Hs anyone any personal experience with this one.
Briefly,so as not to bore you all, I have some wicked body pain,the worst being in my upper arms and lower back.
I am on a pretty high dose of combination medications but despite this I am still very immobile which as you can understand is no ruddy good for me.
Any way after being tested at the pain clinic and told I was very positive and a likely candidate for help(goodness knows what they do if you moan) I was told they would do the following.
Under x ray, they will put injections into my spine, they stressed it was not cortisone but an anaesthetic, it will be in my system for about 24 hours,I might get pain relief I might not,it is apparently a diagnostic tool. If they get the reaction that they want,they repeat it to make sure it wasn't fluke, if again they get the same reaction then they will give me another injection that should take the pain away for 1 year to 18 months.Then it is repeated.
Has anyone had this done and if so will they share their experiences with me please, here or by Pm if you prefer.
XX Jeannine
I do hope that you get some relief Jeannine - sorry cannot help with the question
Jeannine - I've printed off your post. Is it OK with you if I talk to my daughter (a registered osteopath) about it when I see her on Monday? She and her ministrations were invaluable to me when I fractured my spine some years ago. I do know that she, like most osteopaths/chiropractors, is basically against (surgical) intervention unless absolutely essential but she will have knowledge of the treatment you've been offered and its success/failure rates. It will only be a personal opinion, of course, but a professional one! Val x
That would be super Thank you Xx Jeannine
Whichever road you take Jeannine I do hope you are able to get some relief. Good luck.
On the same lines as Lorna, i cant give any advice, but i sincerely hope that you get some relief from what sounds like a horrible situation x x
Thanks everyone, it is not only a pain!!, It is a blasted nuisance too,there is so much I want to do and my dumb croaky old bod keeps getting in the ruddy way. I don't care if I don't grow old gracefully but I would like my body to keep pace with my mind, I could just swear sometimes. Oh heck....knickers!!!
XX Jeannine
QuoteOh heck....knickers!!!
Oooh Jeannine, such wild abandon! Be careful or Dan will move you to the watershed ;)
cj :)
Hello Jeannine
I have suffered from back pain for twelve years and last year underwent steroid injections into my spine. The injection also included an anaesthetic. However, it didn't work for me and in the end the Consultant discharged me and said there was nothing more he could do but that I could help myself by losing weight.
Since then my left knee has gone and this gives me even more pain. Like you I am on very high doses of medication but none of it relieves the suffering completely.
You have nothing to lose by trying the injection as it may well work for you. I am waiting to hear from the Consultant who replaced my right knee six years ago. Meanwhile I sometimes have to crawl on all fours up the stairs and sometimes hobble about on crutches.
I sympathise with you Jannine and wish you free of pain soon.
Well that has to be more exciting than sitting in a chair at the lottie watching the asparagus grow..so I shall do my full repotoire of cussing.
Knickers.
Dammit
Dipsticks
Horsefeathers
Flaming
Bother.
Oh Heck
There see if I care, I am really urinated off tonight, everything has gone wrong, the bluddy table fell down in the greenhouse cos it is made of pooey timber,the plodding flagstones came 2 short , and three of my dam ned growbags have holes in, and my rotten back was being a small round hole in my rearend.
XX Jeannine
Pauline they have stressed it is not steroids or cortisone they are putting in. XX Jeannine
I had an anaesthetic with my injection but that didn't take away the pain. As I stressed, it may work for you. Anything is worth a try rather than putting up with pain.
HI
Doctor and Consultant have both suggested the same for me with my back and knee. I declined and said i would cope. I am sure its something i would consider if i was older or had lost some of my movement.
Right now i do core exercises to help support my spine and taking things easy with the allotment hot baths and ice packs. Occasionaly i get out of bed like a heavly pregnant woman and waddle to the bathroom until my back sorts itself out.
