Help..... suffering with sciatica

howarth · 29-12-2007, 18:28

Hi all, hope you all had a good crimbo ??
Just wanting a bit of advice realy and a moan lol......

Ive been up to gp unit at b/burn royal today, as ive been in agony all morning with sciatica pain, had this now for 3 mnths but has gradually got wourse over this past wk

the gp at hosp was v nice and gave me some stronger pain killers

which i know will zonk me out lol so im gonna just take them at bed time, as ive got kids dnt wanna be OUT OF IT lol.
Has any one else suffered from this ?? and if so how long for ??

i havnt had a bout of this for yrs ?? it all started after i had my opp in sep ths yr & was in theatre for 7 hrs ??

sorry for going on and on ..........

luv and best wishes to you all for the new year

emm xxxx

derekgas · 29-12-2007, 18:39

[quote=howarth;509432]Hi all, hope you all had a good crimbo ??
Just wanting a bit of advice realy and a moan lol......

Ive been up to gp unit at b/burn royal today, as ive been in agony all morning with sciatica pain, had this now for 3 mnths but has gradually got wourse over this past wk

the gp at hosp was v nice and gave me some stronger pain killers

which i know will zonk me out lol so im gonna just take them at bed time, as ive got kids dnt wanna be OUT OF IT lol.
Has any one else suffered from this ?? and if so how long for ??

i havnt had a bout of this for yrs ?? it all started after i had my opp in sep ths yr & was in theatre for 7 hrs ??

Hi emm, when I was having back trouble, I found that the best help was the heated seat in my car, when doing anything else, I had trouble, but get in the car, put the seat on and no pain at all when I got out and for days after, it is worth mentioning that the position of the car seat was probably a factor without me realising at the time.

nikkival · 29-12-2007, 18:51

I've suffered from it for about 4 years now - the cause of mine is the slipped discs in my spine pressing against the nerve.

The thermacare heat wraps are fantastic for the pain - if the sciatica is caused by back problems - or a hot water bottle. You can also buy a product called Biofreeze (I buy it from the Osteopath at the bottom of Avenue Parade), which is very effective at numbing the area causing the pain.

I've been given strong painkillers too and hate taking them because of the drowsy effect and to be honest I find that they don't really take the pain away completely they just take the edge off or send you to sleep.

The exercises given to me by the physio help - the best one I've found is to get one of those gym ball things or put a pillow under stomach and raise your opposite arm & leg gently a few times each side.

Hope you are feeling better soon - and don't let the pain get you down!

howarth · 29-12-2007, 18:55

thanx xx
i had a CT scan in yr 2001 and it showed that i had 2 slipped discs !! but my gp has now orderd me to have MRA scan nw, ive also tried a tens machine too, but now need some new sticky pads !!

flashy · 29-12-2007, 18:55

Emm, i put it down to your age love

katex · 29-12-2007, 19:02

Oh you poor thing, believe it is very painful, have friends who suffer. Can't offer anything constructive unfortunately, just sympathy, and hope it feels better soon.

One or two of the ladies at work swear by Biofreeze, one in particular .. the Osteopath gave her this for quite severe shoulder pain (think due to heavy miles on the roads) .. she is only 25 and gave her, albeit temporary, relief from the pain.

Think just time and controlling the pain until it gets better.

Take care ..x

flashy · 29-12-2007, 19:05

Em have you tried voltarol tablets? our Johnny swears by them for his back pain

Margaret Pilkington · 29-12-2007, 19:10

What about a Tens Machine.......Lloyds pharmacy was selling them a couple of months ago for about 15 quid.

Margaret Pilkington · 29-12-2007, 19:11

Oh, and I should have said....I hope you get some relief soon.

MargaretR · 29-12-2007, 19:35

Sciatica is most commonly due to a slipped disc, but not always, so press your doc to ascertain the cause - until then you will only get treatment to lessen pain.

I have a similar problem at the top section of my spine which affects one of the two main nerves down my left arm, so you have my sympathy. Mine is due to osteoarthritis in the top seven spine sections and a slipped disc.

My doc has been limited in which painkillers he could offer me due to a minor gastric problem. Some painkillers do cause stomach irritations.

From my experience distalgesics were the best but the NHS has ceased prescribing them because too many people used alcohol at the same time and died.

I have also tried Solpadol which is a combined codeine and paracetemol, which worked, until I became addicted to them and then got nausea as a side effect. It is easy to become addicted to any drug that relieves the pain but codeine is a known addictive drug ---- so beware of that.
All my doc can offer me now is paracetamol ----useless.

I have been trying herbal solutions - rosehip extract is said to lessen the inflammation -- been taking it for a few months now-- like any herbal remedy it takes a while to feel any difference.

Like you I have a tens machine but the instructions say not to place the pads directly on the spine, so I have found it to not much help.

The best advice I can give you is to websearch any meds prescribed --some may well kill pain (wonderful) but cause you more health problems later.

Good luck -- press for a full diagnosis

WillowTheWhisp · 30-12-2007, 02:57

I found the best help came from the osteopath rather than the GP. It's over 20 years ago that I had the problem and was in agony but Martin Dixon sorted it out for me.

magpie · 30-12-2007, 11:27

hope you feel better soon, my nan used to drink sanatagen wine ( from health shop) I don't think that's how you spell it:

also dog oil again from health shop is really good:

and Nip Bone tea:

failing that just drink some rum

grannyclaret · 30-12-2007, 11:41

Ooh i have every sympathy with you ,about 4 years ago i had it for months and months,the pain was agony,it started as soon as my feet touched the floor in the morning ,pains shooting up and down my legs,and lasted for about an hour ,then it would ease off a bit,and i could get on with the day
the doc gave me some slow release pain killers called Diclomax capsules which i took at bedtime.After i had a hip replacement it seemed to go away..but comes back occasionaly ,though nowhere near as painful as before,,,

howarth · 30-12-2007, 18:55

just wanted to say a huge thankyou to all of you xx

I had a better nights sleep last night, since taking a shed loads of painkillers lol
1 x 2mg Diazapam, 2 x 50mg Tramadol Hydrochlor, 1 x 75mg Diclofenac sodium 1 x 50mg Amatriptaline, then finally 1 x Omeprazole !!!!
i do feel a lot better in myself too, even managed 2 walk the dogs twice today.
well take care all
& a HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL xx
emmxx

shillelagh · 30-12-2007, 19:04

I have back pain as well due to crashing the car and i use wheat bags which i stick in the microwave to warm up. I use them on my shoulders as well. You can buy them at the health food stall on the market. Another one is when mum had back pain she had a seat warmer which slipped over the back of her chair which when plugged in gave her heat on her back. She thought it was great.