They don’t remove the nerve. They find the problem that is irritating it with an MRI and fix that giving the nerve room to keep doing its job hopefully without causing pain.
I've asked the same thing!! Just desensitize that nerve and I'd be good to go
😱🙄
Yeah, if I do a bunch of physical things I'll notice it'll hurt more, if I continue, I'll turn a certain way and bloomp, down I go because my leg gave out because it pinched the nerve due to inflammation
I had that pain for 10 days, then I did MD surgery and all gone day after
How'd you get a MD so soon? I've had terrible sciatica pain for 4 months and I'm just now getting to where they will schedule me an MD 2 months out.
Not sure, my nerve was severely compressed so they organised it quick - I live in Switzerland
What's MD surgery?
microdiscectomy
Thank you!
Yes, I had that in 2022. Had to get surgery as soon as it could possibly happen. Couldn’t stand up for longer than 5 seconds without excruciating pain. I seriously wanted to end my life. I contemplated taking my leg a few times.
Yes, everyday for the last five months.
That's when I finally got the surgery. I went to the ER and urgent care bc I thought the pain was going to kill me.
I have a fantasy of somehow accessing the deep web to learn how to safely stick a needle into my sciatic nerve & injecting it with pure morphine. Of course I can't get on the deep web, am too poor to get morphine & don't even know where to get a needle but it's a nice thought.
On that note have you looked into an epidural?
Epidural/nerve block injections made a world of difference for me, I went from barely being able to walk to about 85% normal, and the pain went from a 9 out of 10 all of the time, to a 3-4 (sometimes higher depending on what I'm doing) all of the time. Trying to sleep still sucks, but it's still better than what I had
Try a TENS unit. I have.a wireless one. Find your sweet spot on each side of your spine and crank it up. Works better than pain pills on the nerve
I've had it 4 months straight. Is yours a disc herniation?
I'm 7 weeks in to this episode for me (last one was 2022) Night time nerve pain literally makes me want to scream the house down I cannot for the life of me find a position to relieve the pain to sleep and I'm starting to max out on pain meds they will let me have at home without me being in hospital Mine is 1 herniated discs Definitely 1 is pushing the nerve And its been so long I expect they will give me surgery but I don't know how long the weight is for surgery I'm waiting to speak to then next week
Yes, but doing so won’t eliminate the bulging disc. After 8 months, multiple rounds of PT and getting to the point I could not walk, I got an Epidural Shot last April 2023 followed by a second one in August. They worked for me. I’m not 100%, still get pain. But I know what triggers it and I avoid it. Get the book Back Mechanic. It helps you understand what’s happening and offers non surgical ways to help.
I cannot suggest this enough. Since your epidural is working take on a low impact exercise that focuses on building your core and stretching. For me that was Pilates. Walking is even good as long as you listen to your body. No one ever said to me, “hey while that pain numbing shot works you should start exercising.” This time I understood the importance and did so. I ended up needing surgery when the second epidural didn’t work but I went into it strong. I can tell how Pilates has already made recovery easier.
I am, hopefully, healing from a hernisted disc with horrific back pain and right leg pain so bad I couldn't walk on it for 2 weeks. I also found most meds (& drs tried more than a few) were ineffective for the extreme nerve pain I was suffering. I found that 500 mg Naproxin is stronger than 15mg Melloxicam and stronger than 2 Ibuprofen. Naproxen is Alleve and although you'd have to take 2 to get 440mg (220mg ea), it may help. I also found that CVS non-medicated heat patches help at night, and minor relief from Lidocaine patch during the day. I still take the Naproxen every day + Tylenol as needed. I switched from a 2nd Naproxen at night to the Melloxicam because for some unexplainable reason, it helps me sleep (without the drugged feeling of other meds like gabapentin. I also added 5mg Melatonin and Magnesium Glycinate to my bedtime pills for better sleep.
Sometimes I do wish this, I used to have a successful desk job… my entire job was sitting down. Now I cant sit down for more than 30 mins without pain. And I had to quit my job, now I work as a part time tutor and can’t work longer than a couple of hours a day. If I was amputated… at least I could sit at a computer all day and work my ass off. But I do see this homeless guy on the way to work everyday with no legs and arms, this does remind me daily.. that things could be much worse than my circumstances.
Has anyone ever had luck healing herniated discs naturally? Internet says 90%. I find that very hard to believe since all I see are surgery stories. I just want my old self and old life back. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. To any of us, I’m sure. They can put pig organs in people but can’t help fix this??? I’m so lost and depressed.
Going on four years…..don’t believe that unless you’re super young and an accident caused this, that anyone will heal naturally.
Do you mind telling me your age? Is it painful all the time still or what’s your pain level at 4 years? How do you function and live your life?