Get well soon J
xx
Cambourne7
jeannine and pauline, I feel for you, I'm having pain problems at the moment..
have you been offered the loan of a t.e.n.s. machine..my physio loaned me one for 2 weeks to try..it worked for my back,
they are only 28.00, you get a form to get the v.a.t. off, it's classed as medical equipment, ask about it,
it's helped my father in law and ray, and my sister in law, all who have back problems..they can be used on two pains at once :)
I have had a TENS machime for 12 years,I actually have 2 different ones but it is not enough anymore,not for sometime now, it works on lesser painful bits but not my back. I can ease the pain if I stop walking or standing but that's no life really. Thank you for caring XX Jeannine
I can ease the pain if I stop walking or standing but that's no life really.
Tell me about it Jeannine!
I think I'm a good bit older than you, but I've suffered for most of my adult life with back problems and have been under the knife 5 times. The last time being 12 months ago. I've now been told that nothing more - other than pain relief can be done.
Since then I am permanently tired and, like my dear Gordon, can fall asleep at the drop of hat! So unlike me - and the five minute walk to the shops now takes me ten minutes of plodding.
I had previously had several different types of spinal injections - none of which worked. The most recent was using an X-ray monitor to guide the enormously long needle from above my hip joint into the right space between the vertebrae - I was sedated, but not unconscious for this.
Then a year ago last February I had a septic arthritis in my left knee and had an arthroscopy which left me even worse off painwise. I now drag myself about, but the surgeon is loathe to operate because of the infection history. Like you I take high dose medication, but it doesn't help much.
I am currently waiting to have a thumb joint replacement done - in the hope that I will be able to grip things again. ATM I can't hold a potato or celeriac to peel it and grasping just about anything between thumb and forefinger is wellnigh impossible.
Oh - the joys of aging :)
Tricia
Oh dear my love, I am so sorry to hear all that, you realy are hurting and I shouldn't moan about my woes at all.
The injection they are talking about sounds like the one you mentioned, it is guided by an X ray.
I am not worried about being awake as I always opt for spinal injections for surgery anyway if at all possible as I dislike being put out, but it sounds as if I want to hear much more about it before I go that route.
I am very lucky in a lot of ways, I have perfect use of my hands and I can still work more or less full time,I have had to adjust but most people don't realise there is a lot wrong with me as I can walk very fast for short periods so I can appear to be OK. If I have to stand, I always find something to lean on and I perch on things a lot.
I just find it so very frustrating now, it used to come and go but it has been constant for some time.
I actually have AS but the fused areas seemed OK till about 2 years ago.
Oh Gosh enough Jeannine you are getting morbid!!.
I think you are a brick to cope with what you have and I hope so much that you can get some sort of relief .
Take care XX Jeannine
Snap Jeannine - I was diagnosed with AS at 17 and a lot of my back pain was put down to AS when in fact it was a herniated disk! But I was very lucky because, like you, the sacro iliacs fused while I was still young - and when I lived in Germany I was sent to a clinic for treatments every 15 months which kept me in the work force till I was 51. I then went to live in sunny Spain where the stress-free lifestyle also helped.
It is only since I returned to this country and climate after my three years in Canada that the bone and arthritis problems have escalated, but then I have also got older and I guess one has to expect aches and pains with advancing age.
I once had a boss who said that if you didn't wake up with aches and pains after 50 - you were dead ;D.
Tricia
Double snap Tricia, we came back from Canada 6 years ago and I have gone downhill since. Small world eh !! XX Jeannine
Oh dear, it sounds like being in this country is definately bad for your health!
cj :)
I think I might move to Wales XX Jeannine
Yeah! - but I love it anyway ;D ;D. Wales???????????
Tricia
Quote from: manicscousers on May 06, 2007, 16:38:55
jeannine and pauline, I feel for you, I'm having pain problems at the moment..
have you been offered the loan of a t.e.n.s. machine..my physio loaned me one for 2 weeks to try..it worked for my back,
they are only 28.00, you get a form to get the v.a.t. off, it's classed as medical equipment, ask about it,
it's helped my father in law and ray, and my sister in law, all who have back problems..they can be used on two pains at once :)
I tried a TENS machine for back pain but it didn't do any good. I am now waiting to see the physiotherapist about my knee pain and the treatment could be TENS or acupuncture. :-\ I believe the only solution for my pain is a knee replacement but I haven't even heard back from the hospital yet. Meanwhile, the opiates (Tramadol), Ibuprofen and Paracetamol are not coping. The alternative is morphine but I have been told that it shortens a persons life.
