BIG TOM Posted October 1, 2011 #1 Posted October 1, 2011 Been dealing with herniated discs in my lower back for three weeks now....sure is putting a damper on my life and riding this fall....tired of restless nights and sleeping in chairs.....many trips to the chiropractor ....it has gotten a little better but, I'm afraid to do anything around the house because I don't want to make it worse....winter is around the corner and I have things that need to be done...I start a job and soon quit because of pain and in fear of doing more damage.....Gonna have to call in the grandkids for some free labor (yes they are cheap).....Not complaining, just hate not being 100%........now where is that ice bag.......?
dingy Posted October 1, 2011 #2 Posted October 1, 2011 Sounds similar to what I had this spring. Had an operation to fix it and much better now. If you can get an MRI done that will show if disc is extruded into spinal cord and pinching it. Surgery wasn't that bad, very small cut, out of hospital next day and back to desk job in three days. Went to a chiropractor and he said for $6k worth of decompression treatments he MIGHT be able to relief pain, wasn't covered by insurance. Found a good neurosurgeon and got it fixed right. Gary
Marcarl Posted October 1, 2011 #3 Posted October 1, 2011 I find that the massage therapist is as good or better than the bone cracker. Haven't been to see the bone man in 3 years,,, just the massage every month,, and no issues yet.
KarlS Posted October 1, 2011 #4 Posted October 1, 2011 As someone who have been fighting back problems for 10 years now with two back surgeries and needing a third as soon as I can save up the co-pay. My back was made worse by wasting 4 years being sent to pain clinics and bone crackers. Finally went to a good neurosurgeon who said I should of had surgery the day I was injured, now I have degenerative bone disease because of it. A good surgeon will not do surgery if it's not needed to correct the problem and only an MRI can determine that. Good Luck and watch out for some of those chiropractors.
Rickster Posted October 1, 2011 #5 Posted October 1, 2011 Your getting old there Ole Bud! Get well soon
Trader Posted October 2, 2011 #6 Posted October 2, 2011 ........now where is that ice bag.......? right next to the ice cream!!!!!!
BIG TOM Posted October 2, 2011 Author #7 Posted October 2, 2011 right next to the ice cream!!!!!! you mean "BEHIND" the ice cream
Guest Zak202 Posted October 2, 2011 #8 Posted October 2, 2011 I have been siffering with 2 in my lower back for over 10 years. Just had them pop again yesterday doing a brake job on my daughters car. So her I am sitting on a heating pad watching football. I also will be having surgery on 5 vertebra in my neck within the next year. There are no discs left in my neck. I feeel your pain, and know what you mean not being able to do anything. Hope you feeel better soon.
Aussie Annie Posted October 3, 2011 #9 Posted October 3, 2011 Hope you feel better soon Tom. I know the feeling of not being able to do things I've had the back surgery. it was quick recovery, and best thing I did after all that pain. It had been affecting the nerve to my left leg too -- it was dying!!!!!!! Take care my friend
twigg Posted October 3, 2011 #10 Posted October 3, 2011 Been dealing with herniated discs in my lower back for three weeks now....sure is putting a damper on my life and riding this fall....tired of restless nights and sleeping in chairs.....many trips to the chiropractor ....it has gotten a little better but, I'm afraid to do anything around the house because I don't want to make it worse....winter is around the corner and I have things that need to be done...I start a job and soon quit because of pain and in fear of doing more damage.....Gonna have to call in the grandkids for some free labor (yes they are cheap).....Not complaining, just hate not being 100%........now where is that ice bag.......? Please don't let a chiropractor anywhere near you bad back unless and until you have had an MRI and an expert assessment of the problem. And NEVER let them touch your neck!
saddlebum Posted October 3, 2011 #11 Posted October 3, 2011 I find that the massage Massage Therapist is as good or better than the bone cracker. Haven't been to see the bone man in 3 years,,, just the massage every month,, and no issues yet. After my fall when three sectons of scaffold, that I was on toppled over, The Massage therapist put me back on my feet and taught me how to look after myself so I would not have to keep coming back. Please don't let a chiropractor anywhere near you bad back unless and until you have had an MRI and an expert assessment of the problem. And NEVER let them touch your neck! Went twice to a Chiropractor and he almost did me in. winter is around the corner and I have things that need to be done..Been dealing with herniated discs in my lower back for three weeks now.... ...Gonna have to call in the grandkids for some free labor (yes they are cheap)...........now where is that ice cream......? "Not complaining, Thats just my story and I am sticking to it." All kidding aside, I have been there Tom and I honestly feel sorry for you, At the risk of stepping on toes here though I seriously recomend a good physio therapist over a chiropractor. That is not to say there are not good ones out there but a bad one can really injure you.
