Day three stuck in bed....:(

[Great White]

I can't figgin stand this!

 

My back went out Saturday and I ended up in bed. Couldn't even move without screaming.

 

The missus got me a walker yesterday and after I swallowed my pride I can actually get to the bathroom now. Although i can't tolerate it long enough to do much more than a quick squirt. #2 is going to be interesting when it happens. Which is another area of concern since that hasn't happened since sat either.

 

Woke up this morning hoping to at least be able to get to bathroom on my own. No dice. Need the walker and screaming is involved getting back in bed. Still nothing more than a quick squirt.

 

Yesterday was my 50th birthday. Won't have any fond memories of that.

 

If its still here tomorrow, the wife is going to see my doctor as the only way out of this house for me right now is by stretcher.

 

Guess the Venture is going to have to wait a bit longer for the winter modifications and I'd say my riding season with the FJ is probably over...

[GAWildKat]

If your back went out you need to be seen by someone sooner rather than later. It could be nothing more than a muscle injury, however if you have numbness and tingling anywhere, go to the doctor ASAP, that would be more akin to compression of the nerves somewhere. Hope you feel better soon. Pain is no fun!

[chabicheka]

Enjoy reading your posts, but not this one. Welcome to the over 50 Club. You have only 20 more years to go, to join MY Club.

Wishing you well, and a quick recovery.....and a quick #2.:sign **** happens:

[saddlebum]

I am all tooo familiar with back issues, and all I can say is No two people suffer the same but they all suffer. Just out of curiosity were you bending over the bike in a cold garage? If so you may have caught a cold in the muscles and they are never fun, just pretty much got to ride it out, as in my experience there isn't much you can do about it. Despite your circumstance I wish you a Happy belated birthday and a quick recovery. As far as #2 goes trust me your not going to like it, Sorry

 

Just had a thought while your wife had you down on the floor sawing the helmet off your head ....You don't suppose she may have sneaked in a few back and rib shots with her knee, Do you.

[Great White]

LOL, no! I'd remember back shots.

 

I've got a herniated disc at L4/L5. It bulges inward so it presses on the nerve bundle when it goes. Came up on an MRI last time. I got it around 2002 during a SAR 200 miles offshore hauling a guy into the helicopter. Acts up every 1 to 1.5 years. Although I've gone 2 years this time.

 

I've got pelvic pain and electric tingling in both legs that swaps back and forth, as well as total refusal of lower back to bear any weight.

 

I was just picking up dog doo in the backyard and off it went. Made it to bed before it all went down the drain on me. Luckily, we just bought a power base for our bed so it functions pretty much like a hospital bed.

 

I usually deal with it by an inversion table. Docs usually give me cyclobenzaprine (fexeril) for it.

 

It's really bad this time though. My disc might have totally herniated or maybe facet joint contact. Dunno, just know it's a painful as all get out.....

 

starting to eat fruit to see if things can get moving. Oh boy, is this going to be fun.......

[Condor]

I blew my back out in my early 20's. . Ambulance had to take me to the hospital, and spent 2 weeks in traction. After I escaped I went to do some shopping with the wife and bent over to get a drink of water and my thumb slipped off the fountain. Ouch again. Called my dive buddy and Doc, and he said to meet him at the emergency room of the hospital. When I got there he got me up on a gurney face down and told me not to look... I didn't want to see the needle... I could feel it going in through the layers of muscle, and after he pulled it out I was heeled. Cortisone... I skipped out of there.. That shot lasted for more than 30 years. Then in my fifties I blew it out again on my sailboat. It took me 45 minutes to get out of the cabin and up into the cockpit. Big pain. It was late in the day and we were planning on sailing down the coast the next morning. So gingerly I took went below and took a ton of 125 MOTRIN tablets. Probably half the damn bottle and climbed into my berth and figured they may have to call the EMT's again to get me out of there... The next morning it was like nothing had ever happened. No pain. Not even a hint of an ache. It was a miracle!!! So Motrin/IB Propin is what I take now when ever I feel a pop or tweak. Motrin is God's gift to the senior citizen... :-)

[Great White]

I'm aircrew. Not allowed to take anything stronger than Adult Tylenol without doc approval.

 

But ibuprofin has helped in the past. It's different this time. Shooting in the legs, pelvic pain and I've never been so bad I've actually had to use a walker....

[Dale124]

Man, that really sounds terrible, GW. I hope it goes away as quickly as it came. Back and neck issues are the worst. You can't do anything at all without being reminded by pain of the problem.

Good luck healing up quickly.

Dale.

[cowpuc]

Not fun GW that's for sure, got the Prayers Up for ya brother!

