Wellness

[hckynut]

Hi Reb @sfnative,

Sorry you are going through so much pain. It has been many years since I had any type of injections for my lower back. The ones I got years ago did nothing for my issues at that time. It wasn't the debilitating type of pain I had prior to having my L-5/S1 surgically removed years ago. That was from a complete rupture.

Eventually, my L-3 ruptured and that is when my friend did the then "experimental scope type surgery in his office".  Went into his office with about a 5+ pain level in left hip/knee, and of course my back. Left 2 hours later down to a 1 pain level. Think that was about 2009.

Haven't had a serious back issue since then, a few backaches, but nothing that lasted more than a few days. I kinda took it easy until things felt better. Still have some back fatigue after ice skating, which I am now going as often as I can, usually at minimum of 2 times a week. Think you read my "return to skating stories".

Once my Cardiologist said I could quit the BP meds, I bought me a Teeter Inversion Table, and I love that thing. All I can say is it just plain makes my whole body feel better. I also do some of my Ab workouts while fully inverted, not an easy thing to do. 

Nothing that I can say that you do not know. Since I no longer do my 52 year adult hockey league, I don't see my Spinal Surgeon friend very often. Usually only when I am at the hospital getting an Iron Infusion, or some other procedure that takes time.

I sure have not forgotten what the pain of my L-5/S1 did to me, and I am so sorry you seem to be dealing with something very similar, if not the same. My hope is you can find some relief from this pain from something. Keep me in your loop, my thoughts and hopes are always with you my friend.

JOhn

[Kachina624]

@sfnative  I have tried virtually every procedure and medication that has been suggested to me and nothing has helped.  I've seen four neurosurgeons and all have said surgery wouldn't help.  I go back every 4-5 years in case there are new developments in medicine that might help. I've had the radio frequency ablation and it didn't help either. 

Fortunately I only have pain when standing.  It often takes as little as 3-4 minutes of standing, then I'm ready to kill someone if I can't sit down, at which time I get full relief. Needless to say, it's hard to get anything done when you have to sit so frequently. 

[aubnwa01]

Are you a candidate for a foraminectomy?  I had really bad arm pain in 1999 from nerve compression at C-5 & C-6 & after trying PT & steroid injections which did nothing, I was losing muscle tone & mass in my arm, my neuro doc referred me to a neurosurgeon for a foraminectomy & laminotomy.  It fixed it about 90% but still have flares of occasional pain because I have spinal stenosis, but nowhere near as bad as it was.

[chrystaltree]

I see both a pain specialist and a spine specialist for my back pain; together they decided to skip the epidural injections and do the vertebral facet injections under fluoroscopy in interventional radiology.  I get the injections at 3 levels and under radiology guidance the doc can see exactly where to inject.  I get my injections every 3 months and I'm one of the fortunate ones, I get about 80% pain relief.  Right after the surgery, I have no pain but that's temporary due to the anesthetic, the pain comes back after about 8 hours but only to the level that I had it prior to the injection.  It's never worse.  Over the next week, the pain gradually subsides to the point that I only have pain if I stand to long or walk to far and at sometimes at night.  It stays that way for about 12 weeks and then pain begins intensify....and then....it's time for the injections again.  

[sfnative]

---

@Kachina624 wrote:

@sfnative  I have tried virtually every procedure and medication that has been suggested to me and nothing has helped.  I've seen four neurosurgeons and all have said surgery wouldn't help.  I go back every 4-5 years in case there are new developments in medicine that might help. I've had the radio frequency ablation and it didn't help either. 

Fortunately I only have pain when standing.  It often takes as little as 3-4 minutes of standing, then I'm ready to kill someone if I can't sit down, at which time I get full relief. Needless to say, it's hard to get anything done when you have to sit so frequently. 

---

@Kachina624

That's difficult news to bear.  I know exactly what you're talking about regarding static standing.  That used to get things going for me, too.  But now I've surpassed that, unfortunately.

Hopefully, there will be answers for all of us in the years to come.  I continue to look at the Duke, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, etc., sites, and also look at the New England Journal of Medicine and other journals at the library, just to keep current.

All the best.

[chrystaltree]

---

@sfnative wrote:

---

@Kachina624 wrote:

@sfnative  I have tried virtually every procedure and medication that has been suggested to me and nothing has helped.  I've seen four neurosurgeons and all have said surgery wouldn't help.  I go back every 4-5 years in case there are new developments in medicine that might help. I've had the radio frequency ablation and it didn't help either. 

Fortunately I only have pain when standing.  It often takes as little as 3-4 minutes of standing, then I'm ready to kill someone if I can't sit down, at which time I get full relief. Needless to say, it's hard to get anything done when you have to sit so frequently. 

---

@Kachina624

That's difficult news to bear.  I know exactly what you're talking about regarding static standing.  That used to get things going for me, too.  But now I've surpassed that, unfortunately.

Hopefully, there will be answers for all of us in the years to come.  I continue to look at the Duke, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, etc., sites, and also look at the New England Journal of Medicine and other journals at the library, just to keep current.

All the best.

Neurontin helps me and there is surgery.  The newer techniques aren't as invasive or risky as the older techniques and they work.  The injections work for me but I'm not "I'll just suffer" type of person.  When I get to the point where the injections are not controling my pain as much as I need them to....I'll have the spinal surgery and be done with it all.  As good as the surgical technique is now, it will be even better in 5 or 6 years.  

---

[sfnative]

---

@aubnwa01 wrote:

Are you a candidate for a foraminectomy?  I had really bad arm pain in 1999 from nerve compression at C-5 & C-6 & after trying PT & steroid injections which did nothing, I was losing muscle tone & mass in my arm, my neuro doc referred me to a neurosurgeon for a foraminectomy & laminotomy.  It fixed it about 90% but still have flares of occasional pain because I have spinal stenosis, but nowhere near as bad as it was.

---

@aubnwa01

Funny you should ask.  I had an anterior diskectomy with fusion at C5-6 with foramenectomy in 1994 by a great neurosurgeon in S.F.   My neck, going into surgery, was so bad I  had only 5 degrees of rotation to the left.  After surgery, I had my neck back!!!

My spine surgeon has already indicated surgery as a possible option.  In looking at the MRI, the nerve bundles on the left and right are as thin as a thin piece of yarn - they're so compressed.   Just waiting now to see if this darn epidural works.  Another miserable day today at Level 6 pain.  Darn.

[aubnwa01]

@sfnative  My surgery was done in Seattle & I was so impressed with the surgeon who did it.

[terrier3]

---

@Kachina624 wrote:

@sfnative  I have tried virtually every procedure and medication that has been suggested to me and nothing has helped.  I've seen four neurosurgeons and all have said surgery wouldn't help.  I go back every 4-5 years in case there are new developments in medicine that might help. I've had the radio frequency ablation and it didn't help either. 

Fortunately I only have pain when standing.  It often takes as little as 3-4 minutes of standing, then I'm ready to kill someone if I can't sit down, at which time I get full relief. Needless to say, it's hard to get anything done when you have to sit so frequently. 

---

I would try John's idea about the Teeter.

One of my advertising clients is a plastic surgeon in his early 70s. He uses the Teeter in between operations. He told me that surgery is terribly hard on the back and the Teeter relieves the stress that builds up.

Worth a shot! (no pun intended)