Sciatica

[Gracie]

I'm getting mighty tired of the pain. My pain doc said I am a good candidate for back surgery but I have held off. The MRI showed degenerative spine disease which means...I will eventually wind up in a wheel chair or mobility scooter because it hurts like hell when I walk or stand. Only time I get relief is if I am sitting. Laying, I have to have pillows under my feet and thighs, back raised up so more pillows to keep me propped up. In short...fetal position. I've done the physical therapy thing, which has not worked. My left foot goes numb when standing or walking just around the grocery store and i HAVE to sit. So I find a counter, and sometimes I even sit on the shelf where they bag the food cuz if I don't sit....omg. Major pain. Now the numbness is climbing. Toes have always been numb on both feet but now on the left leg, it is inching up my calf in the front. Eventually it will hit my knees, then thighs, and before ya know it...numb from the waist down.
My regular doc said cortisone injections. My pain doc says surgery. I am afraid of both. If the wrong spot is hit with a needle for the shot....instant paralysis? For surgery, wrong scalpel cut...instant paralysis. That's my fear, anyway.

So my question to you guys is....what would you do? Or, have you done either? Did it help? Did it make it worse? The shot or the surgery? Or both? Opinions needed cuz this SUCKS. I stay grumpy, I live on pain pills, lost my appetite and my quality of life is in questions, same as for my pets when theirs was like what I suffer now. I just put them down so they wouldn't suffer if there were no cures for them. I can't put myself down. Or can I? If it gets bad enough, I damn sure will. I don't want some stranger having to wipe my ass for me and I damn sure don't want to be at the mercy of anyone either to keep breathing in pain. Spine problems are scarey, so not sure what to do. I guess I just want to know experiences of those who suffer the same non stop pain and what they did..or wish they didn't do.

 

[Gracie]

Steroid shots..not cortizone. Sorry.

 

[SweetSue92]

I'm getting mighty tired of the pain. My pain doc said I am a good candidate for back surgery but I have held off. The MRI showed degenerative spine disease which means...I will eventually wind up in a wheel chair or mobility scooter because it hurts like hell when I walk or stand. Only time I get relief is if I am sitting. Laying, I have to have pillows under my feet and thighs, back raised up so more pillows to keep me propped up. In short...fetal position. I've done the physical therapy thing, which has not worked. My left foot goes numb when standing or walking just around the grocery store and i HAVE to sit. So I find a counter, and sometimes I even sit on the shelf where they bag the food cuz if I don't sit....omg. Major pain. Now the numbness is climbing. Toes have always been numb on both feet but now on the left leg, it is inching up my calf in the front. Eventually it will hit my knees, then thighs, and before ya know it...numb from the waist down.
My regular doc said cortisone injections. My pain doc says surgery. I am afraid of both. If the wrong spot is hit with a needle for the shot....instant paralysis? For surgery, wrong scalpel cut...instant paralysis. That's my fear, anyway.

So my question to you guys is....what would you do? Or, have you done either? Did it help? Did it make it worse? The shot or the surgery? Or both? Opinions needed cuz this SUCKS. I stay grumpy, I live on pain pills, lost my appetite and my quality of life is in questions, same as for my pets when theirs was like what I suffer now. I just put them down so they wouldn't suffer if there were no cures for them. I can't put myself down. Or can I? If it gets bad enough, I damn sure will. I don't want some stranger having to wipe my ass for me and I damn sure don't want to be at the mercy of anyone either to keep breathing in pain. Spine problems are scarey, so not sure what to do. I guess I just want to know experiences of those who suffer the same non stop pain and what they did..or wish they didn't do.

I lived with chronic pain for years due to a couple of autoimmunes. It's awful and it wears you down in all ways. The pain pills are of the devil, I'm convinced. Not a judgment statement cause I took them too at the time. Just saying they work for a while, then they don't work so great and they come with ALL kinds of side effects, lack of appetite being one.

I know lots of folks who have had great luck with steroid shots. Since they are not permanent--they wear off--this seems like a low risk option to me, at least to try. Best wishes, I hope you can find a solution.

 

[Gracie]

I was "blessed" to have inherited the high tolerance for pain from Ma, so I only take 1 and 1/2 norco at night when I go to bed. During the day, I suck down advils....sinche they are anti inflammatory, except I am not supposed to take those due to IBS and colitis. They screw up my plumbing, if you get my drift. But I do it anyway because I hate being sleepy all the time, and want my wits about me during the day. At night...that's another matter. I have my norco along with a 10mg of melatonin, slather Arnicare all over my thighs, lower back, writs, feet and shins. Sometimes I sleep well. Sometimes not. I also use a heating pad on my lower back during the day if its too bad. But this past week, its been pain 24/7. It's wearing me out. Might try the steroid shots. But my sister did that with her knees and wound up being jabbed with epi pens twice and suffered the results of those shots and since my sister and I are similar in meds and reactions and whatnot, I am afraid that will happen to me too. So..it scares me I will just make things worse. Slowly wind up paralyzed or it winds up after they jab my back. Decisions decisions.