Scooter Bob Posted October 3, 2011 #12 Posted October 3, 2011 So her I am sitting on a heating pad watching football. They always told me ICE, not heat. But then again, I ended up having the protruding part of the disc cut off, so I guess the ice didn't work either. But, I felt better 4 hours after surgery than I had for 2-3 months before it. Best of luck, Scooter Bob
BIG TOM Posted October 3, 2011 Author #13 Posted October 3, 2011 YEP, 20 MINUTES OF ICE THEN 20 MINUTES OFF....Repete...over and over and over....I know many people hate chiropractors, mine on the other hand has put my hip back in place for me a couple of times (now theres some PAIN) along with my back, neck and shoulders (goes along with the job).................He has told me this past week that it is time for a MRI....he can't do much more if I still plan to abuse myself....time to take it to the next level..........
oldgoat Posted October 3, 2011 #14 Posted October 3, 2011 hope all goes well for you tom right now im going in for spinal injections every 3 weeks. this makes the back and my neck feel pretty good right now. but this is just treating the pain not fixing the problem in my opion anyways? but i realy like my PT lady. she is good at her job. next week she said she was going to hang me? its a treatment where they palce some kind of thing under my chin and around my head and hang me on a door or something. she said when thay do this you cant hear anything you just hang there. sounds like fun i guess.
hog Posted October 3, 2011 #15 Posted October 3, 2011 I have had back problems for years plus ruptured a disc in my neck and had a fusion done on it years ago which did wonders.But if you go the surgery route be sure to shop around and get a good surgeon,I have a friend who is messed up for life because of a botched surgery on his back.Check with a doctor about the hanging thing someone else mentioned here.I bought what is called an inversion table where you strap your ankles in and lean back and raise your arms above your head and it will hang you upside down and it stretches out the vertebrea and makes room for the discs and relieves the pressure on the nerves.I only use it when my back flares up and I feel relief immediately after hanging only a few minutes.
Aussie Annie Posted October 4, 2011 #16 Posted October 4, 2011 YEP, 20 MINUTES OF ICE THEN 20 MINUTES OFF....Repete...over and over and over....I know many people hate chiropractors, mine on the other hand has put my hip back in place for me a couple of times (now theres some PAIN) along with my back, neck and shoulders (goes along with the job).................He has told me this past week that it is time for a MRI....he can't do much more if I still plan to abuse myself....time to take it to the next level.......... Now make sure you follow up on that.
BIG TOM Posted October 10, 2011 Author #17 Posted October 10, 2011 Gone to the family doctor on Friday...... he sent me for xrays...had them done ....need to do blood work, then to a back specialist next week Monday....went for a ride yesterday....not a good ride...I'll stay off the bike for a while........this is not good. I don't feel so good today....don't even want ice cream
steamer Posted October 10, 2011 #18 Posted October 10, 2011 Get well big guy. Robin and I will keep you in our prays.
dingy Posted October 11, 2011 #19 Posted October 11, 2011 Tom, I know you gotta trust your doctors judgement, but unless you have skeletal injuries, xrays are not that useful. Try to talk your Dr. into at least a CT scan or better yet an MRI. Especially if your insured and Dr. can justify it to Ins.Co. Trust me, I know back injuries. When I was seven years old I was riding a pony, bareback, it rared up, lost it balance and fell over backwards will I was still straddle of it. I had a good sized animal fall right on top of me. Went to ER and they found nothing. I could barely walk for weeks from that one. When I was about 25, I had a bike wreck and crushed two vertebra like a pop can, one 15% & one 30%. Over the years, I have had a number of xrays, CT scans and an MRI or two. I still have several sets of the Xrays. Attached are a couple of pictures of my recent MRI. The MRI is like a stack of sheets of paper, the body can be looked at at many points & different angles. Also soft tissues are very visible. In an Xray, soft tissue is almost indistinguishable. Between the 4 & 5 vertebra in these two of many shots, the bulging discs stands out like a beacon. In first one there is bulge visible between 3 & 4th. Gary
Marcarl Posted October 11, 2011 #20 Posted October 11, 2011 Still with ya Big boy,,, wishin' and hopin and Prayin!!!!!
Aussie Annie Posted October 11, 2011 #21 Posted October 11, 2011 Take care of yourself big guy. I'm with Gary on this one -- MRI ****
Zfrebird4 Posted October 11, 2011 #22 Posted October 11, 2011 called BIOFREEZE. Keeps me doing well with a very bad neck after two whiplashes in 1965, 66, the second being a double hit in a small Chevy II Nova, low seat back and no head rest. My good chiro is also keeping me walking; just have to get to a really good one and give strong, factual feed back to them. Prayers for comfort! Jack Z:fingers-crossed-emo
Yammer Dan Posted October 11, 2011 #23 Posted October 11, 2011 My oldest son has the bulging discs and can't get them to do anything about them. Outstanding wrestler all thru school paying for it now. They give him shots to reduce the swelling and they only last for a few days. Those shots are rough to take. His doctor don't want to give pain pills. He has a great job with phone company but this is holding him back.
GAWildKat Posted October 11, 2011 #24 Posted October 11, 2011 biofreeze is awesome stuff, I buy it by the half gallon pump through Amazon, lasts me years...my inlaws got me started on it after my younger daughter messed up my neck and back climbing me like a tree....it's saved me on the bad days.
BIG TOM Posted October 11, 2011 Author #25 Posted October 11, 2011 Like I said that was the next step, I'm sure the specialist will take it up another notch and order the MRI.....going to work is a real pain in the ...........back. Just making it thru the day sometimes is a challenge...but, once I get moving around a little bit the pain lessens. Mornings are the pits.....
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now