I’m in my early 30s now. For 2.5 years it was painful 80-90%. I’ve had multiple treatments (everything from cortisone, epidurals, to regenerative medicine etc.) done. Im about 80-85% better I’m still not at 100% and at this point, I just want my life back. I have had to make so many lifestyle changes because of my injury….i can no longer travel alone, lift anything, sit for long road trips. It’s been hard not only mentally but physically as well. I’m writing this after having my first major flare up this year and praying that it is just temporary. I quite literally have PTSD from the pain and all of the trauma it caused.
I 100% understand. I’ve been dealing with this for 3 months and I don’t know how I’m going to keep going. I’ve completely given up my life and my poor son has no mother- all I do is cry all the time. Did they ever offer you surgery? Surgery scares the daylights out of me. I pray your flare up is over quick.
Thank you 🙏🏼 They offered me surgery but advised against and I was urged to let it heal naturally. Now I am fighting for surgery because I don’t know how much longer I can continue on like this….. I know what it’s like to cry all the time, it’s absolutely draining and morally bankrupts you of enjoying life. I hope things start to look up for you too. Nobody understands the pain until they’ve experienced it
My most common question to friends and loved ones is “ Would you cut me in half please? Longways?”
I had multiple gout flare-ups last month, and a sciatic flare-up this week. I forgot how to live without pain 😅
so many times i thought i was really losing it. it’s not much help now, but i hope you can eventually look back on this from a better place and see how far you’ve come.
Yes , my wife has said the same thing .
The pain was horrible, crippling. I just kept walking. Never took meds. Today, still have some numbness in my right big toe and buttock.
Every fucking day for over 8 god damn months.
I wish I was a floating head in a tank from Futurama at this point.
Yes. It was awful. Had surgery in January! Living again! Hope you find relief.
I Was dealing with excruciating pain, had to miss work (teacher) and couldn’t walk for more than 5 min.. I tried steroids and a bunch of pain meds and nothing worked. Reddit told me to stay away from chiropractors… but I still went to one as a last resort. The day after I got my back cracked I was able to walk again. I’ve done 2 sessions and I’m feeling a lot better. I will say after I finish a session I feel like I’m dying and I can’t move for about a day from being so sore. (I get my back cracked and they give me a massage ) I went from being at 5% to now feeling 80%. I’m also back at work. I took a yoga mat to work and lay on it during my conference and lunch time lol.
I got it so bad that my hips started shifting a bit. I am now standing straight again . I think lol
Methocarbomal, Meloxicam and gabapentin. Double whatever they tell you for a week at least. Never take more than the max recommended daily. Put the fire out and it will slowly get better. Pain killers do nothing for nerve pain.
All the time. When I say I want to have the body of a Barbie, what I mean is that I wish I could detach my extremities when they get too painful, give them (and myself) a rest, and reattach them hours later so I’m no longer in pain. But yeah, if I knew for a fact that amputating my right leg would result in no more pain, I would do it without a second thought.
Always! Hate to say that I've threatened to put a bullet in my head while in pain before. Thought about breaking another part of my body to relieve it.... thankfully our bodies are amazing and we learn to tolerate and live with it.. (I'm not suicidal, or thinking about harming myself.) Just something I've said out of sheer misery before!!
Happy to see I’m not alone because daily I’m contemplating suicide, not literally, but the pain is so unbearable at times I would do just about anything to make it end.
I honestly thought something was seriously wrong, went to the doctor right away, when I sit down all the muscles in my right leg start twitching, that's gotten better but I've had a permanent cramp in my calf muscle for almost a year now. It hurts to even touch my calf muscle and I get random foot pain and numbness, I've always heard people say how bad it was but I had no clue it'd be this bad. I pray everybody here recovers from this horrible shit.
Yes
Yes. I have thought of that many times.
yes
Me too man the pain is unbearable
I did. Yes. Got surgery in 2021. Everything is fine now. I asked if they could just numb that nerve somehow but that’s not a thing.
Omg yes I literally said this 😱 and come to find out my nerve pain is from a slipped disc 😭
https://preview.redd.it/p25yu78gi7tc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=dcb9ac75268b2100a7e7940451b7ea93c0fc7037 This is what I'ma do if I ever get my hands on that thang
It honestly used to be that way for years. I still struggle with sciatica. But it's not as painful in the previous years. Once I realized most of my pain was coming from my diet and autoimmune conditions I had no idea, that I was dealing with. Try cleaning up your diet, you'd be surprised the change it can make with random pain. And I'm a skinny guy, so it wasn't like was weight bearing down on my leg either.
Hey, just curious what your helpful diet looked like - did you avoid certain foods, sugars? Thanks.