But thanks for answering. With Dennis gone...I don't have anyone to ask such questions.

 

[luiza]

In all seriousness, I do suggest you look at the gentlest types of Yoga plus acupuncture but only after rigorous checks and hopefully finding a specialist who is prepared to think "out of the box", but rationally and with successful experience.
Plus regular swimming , if possible .

At one point I had an epidermal injection , though I suspect my prognosis was nowhere near as severe as yours sounds to be .
The injection was straightforward and I got huge relief . But only for a couple of months ..
That was ten years ago and since then I have lost weight and built up an appropriate fitness regime ( appreciate your position ) relative to my age and condition .
I now effectively have no pain and cut out all painkillers about three years ago .
Whether any of this has any relevance I do not know .
But I do empathise because I had Sciatica etc and remember the pain as worse than awful .

Good luck .

 

[Muhammed]

Steroid shots..not cortizone. Sorry.

Cortisone is a steroid. It's corticosteroid that is used to relieve pain caused by inflammation. Another commonly prescribed corticosteroid is Prednisone. But there is a shortage of prednisone right now so the doc may have gave you Arava.

 

[Blues Man]

I'm getting mighty tired of the pain. My pain doc said I am a good candidate for back surgery but I have held off. The MRI showed degenerative spine disease which means...I will eventually wind up in a wheel chair or mobility scooter because it hurts like hell when I walk or stand. Only time I get relief is if I am sitting. Laying, I have to have pillows under my feet and thighs, back raised up so more pillows to keep me propped up. In short...fetal position. I've done the physical therapy thing, which has not worked. My left foot goes numb when standing or walking just around the grocery store and i HAVE to sit. So I find a counter, and sometimes I even sit on the shelf where they bag the food cuz if I don't sit....omg. Major pain. Now the numbness is climbing. Toes have always been numb on both feet but now on the left leg, it is inching up my calf in the front. Eventually it will hit my knees, then thighs, and before ya know it...numb from the waist down.
My regular doc said cortisone injections. My pain doc says surgery. I am afraid of both. If the wrong spot is hit with a needle for the shot....instant paralysis? For surgery, wrong scalpel cut...instant paralysis. That's my fear, anyway.

So my question to you guys is....what would you do? Or, have you done either? Did it help? Did it make it worse? The shot or the surgery? Or both? Opinions needed cuz this SUCKS. I stay grumpy, I live on pain pills, lost my appetite and my quality of life is in questions, same as for my pets when theirs was like what I suffer now. I just put them down so they wouldn't suffer if there were no cures for them. I can't put myself down. Or can I? If it gets bad enough, I damn sure will. I don't want some stranger having to wipe my ass for me and I damn sure don't want to be at the mercy of anyone either to keep breathing in pain. Spine problems are scarey, so not sure what to do. I guess I just want to know experiences of those who suffer the same non stop pain and what they did..or wish they didn't do.

About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis
Basically my spinal cord was being crushed in 2 places between my L2 and 3 and L3 and4 vertebra. I was in pain constantly and the only relief I got was when I leaned my forearms on a counter. Cortizone shots worked for about 9 months then did nothing.

I was terrified of back surgery but I got to the point where I was either going to have surgery or kill myself.

So I had a laminectomy where they remove part of 1 vertebra , the L3 and then widen the interior of the vertebra above and below as well as the openings where the nerves branch out of the vertebra.

It was the best thing I ever did. The recovery sucked but it was so worth it.

 

[TheProgressivePatriot]

I'm getting mighty tired of the pain. My pain doc said I am a good candidate for back surgery but I have held off. The MRI showed degenerative spine disease which means...I will eventually wind up in a wheel chair or mobility scooter because it hurts like hell when I walk or stand. Only time I get relief is if I am sitting. Laying, I have to have pillows under my feet and thighs, back raised up so more pillows to keep me propped up. In short...fetal position. I've done the physical therapy thing, which has not worked. My left foot goes numb when standing or walking just around the grocery store and i HAVE to sit. So I find a counter, and sometimes I even sit on the shelf where they bag the food cuz if I don't sit....omg. Major pain. Now the numbness is climbing. Toes have always been numb on both feet but now on the left leg, it is inching up my calf in the front. Eventually it will hit my knees, then thighs, and before ya know it...numb from the waist down.
My regular doc said cortisone injections. My pain doc says surgery. I am afraid of both. If the wrong spot is hit with a needle for the shot....instant paralysis? For surgery, wrong scalpel cut...instant paralysis. That's my fear, anyway.