IMHO and from some personal experience, Sciatic pain shooting down the legs that lasts more than a few days is nothing to fool with.. Get in to see a really good Neuro Surgeon and let him/her advise you in what direction to take. In your line of work (and THANK YOU for doing what you do GW) having your back go out when on a rescue mission would not be a good situation..

[saddlebum]

GW, is your disc bulging to the front or out the back? I am by no means a Dr nor a back expert, can only speak from personal experience. If it triggered while bending forward I would be inclined to think the disc would bulge out backwards and to my understanding the nerve bundle runs through the spin behind the discs. Twenty years ago I was 25 feet from the ground when the scaffolding I was on toppled over, due to another individuals stupidity. I landed on my feet in a squat and there I stayed. The Emergency Dr miss-diagnosed me stating it was a muscle spasm. When I saw my family Dr He sent me home and I was to stay in bed for two months laying on my belly. He also sent me to a Physio therapist Who diagnosed me correctly stating I must have landed squarely on both feet as I herniated my L5-S1 disc straight back rather than to one side or the other which apparently usually happens in this type of fall. A follow up cat scan proved she rather than the Dr was correct. Any way I credit her for putting me back on my feet, (unfortunately near the end of my sessions I lost her to the Canadian Women's Olympic soccer team.). Any way to continue, One of the key exercises she made me do and I still do to this day is what in yoga they call the Cobra. The purpose is to stretch the ligaments that run along the front of the spinal column which is supposed to allow the discs to move more to the front of the spine, moving them away from the nerve column. At first I could barely do them. not just because of my injury but also because I am basically about as flexible as a 2x4. at 1st she wrapped a belt around belt line and the bench so I had bend rather than do what amounted to a perfect push up. at home I got one my kids to sit on my back to keep it down. eventually I got to the point were I could bend all on my own. The other one she had me do was called a superman fly were you lay face down then raise one arm and the opposite leg off the floor at the same time and hold. I had to alternate between these two exercises ten time a day. I did go to a surgeon but he deterred me from surgery saying that time and her exercises would give me the same results and be less intrusive which it did. Today I am doing very well though I use more brain and less brawn when I do physical work. Look into those exercises and discuss with your care giver. maybe they will help you too.

[Great White]

My physician didn't say front or back. He said it was inwards into the nerve sheath/tunnel area. I guess you could interpet that as "back". This would be the closest picture to what he showed me with the model in his office:

 

http://www.eorthopod.com/sites/default/files/images/lumbar_herniation_cause02.jpg

 

My bowels and bladder are still working though. He told me if I ever have reoccurance and they stop working to head to emergency immediately...

Edited October 12, 2015 by Great White

[Sailor]

I woke up one morning and could not move without excruciating pain in my back. I was on my back and inched my way across the bed and rolled out on to my hands and knees. Loud scream. Took a while to catch my breath then work my way up to my feet using the dresser. Turns out a disc had rotated during the night. Physio therapist had me fixed up in no time.

[videoarizona]

Man, not good to hear about this....

 

Been researching for over a year now. Thankfully, there are a number of options available:

 

http://www.back.com/spine-back-surgery/back-surgery-options/decompression-pinched-nerve/

 

http://www.back.com/spine-back-surgery/back-surgery-options/

 

http://www.hsahealth.org/PublicHealth/pages/healthResources/healthwire/2002/07.html

 

https://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/

 

My lady is in the same boat. After a successful jump by the three of us(05 RSV, myself and her) three weeks ago while crossing a sand filled wash...She was not able to walk a few days later. We didn't land hard, rather she tensed up and "spasmed" the muscles. No hard tissue problems beyond what she already had, rather muscle spams that kept her in bed unable to walk. ER people gave her a shot that numbed her back and butt area...reducing pain and told her to go home and not move for a while. She is getting better but still has twinges.

 

She has issues in L4/l5 area with bulging discs...but so far no pinching of the major nerves there that send those horrific bolts of pain shooting down the leg.

 

Suggest it's time for you to consider some alternatives. Pain therapy is a shot every two months and not a cure. But is a viable alternative. Surgery seems to be the only cure and the new minimally invasive techniques seem to make a lot more sense!

 

Lots for you to think about, especially with a career at stake.

Prayers UP!

david

[Great White]

Oh I pretty much think my career is over anyways. While my back is a result of my work, so are the loose squirrels running around in my head.

 

The psychiatrist told me "we have the most trouble with you first responders".

 

I never thought of it that way, but I guess I am/was a first responder.

 

Jeebus, when i think about it, I'm a hot mess......broken in body and mind.

 

[Yammer Dan]

Will include you in Prayers tonight. What is this pain thing??? Yeah sometimes can be rough. My stay this year in the Akron City Hospital was the most I have ever had. Supposed to fix me?? They hurt me.