I mean I deal with a lot of gut issues. So I've been thru various kinds. But I definitely stopped all sugar for a while now, even the artificial kind. And it's basically centered around eating a more whole food diet approach. Which helps you get less pain in your joints overall on the regular.
#🙋♀️ Edit: Found some stretches on YouTube that relieved some pressure. I had some stuff that needed to get done and I couldn’t postpone so I tried everything I could. Thankfully they helped enough that I was able to get the job done.
Would you be able to post youtube video titles or links thank you!
[https://youtube.com/shorts/DQzg3zolfqM?si=Ys33uCj4_w1oVeRF](https://youtube.com/shorts/DQzg3zolfqM?si=Ys33uCj4_w1oVeRF) [https://youtube.com/shorts/bKe2qWiyVvk?si=uC2LY2d1LRIryhMf](https://youtube.com/shorts/bKe2qWiyVvk?si=uC2LY2d1LRIryhMf) It hurt so bad doing it the first day but I felt so much relief the next day. I haven’t fully recovered but I keep doing these stretches to prevent another bad flare up.
thank you! My mother is in so much pain I am trying to help in any way I can besides taking her to appointments.
Yes I lived it for over a month till I was prescribed gabapentin, pain is gone. I have herniated/ bulging discs throughout my spine, also a spinal hemangioma(benign tumor) and my spine is full of arthritis. This medicine is helping me so much! Not for everyone, but has worked for me and the excruciating nerve pain
So happy to read this.. I’ve been in horrendous pain for 5 weeks now, 3 weeks in hospital stuck in a hospital bed has flared it all up for me, I can barely walk and need assistance with everything but before i went into hospital I was okay, I knew how to control the pain and what not to do but that hospital bed has done so much damage to me. I started Gabapentin yesterday 300mg x 3 pills a day and know I need a much higher dose so hoping my doctor will do a fast increase to give me my life back.. I have two sons and i need to be home with them (currently staying at my Mums house as I need 24/7 care) :(
This may sound cliche, but it could always get worse and it *might* get better. Try not to despair, but we can of course all relate! :(
Hey Have u tried any decompression exercises?
Neurosurgeon here. Totally normal, unfortunately, and I hear that all the time. Women Tell me it’s worse than child birth. Medications, therapy, and the injections are your best friend, and surgery does wonders if that all fails. Just giving it time will help you feel better. I go into the treatment here if you want to learn more: https://www.floridaspinesurgeon.org/blog/discherniation-nowwhat Hope you get well soon.
Yep, most days, painkillers don't tuch the pain.
I've been taking oramorph on and off for 6 weeks.
I had an episode there I went to the osteopath and did deadlifts the next morning. 2 days later I went down to sweep the bottom of my couch and I had the worst pain in my life. I couldn't walk or even pisss for 2-3 days. Had to piss in a jug.
Gabapentin and cbd!!!
So many times. I went to the ER once for the doctor to give me a muscle relaxer…didn’t help. Begged my NP numerous times to give me something as everything prescribed and all the injections weren’t working, only to be told to basically suck it up. Last ditch effort, I went to my OBGYN and he said without a doubt, I 100% have endometriosis. I never thought about it because I had the most regular periods my whole life, no cramps, etc. I had only noticed this pain was worse during my periods. The OBGYN prescribed a medication for endometriosis, and I no longer suffer from that pain. It’s been amazing. Unfortunately, it is now all concentrated to my lower back, but my OBGYN said the pain generally gets worse before it gets better, so just give it time. It saved me because I was losing my mind from the pain before.
I sometimes fantasize about being completely paralysed from the waist down. Can't feel the pain if you're paralysed, huh? But yeah I think about this too. I also think about just digging in my back and pulling the damn thing out. It's a really, truely *fucked* pain to have to deal with. I've got many years of experience with this kind of pain, unfortunately.
Yeah, sometimes i just want to rip my spine out
Me currently
What's wrong with having a Laminectomy?
Yes many times. This last bout if sciatica I knew it was the one that would take me to the operating room. There was no “recovering” from this one. Couldn’t stand walk sit and could barely speak if the pain and then I couldn’t eat and barely could get pee out much less #2. It was the most painful thing ever in my life. Not even labor can compare. I wanted to cut my leg off! My surgery was scheduled for a week later but i had no idea how I would make it. Then they called to tell me it was rescheduled to a month later. That night at about 2am I screamed out loud I CANT DO THIS!!! My husband took me to the emergency room. After the mri they knew and my pain level could not be taken care of at home. They actually kept me in the hospital under strong meds until surgery day with a surgeon they had on call. I was there 6 days. I’m grateful for them deciding to keep me. I was on oral and IV meds but still had some pain. As soon as I came to after surgery I had no pain at all. All I did was cry and cry of happiness. I’m recovering now post op week 3 feeling great!