So my question to you guys is....what would you do? Or, have you done either? Did it help? Did it make it worse? The shot or the surgery? Or both? Opinions needed cuz this SUCKS. I stay grumpy, I live on pain pills, lost my appetite and my quality of life is in questions, same as for my pets when theirs was like what I suffer now. I just put them down so they wouldn't suffer if there were no cures for them. I can't put myself down. Or can I? If it gets bad enough, I damn sure will. I don't want some stranger having to wipe my ass for me and I damn sure don't want to be at the mercy of anyone either to keep breathing in pain. Spine problems are scarey, so not sure what to do. I guess I just want to know experiences of those who suffer the same non stop pain and what they did..or wish they didn't do.

I had the same symptoms and suffered with it for over ten years. Then it got to the point where I had to do something. I went to a neuro surgeon –not an orthopedic. He found that I had nearly total obliteration of the spinal canal and was surprised that I was able to walk at all. I now have titanium screws in my back but 6 years later I have no problems at all . The first few months following surgery was difficult. I had to be very careful how I moved but in 6 months I was mostly recover and fully recovered in about a year

 

[Grumblenuts]

I'm getting mighty tired of the pain. My pain doc said I am a good candidate for back surgery but I have held off. The MRI showed degenerative spine disease which means...I will eventually wind up in a wheel chair or mobility scooter because it hurts like hell when I walk or stand. Only time I get relief is if I am sitting. Laying, I have to have pillows under my feet and thighs, back raised up so more pillows to keep me propped up. In short...fetal position. I've done the physical therapy thing, which has not worked. My left foot goes numb when standing or walking just around the grocery store and i HAVE to sit. So I find a counter, and sometimes I even sit on the shelf where they bag the food cuz if I don't sit....omg. Major pain. Now the numbness is climbing. Toes have always been numb on both feet but now on the left leg, it is inching up my calf in the front. Eventually it will hit my knees, then thighs, and before ya know it...numb from the waist down.
My regular doc said cortisone injections. My pain doc says surgery. I am afraid of both. If the wrong spot is hit with a needle for the shot....instant paralysis? For surgery, wrong scalpel cut...instant paralysis. That's my fear, anyway.

So my question to you guys is....what would you do? Or, have you done either? Did it help? Did it make it worse? The shot or the surgery? Or both? Opinions needed cuz this SUCKS. I stay grumpy, I live on pain pills, lost my appetite and my quality of life is in questions, same as for my pets when theirs was like what I suffer now. I just put them down so they wouldn't suffer if there were no cures for them. I can't put myself down. Or can I? If it gets bad enough, I damn sure will. I don't want some stranger having to wipe my ass for me and I damn sure don't want to be at the mercy of anyone either to keep breathing in pain. Spine problems are scarey, so not sure what to do. I guess I just want to know experiences of those who suffer the same non stop pain and what they did..or wish they didn't do.

I've adjusted to doing less and less while accomplishing more naps. But,.. sounds like you're good and ready for the surgery. Good luck! Don't sneeze!

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I had it as well and wasn't willing for surgery for the same reasons. Pain killers didn't work, except one DR at Urgent Care Clinic did give me a few along with a few Valium (muscle relaxer). Taking the 2 together did help alot, but when they ran out I didn't get more. Didn't want to be addicted. I did go for one x-ray guided(?) steroid injection that also didn't help. Damn Ortho said he'd sign off on as many shots as I wanted/needed to be done at the hospital.......no thanks.

There was another injection, Ketamine(?) that is given in the butt. Shot itself hurts like hell, but if they hit the right spot it worked great and if they missed it, then it didn't. But it only lasted hours and does make you sleepy.......or maybe that's because I couldn't sleep other times because of the pain.

All of that (or none of it) was a long term option since this was at the time my hubs had cancer. He needed me so I looked into other options.......stretching exercises, back strengthening activities, alternating hot and cold packs, the only pills I took were aspirin and tylenol (one effects the liver, the other effects the kidneys). Tylenol didn't do shit really, but alternating them with the aspirin (also anti inflammatory) did help overall. I was taking them every couple of hours for months until I got hives/allergy response and had to stop.

Eventually the nerve irritation that was causing the pain did go away. I feel ya Gracie....been there, done that and it's no fun. Getting old sucks.


I know others here have had very successful surgeries and hopefully more will join in with their stories.