It doesn't make any difference whether I am resting the knee, walking or digging the garden, the pain is continuous. I just wish it would go away. :'(
I've just had three months BUPA physio including acupunture and the BUPA specialist said he felt is was having no improvement so they are trying this pain clinic now. I m oght try me Expensive TENS again not the cheap one, problem is at work I don't fancy wires falling out
just watch it doesn't fall down the loo, jeannine, my physio warned me as it happens lots ;D
she said to tuck it down your knicker elastic, I don't know how big her knickers are, it wouldn't fit in mine, it was quite big and slid out ;D
I also had a problem putting it in my trouser pocket, it kept falling out..best thing was a small bag my dad in law bought me, called a passport bag, it fits in there well,
or in my shirt ocket, unless i wanted to put a jumper over my head
and, bra straps interfere with the pads ;D
not trying to put you off, it might give you a bit of relief :)
This one reason why I don't use it at work but I think I am going to try it again. My good one has a very strong belt clip on it that is unlikely to come off but it can be accidently turned up high if something rubs against you and in a primary school that is possible. XX Jeannine
Quoteproblem is at work I don't fancy wires falling out
My son has a heart condition. When he was 4, he hada 24 hour heart monitor strapped to him, with 2 contacts on his chest. We were in a lift, and another lady was in there. He accidentally pulled one of the wires off. I quickly lifted his t shirt and stuck it back on. I looked up , and the lady was looking horrified. I think she thought it was something terribly important keeping him alive. I tried to reassure her it was ok, but she had reached her floor, and got out pretty sharpish!
cj :)
Just left a pm for you Jeannine. xxx
Something happened to the nice bloke who writes Welsh language courses for adults - he had terrible back pain, couldn't sit down (fine standing up). He used to be full of energy (and jokes judging from his courses - Vindaloo which sounds like the Welsh to go to the loo...). Anyway, after tests and many months, he had an epidural - it worked. He's still got his sense of humour!
Good luck.
I really hope that whatever the injections the hospital are offering work for you.
:)
My dad has a vertical break in his back from a very old football injury. As he has got older it has caused more and more problems. He took a neurfen (sic ?) capsule a couple of years ago and suffered a severe reaction (adrenalin injections to revive him etc.) and as a result has to carry an epipen. My mum is a physio, but at one time after she could not mobilize him, even to the loo. Eventually the paramedics took him to hospital where they offered him a morphine based injection, under supervision. I was really mad as I thought he should be admitted. The strange thing was the morphine released something in his back, and two hours later he was able to walk out! This was amazing as I was only spoon feeding him his lunch a few hours before. As a result, although he still suffers with his back, it is no where near as severe as before. Maybe it is something like that that they are proposing to do for you.
In any event I hope you feel better soon and can get back into your much loved garden x
I can't offer advice but I hope you feel better soon Jeannine!
x dandelion
Wow, what a wonderful story, I am so happy for your Dad,I bet he thinks he is a very lucky man.
I was coping with my back on again off again till I had some surgery last year,not my back by the way,and afterwards I had difficulty walking,at first I could only stand for a few minutes,after about 3 months I could walk about OK but could not stand, that is a year ago and it seems to have improved as much as it is going to.
At first they thought it was the epidural I had for the operation, then they thought I had perhaps been twisted funny during the surgery and discolated something, now they think it is coincidence and it is general deteriotaion,well that is this week !!
I guess we never know what is round the corner and in your Dad,s case it seems to have worked out really well in the end.
I had an Aunt who was hurt in a car accident many years ago, as a result she was in a wheelchair for 20 years or so. She was ill in the night and a lo cum Doctor came to see her, he asked about her legs, was told the story and asked her to lay on the floor, he noticed one leg was slightly shorter than the other, it was investigated and she was found to have a dislocation that had never been picked ( this was in the 40's) after a very short time and some treatment they had her on her feet , after some rehab to strengthen her legs she walked just fine.
Hopefully there is something round the corner for me.