[saddlebum]

My physician didn't say front or back. He said it was inwards into the nerve sheath/tunnel area. I guess you could interpet that as "back". This would be the closest picture to what he showed me with the model in his office:

 

http://www.eorthopod.com/sites/default/files/images/lumbar_herniation_cause02.jpg

 

My bowels and bladder are still working though. He told me if I ever have re-occurance and they stop working to head to emergency immediately...

Yup that is the same type of injury I had, just 1 vertebrae lower. The right side of the picture is the front of your spine while the left side with all the facets is the back of your spine. The idea behind the exercises I described is to force or move the disc forward and reduce the bulge at the back taking pressure of the nerve column.

 

I too was told if ever I looked down and found I wet myself and did not feel it coming to head for emergency but that was 20 years ago and so far nothing of the sort has occurred. I continue to fix transport trucks for a living and help friends and family with renovations, So think positive.

Oh and with regards to the squirrels remember you never see a motorcycle outside a psychiatrists office

Edited October 13, 2015 by saddlebum

[BlueSky]

For me, Tylenol is useless. And taking a good quantity of Tylenol along with several alcoholic drinks can destroy your liver overnight. No kidding. I do not take it any more. Ibuprofen is my favorite pain killer and it works really well for me. I try not to take it though unless I'm really hurting. All meds can have bad side effects.

 

I'm 71 so of course I have back pain. But lately, since I completely quit taking Triam/HCTZ blood pressure medication, it feels better than it has in years.

[Great White]

I'm stuck with ramipril for a while.

 

Without it, I'm in the 145/114 range. With it, 128/89 range.

 

Only time the squirrels are focused is when I'm riding. Busier the squirrels are, the longer/faster I ride.

 

Of course, no riding lately but the pain and concentration needed to stay upright are pretty much keeping them in check!

 

Lol!

[Great White]

Argggghh!

 

2:30 in the morning and wide awake!

 

Frigging flexeril has my sleep pattern all buggered up!

 

[Yammer Dan]

Flexeril is great at that!!

[Great White]

so, saw the doc today. Had to use the walker to get to the van. Collapsed in screaming pain twice.

 

Got to the hospital and I said I'd walk in on my own two feet. If i get the balance right, i can do it. But I collapsed halfway across parking lot in screaming pain again. Nurse and attendant were mortified, my wife is used to it now after the weekend. I finally broke down and they brought a wheel chair out. Sitting is also really painful, but was the only way I was going any further.

 

My nerve indications confused the heck out of the doc. Both legs showing signs and each different signs.

 

So, they shot me with a mean mamma jamma anti inflammatory (toridol?), sent me home with oxycet, diazepam, and naproxen. Toss that on top of the mix of Wellbutrin and Ramipril I've already got running around in me.

 

By the time I left, I could walk. Slowly, with the walker and the back threating to turn me into a writhing pile on the floor all the way to the van, but I walked on my own two feet G-Dammit.

 

I'm stubborn in case you can't tell........

 

Sending me into the city on Thurs for a CT scan.

 

The put me off work for the week and my wife also so she could watch me while I'm on the narcotics. I think mainly so I don't fall on my face and get stuck there during the day. She's also my escort into the city on thurs.

 

Hmmm, I wonder how much fun a whisky chaser would be right now?

 

[GAWildKat]

Gee, hadn't noticed that you are stubborn at all...couldn't tell at all. I hope you get legit relief soon and are back to your normal stubborn self. Pain is never fun.

[Great White]

Gee, hadn't noticed that you are stubborn at all...couldn't tell at all. I hope you get legit relief soon and are back to your normal stubborn self. Pain is never fun.

 

[saddlebum]

In my case it was the fact that I had symptoms in both legs rather than one or the other that led my therapist to believe that the bulge was dead center straight out the back of the spine , which is apparently not normal as they supposedly tend to bulge to one side of center or the other, at least that is what she told me and since the CT scan proved her assessment correct and she put me back on my feet I am inclined to believe what she say's. That is of course if I have been paying attention which is not normally my strong point according to my wife.

 

Either way its a long road until you get to were you want to be. As I said I spent 2 months on my belly, a year off work. and today without surgery I have spent the past 20 years back slugging away at transport trucks doing reno work inc decks and roofing, climbing and cutting trees and I am past 62 outpacing some guys half my age.

 

I obviously sympathize with you and hopefully relating my experience though it may not be exactly the same will give you positive hope and a brighter outlook for the days ahead. Best of luck to you GW. Better days are a comin.

 

Oh my #1 rule MORE BRAIN LESS BRAWN . So be smart and determined, not stupid and stubborn

[Great White]

Yeah, my days of lugging around 300-400 lb engine blocks are over I think. Already thinking about getting a rollaround hoist for the garage to lift heavy things....