POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: Jody on December 19, 2012, 01:02:05 pm
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I've been suffering since mid-October with a bad back. First the doctor thought it was sciatica as I had the class pain in the butt symptoms. But an MRI showed a herniated disk in the spine and labral tear of the right hip. I just started physical therapy with hopes that will get it better. An injection would be the second option and dreaded surgery the last.
But today the pain spread to the left lower back and leg as I got out of bed. I got a tempur-pedic bed last January but the pain didn't start until October so I guess I can rule that out, you never know. I thought maybe I exercised incorrectly so I have laid off the weights since October. Movement of any kind is fine but sitting and getting up and some sleep positions are hurtful. Oh well, such is getting old I guess, 57 years of abuse-LOL.
Jody
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Damn buddy. Sorry you're dealing with this. Hopefully you can get this under control without the need for surgery.
Sending positive energy your way!
hugs!!!!
Greg
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Jody really sorry to hear of the disc issue went thru that a few years ago ,, ended up having a " drainage" procedure ( stick a big needle carefully into the area and drain fluid) then rehab and wearing a back brace for a few months .
drain procedure was not painful and immediately relieved the pressure... ...watched the whole thing on the monitor .....
good luck with whatever they can do for you...really understand the pain...
Nick
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I'm sorry you are going through this Jody . If its any comfort to know I have had pretty good results with the injections and physical therapy , its been a probelm with me since I was a kid .
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Geez Jody, Sorry to hear about this :(
I hope the therapy goes well. Keep us posted on it all.
-WIll
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Thinking of you Jody and hope you get better soon!
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I had a herniated disk (the L5-S1) about 5 years ago. I feel for you, the pain is miserable. I hope you feel better.
If it does get worse though there are some options. I ended up having surgery and as far as surgerys go it was very easy (was home walking in a couple hours, no pain, back at work in a week). So there is hope if the PT doesnt help.
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Thanks guys for your always helpful advice and concern. I'll keep a smile on my face as long as I can, dumb as I may look. This too shall pass, far worse things have happened to better men than me (although not that much better). ;)
Jody
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Altho I dont know much about herniated discs, I hope the therapy route works for you.
Hope it doesnt get you down.......I know if I cant work out I get fidgety.
And Jody.....57 is the new 45. ;)
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Wishing you pain-free days. I had surgery on my L4, L5, and S1 discs. It did allow me to stand up straight, but that's about it. Before the surgery, I was hunched over. The pain does affect your life. My recent MRI showed more bulging discs. It use to be all lumbar, but now my cervical spine is jacked up.
So, I feel for you and wish you better back health. I really think genetics play more a role than age. Well, evolution. But, don't say that to certain people..lol. How long have we stood upright? 200,000 years? I always forget. Our backs haven't caught up in the evolution process.
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Jody,
Sorry to hear about the back issues -- back pain is definitely not for sissies!! Hope you get relief from the least invasive way possible.
Hugs (gentle -- don't want to squeeze that back!)
Mike
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I just have to add that at first glance my dyslexic brain reads the title to this thread as Herniated disk and labia tear .
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Sometime in late 2001/early 2002 I suffered from a herniated disc which started the worst 10 weeks of pain and physical aggravation in my life.
I don't know much about labral tears but I can only imagine that anything in conjunction with a herniated disc is god awful.
Hope you get through it as well as possible!
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I have a herniated disk L5 to L4 and some problems in S1. I was told it's the most common area to have problems.
At one point I was basically immobile for a few days, but I live alone and had to fend for myself. I could not do anything but lie down to relieve the discomfort. I forced myself to the nearest Walgreens and lived for several days on Chex mix and Frosted Flakes as I could not be up for long and had to eat on my back.
Showering before I went to the ER was a nightmare, you can't imagine how many times you notice that you drop the soap until you can't pick it up. . Getting in an out of the car was a nightmare which took 5 minutes and all my strength to do. Putting my underwear on and shorts was a matter of dangling them and trying to catch my feet because I could not bend over. Sitting on the toilet bowl was torture too.
When I got to the ER I could not lift my legs enough to get them on the footrests of the wheelchair. They did a urine test to make sure I was not faking it and gave me a morphine shot and did xrays, which didn't show anything. Thank God they also gave me a Vicodin prescription.
Then the MRI a few days later showed the herniated disk. For a few weeks I walked with a cane and I was terrified that it would stay like that. About a month later I went to physical therapy once a week. Eventually it got better on it's own and I am fine now, but I always have to be careful because I will always have the herniated disk, but the last thing I want is any back surgery.
Good luck to you, and hope you feel better soon.
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My suggestion for you is:
1. Go back to your Physical Therapist & resume PT sessions, be sure to become a good patient, and the definition of good patient im talkin' about here is a very compliant one.
2. If you're obese or overweight, you better start shedding off those fats because your weight is contributing to you pain. We give out more stress to the back in the sitting position than standing that's why I suggest:
3. To stand up from time to time to avoid prolonged sitting for it will trigger/worsen the pain.
>Hope this helps
-From the poz southeast asian physical therapist =)