Thank you for sharing your Dad's story, it always remind me that there are people worse off,and not to get too downhearted.
Strangely enough I too carry an Epipen, I have a severe latex allergy.
XX Jeannine
For anyone suffering arthritis, or even just starting with it, there's some useful information here for curing or relieving it without drugs - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbgardening/F2759007?thread=3961367
As for backs and injections, I have 3 crushed vertebrae in my lower spine as a result of carrying around my daughter, aged 2, in a chest to ankle plaster cast. She went from 14 to 20 kilos overnight and was a very awkward shape and my back went. I had all sorts of treatments - physio, chriopractor, osteopath, painkillers but it just got worse every time someone manipulated them back to where they thought they should be. There were times when it took 45 minutes just to get out of bed and I would then have to crawl backwards down stairs.
Eventually I heard of a specialist back clinic in Brussels and made an appointment. They strapped me up to computers and sensors and some fairly Heath Robinson looking equipment all designed to measure function, movement, nerve signals and so on. They decided a series of cortisone and painkiller injections would be best and sent me for a full MRI scan to locate the best places to put them. I then had two series of 8 injections - 4 either side of the dodgy bits.
It took a few weeks to take full effect but in the mean tme I had found an Alexander Technique practitioner. She explained about posture, especially of the head and legs when standing and sitting, and did several tiny movements to my hands, arms, legs and hips. After the first session I could walk normallly and almost without pain and had grown an inch. I had 5 sessions in total and then the injections.
8 yrs later, I still get occasional pain and stiffness when tired but I can garden, cycle, dance and even ski and I can touch the floor with my palms whereas before I couldn't bend to my knees.
I can therefore recommend injections but make sure you get full answers to questions about content, experience of the injector and after care - physio, exercise etc.
Good luck.
Thank you, loads of help here, and I am so happy it turned out well for you XX Jeannine
My gut instinct says avoid injections into the spine like the plague. They were offered to my wife about 30 years ago (the alternative being a wheelchair!). She went to a chiropractor instead. We both go now, every few months. She is still in fairly constant pain, but can still do things.
Have you tried morphine patches? Our secretary came to the last committee meeting on crutches & with gritted teeth; on Sunday she nearly danced through the door! Ask your GP.
The problem with chiropractors - in my experience - is that they do manipulations which can be quite aggressive and make the problem worse in the long term as bones are forced into new positions without the muscles around them having time to relax and then hold them there. My injections gave me instant pain relief once the initial discomfort wore off and allowed eveything else that had been tensed around the painful area to relax. They used a mini scanner and the results from my MRI scan to pinpoint the exact site for my injections so there was little chance of mistakes - and in 30 years the technology has advanced somewhat.
I have to admit I am not very confident about chiropactors, I am sure there are some good honest ones out there but I have met a few charalatans.I remember one who told me he could cure my AS,when I asked for info he assured me that it was not a problem. I further argued that the condition is not reversable and he grinned and said it was. When I probed about what he would do to cure the fusing he looked a bit concerned then left the room for a few minutes,whn he came back he began to talk about how he could help my Spondylosis, I corrected him, and he seemed unaware that AS was different. I thanked him for his time and left.. that was scary.
However good or bad a chiropracter cannot help my particular problem.
I am not comfortable about taking medications beyond what I already take, I can stand a lot of pain, I just would prefer not to have to give up so many things in order to do so.
I want to thank everyone who is offering help here, it is great to get such a broad idea of what has helped everyone else and I appreciate that.
XX Jeannine
Does anyone remember this post way back in May 2006.
Well after waiting from May till August, I got an appointment to go in(this was classed as a priority by the way)
Phone call came on a Wednesday in August " Sorry for the delay we have had problems, can you come in on Monday "
Yes I said.
Friday the phone rang" sorry the Dr has had to cancel as he is sick" we will get back to you.
They did 1st week in January when the Dr came off long term sick leave.
" Can you come in on Wednesday at 3 pm"
Yes I said.
I went to find it was a consultation again, with a very embarrassed Dr who said it was an error and promised the treatment would be this month.
Friday last the phone rang " Can you come in on Monday"
Yes I said.
and I did............... and they did it, after 45 minutes worth of spine injections under x ray I came home.
