Carrie12345 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 This morning, I was bathing my 4lb ratdog before his favorite human would arrive (dd) to have a video gaming day with her brothers. As I was finishing our first rinse in the utility sink, my lower back completely seized up and brought me to my knees. Ratdog does NOT tolerate being handled by anyone but me and my dds, one who was about 30 minutes away, and one at work. So I had ds cover the floor in piles of laundry and pushed through nearly-blinding pain to get back up, lift the beast out, and plop that drowned rat on the ground before I joined him there. Fortunately, without landing on him. By the time dd got there, I had managed to crawl to the couch and find a semi-comfy spot with naproxen and a leftover muscle relaxer. She wanted to take me to UC immediately, but I wanted to see if I improved. 2 hours later, the toll a trip to the bathroom took was enough for me to say, “Okay. I’m standing. Let’s see if I can get in the car.” I could! Barely. We were in the hallway in the overwhelmed ER for around 4 hours, but my X-ray showed no disc problems in my lower back (I have degenerative disc disease in my neck) but all the signs of a severe spasm. But now I have all sorts of drugs and topicals, and got a decent nap after 2 doses of Valium! Unmedicated childbirth was easier. Dr. says it should “only” be a few days. I’m supposed to be car shopping 😢 and planning to cook for the firehouse several nights next week 😟 and digging holes for plants 😫 and building cold frames 🥺. Plus, you know, regular life. Thank goodness I have mostly-capable kids! But only 1 lives here that can help with the rat beast! If I get snippy at any point in the near future, please know it’s the steroids, which I do not handle well. Combine that with my adhd that doesn’t appreciate a limited capacity, and my internet usage could potentially be ridiculous! 1 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 @Carrie12345I'm so sorry! That sounds awful. My DH has experienced excruciating back pain like that and it is absolutely horrible. I hope you get some relief very very soon. 😞 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Oh no! Wishing you all the best for recovery. I hear you on the dog… our boy can be handled by immediate family, my sister and two of her kids. He hates the rest of the world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 I've gone through that and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I am so sorry! Forget everything else and focus on you...well, and the rat beast too.❤️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 I’m so sorry. I hope you feel better soon and rat-beast is uncharacteristically calm. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Fwiw, youtube has videos on how to unlock a frozen back. If I do them I can usually stand to pee without a lot of problems. I agree, back spasms are right up there with labor and broken bones in terms of pain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 I’m so sorry; that sounds awful. I hope you’re feeling much better soon, and capable helpers take care of you and the pooch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Oh, it’s just awful when that happens. And it always seems to be at a terrible time. I hope you recover faster than expected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 Sleeping did not go well last night. Partially because my bed is too high for me to get in, so I slept on the couch. Not that the couch was painless to get on, as it’s too short and deep, lol. But it is what it is. I was able to do a few laps around the house, though! Dr. said to move as much as I’m able, so I’m glad to have shuffling my feet around down pat! It’s just anything that shifts my center of gravity too far that really does a number on me. This family lacks poker faces, so it’s a real joy <eg> to see them watch me try to do anything! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 So sorry you're hurting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 I’m so sorry you’re in such pain. If this doesn’t ease up quickly, insist on an MRI. You may have a herniated disc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 That sounds miserable 😞 Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 I will also mention that I have gotten significant back relief from a tilt table. I will go from limping due to disc compression and bulging discs to walking fine and pain free within the space of ten minutes of hanging on the tilt table. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 9 hours ago, Harriet Vane said: I’m so sorry you’re in such pain. If this doesn’t ease up quickly, insist on an MRI. You may have a herniated disc. Would an xray not show that? I am feeling a lot of improvement today, but I don’t know if that’s from a ton of meds and patches or healing, lol. I did get a referral to a new spine place for if I don’t recover easily, and was only planning to use it if I don’t recover easily. I hate new places, but my wonderful spine guy did leave his practice. Hm. Maybe I should see if he moved there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 4 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said: Would an xray not show that? The MRI shows soft tissue (like discs) while x-ray would show bone. MRI would definitely show more detail. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said: Would an xray not show that? I am feeling a lot of improvement today, but I don’t know if that’s from a ton of meds and patches or healing, lol. I did get a referral to a new spine place for if I don’t recover easily, and was only planning to use it if I don’t recover easily. I hate new places, but my wonderful spine guy did leave his practice. Hm. Maybe I should see if he moved there! An xray will not show disc issues or soft tissue. Most ERs and doctors will do xray first as required by insurance and only refer for an MRI if there are repeated or persistent issues. This is an extremely flawed approach—there is emphatically more soft tissue than bone. My dh suffered with repeated back issues over two years before I threw a temper tantrum and demanded an MRI. Lo and behold he had a fully herniated disc with a fragment impinging on the spinal cord as well as a few bulging discs. None of that was visible on an xray. Knowing what the actual problem was and where specifically changed the whole approach. Surgery would have been appropriate for the herniated disc fragment but dh chose a longer, slower road with extensive physical therapy. I also have back issues, so I have had to learn both when to push for better diagnostics but also have had to learn what’s “normal” for me. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Does anyone happen to know of good alternatives to Valium? I think it’s what’s causing HORRIBLE nightmares. Like, the trying to scream but can’t variety. That and the steroids are for nighttime only, so I’m thinking it’s that, and I hate it. My muscle relaxer nappy time doesn’t come with nightmares. I have to call my regular doctor anyway, so I figured I’d crowdsource suggestions to ask her about. I am walking fairly well during the day, so yay! Up and down is still excruciating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 I have a terrible time on steroids also. Between that and my connective tissue condition I no longer take steroids. Personally though I don’t like being so sleepy, I do much better with muscle relaxers and painkillers (acetaminophen or ibuprofen or naproxen). If you tolerate the NSAIDS it might work to boost the dosage and rely on that with muscle relaxers. When I was dealing with a pinched nerve I took muscle relaxers and gabapentin. Perhaps ask about that? I found that I slept nearly constantly for the first 3-4 days on gabapentin but then adjusted and wasn’t so sleepy. I know people who take gabapentin for years just fine. My standard disclaimer is that gabapentin affects everyone differently of course. I tend to react big time to lots of things. It’s the metabolism I have, so I tend to take half-doses or child-size doses of medications in general. So take this with a grain of salt. In my case the smallest dose of gabapentin made me slooooow way down. I lost pockets of time due to just being spacey and there were times I had a hard time formulating/finding words. However, I have a couple friends who take larger doses than me with no such effects. I would say it’s worth a try and easy to wean off of (MUST be a slow taper down) if you don’t benefit from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 Saw the spine specialists today! They’re convinced it’s all muscular, but could take up to 6 weeks to fully recover. 😞 More meds and a chiro referral. No more excruciating pain, just nearly constant soreness and annoyance! Dh is on vacation next week and we’re both going to be miserable as I instruct him on getting my plants into the ground! 😳 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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