The original referral to this Dr was 18 months ago, then classed as priority..so much for shorter waiting lists.
The bit that really beats me is that while the Dr was on long term sick for 6 months none of the other Dr's would take his patients without a new refferal which was estimated at 4 months to see them.
NHS offer me a different hospital, 3 in fact , I could have been seen within 2 weeks...1 in Nottingham, 1 in Sheffield and 1 in Middlesex , cute considering I can't drive for 24 hours after.
Well the first bit is done, lets hope it works so they go ahead and do the rest.....sometime soon LOL
XX Jeannine
hope it works for you, Jeannine
Ray had a scan done on his spine..9 months later, after ringing up, he got an appointment, they'd forgotten him as he was sidetracked for a cancer scare after the scan...so, we go to the neurosurgeon...sorry, he says, the last surgeon was no good, he hasn't made notes and I haven't had time to look at your scan, if there's anything wrong, I'll get in touch..this was 12 months ago, still no results on the scan :(
Hello Jeanine. I hope they work for you. I had some more for my upper back last September following a bout of acute arthritis in several vertebrae which pinche dthe nerves to my arm, shoulder, armpit and ribs. Not good - painful and immobilising which is frustrating for anyone let alone keen gardeners.
So far I'm fine and almost pain free. I have full movement again but can feel the minute I'm doing too much or lifting too heavy so I can stop and rest. Needless to say, being in Belgium, I had to wait just 3 weeks to get an appointment with the back specialist - summer hols and all that - then another week to have scans, X-rays, neurologist tests, blood tests and then the infiltrations.
The ones I had in my lower back 5 years ago are still going strong. Fingers crossed for you.
I have a 'medically-induced Sacro-illiac injury (i.e. the doctor dislocated the joint during the birth of my son 17 3/4 years ago) and AS. I have been having treatment with a chiropractor since September, when I started I was in continuous pain after the first treatment the continuous pain went. I was highly sceptical because a long time ago I had some aggressive manipulation treatment from a chiropractor which did nothing and made it worse at the time. However my new chiropractor told me at the first appointment that agressive manipulation isn't suitable for my problem. In fact she hardly seems to do anything except shoot a few muscles with a sort of stapler thing (no staples!) which relaxes the muscles and supports various bit's with blocks. She's gradually given me exercises to do. I've ceased to be sceptical because it's working.
Try and avoid morphine. My mother was taking that for hip pain and it masked the cancer she had and she was unaware of it until it was too late.
I hope whatever you have done works for you and quickly.
I am pleased you have had your injections at last, Jeannine. Was it very painful? I wondered why they had a nurse standing in front of me holding my hands as I lay on my front. I soon found out why! It was horrific for me. :o I didn't say anything in my earlier post because I didn't want to alarm you. I just hope it works for you Jeannine. :-*
Hi Pauline, Ifound it unpleasant but bearable, I was surprised it took 45 minutes and they put a canula in my hand, John has looked I have 9 puncture holes, they only did one side, This is the test, if I get any relief, they will put anasthetic in the other side, if that works then they will go in and do the bigger one and and cauterise the nerve endings to the place.
If you remember this started when I had surgery June before last, apparently I was overstrained on the table and lost my legs for a while. I do have AS but I was already fused in that area.
I get angry when I hear about folks having to wait in pain, I have a very high pain threshold but some folks don't and I think it is so unfair.
Anyway I am optimistic they will do the big one as I have had the improvment on this tester one.
If it isn't the answer the only thing left is morphine I am told
XX Jeannine
Jeannine,
my mother in law uses morphine patches. They seem to be very effective. She has been on them for a few years now, but I dont know if they are a permanent option.
You are much braver than me. It cant have been very nice, but you sound so matter of fact about it!I get squeemish if I have to have a tooth filled ::)
cj :)
The injections are not pleasant but it's soon over and is a hell of a lot better than the pain and immobility endured before they kick in.
What a pleasant surprise, the Doc who did my injections yesterday personally phoned me today to see if they had worked, I said yes so he is going on to the next level. Wow a Dr that phones XX Jeannine