Hi Beth,

I'm sorry to hear your having such a bad day. I'm not familiar with your situation, are you seeing a PM, NS or Ortho? It sounds like you some sort of pain mgmt plan. Try some heat or ice and maybe a body pillow will help you get comfortable with your hip pain. I' sorry if I am stating the obvious, I just hate to see someone in so much pain.

I hope you have a better day!

Mel

I'm so sorry your feeling so horrible, I'm not sure what you've have done, if anything, but if I was in that terrible amount of pain I would forsure ask my doc for more meds or go to the E.R. best of luck hun keep us posted.

Hi Beth,

I made my way over and happy to see you here, however, so sorry that you are feeling lousy also. Yep, I've been the same way this past week. I never sleep good, but the past week has been terrible, I have only slept an hour here ... or maybe two there..... So, I really do understand. IT SUCKS!

A good ice pack really helps. I have several of them I keep in the freezer and just alternate as I need them, I don't know what I would do without them. These have a nice cover with a gel-like filling in them that feels kinda like peanut butter (lol), but thin enough so they are not bulky, and I just lay them against my left hip and I'm telling you, this is the only thing that is keeping me sane!! It's terrible when our medications do nothing to help.

Well, Beth, please know I am thinking of you and sending best wishes your way for a much better evening and I hope you get some rest and start feeling better soon.

Maybe this next week will be better, and please don't ever let anyone humiliate you, when you hurt that bad, call your doctor or get to the ER! Don't worry honey, PAIN is something we feel, but people cannot see.

Take care!

Sandy

Hey Beth.......I am so sorry to see you are feeling so bad. What kind of hospital did you go to for emergency pain relief? I smashed my left thumb in the car door a couple of days ago....my fingernail started turning dark blue within 30 seconds....hubby took me to the emergency room at the local county hospital...they took me right in, even tho the waiting room had lots of people, and they gave me pain meds without a question....I have medicaid. Now I was in alot of pain.....wanted to scream...but two little kids saw me when I slammed my finger in the car door...so I just waved my left hand in the air and did a strange dance that might have resembled some kind of seizure instead. There has to be something else that your doctors can do to help you. I hate to hear that you are suffering so much pain. Any other hospitals near you?

Teri

Girl, I'm so sorry! You should have called me, I would have let you vent at me!

Try icing your hip then heat. After that VERY light stretching without pulling your back, whatever you can handle. My mom has this happen to her and this is what we found helps her. BE CAREFUL! Are you having storms up there? We had an awful storm here and man, could I feel it. I slow way down and my pain goes way up.

I'm hanging out today, call if you're up to it. I don't want to bother you if you get to nap.

Hugs to you!

Griff

Griff, hope you are feeling better today.

i can only say my thoughts are with you! i know the exacerbation of pain and how down it can make us feel! having to rely on the ER for pain relief can be the very worse! several times i have suffered so instead of going there. hot showers on the area, wrapping up in your most loose comfortable clothes and going right into bed is usually my best bet! oh dear! i hope you find something to help! where is your regular doc in all of this? Jenny

Beth

Hope you are doing a little better. What is your diagnosis? Are you waiting to have any type of surgery? It sounds like you need to get into your doctor ASAP and review your medications. Sounds like something needs to be changed to give you better relief.

Take care and hope you have a better day.

over the lower half of the nation. It has almost killed me for a week now. Very high barometer. It affects pain big time. Suppose to finally move out today.....see if you get a little better.

It really does affect pain in a large way. I'm praying this is the last day of this myself as I have been very grounded with out of my mind pain.

This too shall pass...........

Hey Beth...was just thinking about you and wondering how you are doing today...have you gotten any sleep yet?The only thing that helps me is using icepacks.I know it gets old...but I definately get some relief even if its only for a little while. You are still most welcome to call..I have your number too..would like to call you but don't know when you might be sleeping. Try to think happy thoughts.
Teri

hi beth.
so sorry your going through so much hun.
but i feel your pain to the T. i also have that crushing feeling but in both sides. the pain radiates down both legs into the ankles. they start to tingle when i put them up.
good thing is i have been able to sleep all night.
1 thing i refuse to do is give in to a walker. i make myself get up. you don't want those muscles loosing any tone, which mine have due to not being active enough.
what is your diagnosis?? have you had surgery before?? tests etc??? what about your primary??? sorry for all the questions. you may have posted these answers in another post, but of course we can't find them LOL
i sure hope you find out the reason for all your pain. mine may be from not fusing from surgery.
let us know when your able!!
hope you got some rest hun!!
take care
terri

To all my wonderful friends who cared so much to send me support, advice and wonderful words of encouragement...YOU ALL ROCK!!!!

Today has been a little better and then tonight it's getting worse again. I haven't done anything today to make it worse.
Let me see if I can answers some of your questions, since the "old forum" isn't available I will try to tell this in as short a way as possible. It all happen in 1983 after a car accidnet....hence I discovered I had DDD. I've had problems on and off every since. On January 14th I fell down the stairs...so now here we go, MRI in the ER I found out I had bulging disc, that was desiccated at L5-S1, arthritis and some other stuff. My PCP had me sign a wonder "contract" and started giving me vicodin and soma, which didn't help even then. However it kept getting worse, so he sent me to PM doc who turned out to me an A**H*** and flushed my vicodin and gave me a script for aleive.........lol made me try to stand on my heels and I couldn't so he called me a liar because the MRI showed no nerve involvement. So I fired him!! But it just kept getting worse then I could hardly walk, so my husband took me to the ER and they did a Stat MRI, in a months time the bulging disc has now ruptured and now (sorry had to leave, had to flip breakers while hubby watched the well pump, it seems to have somewhat exploded!!! he just turned off the main water pumped and now I'm back while he tries to figure out what's wrong, just another thing I can't help with)as I was saying now I can't walk without my walker even if I try, my left hip (it's hard to explain) it's like it pinches and locks and I have no choice but to like drag it, but it's not like foot drop. My pain meds do nothing and I called my PCP and he had his nurse call me back and tell me I needed to do through my PM doc, which I already told him I fired. GRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrr My next PCP appointment is the 3rd so I guess I will just have to wait till then and REFRESH his memory on how I get my pain meds until I see the NS on the 20th of August, unless they can get me in sooner. Their trying, but I've not seen him yet so it's not like I can call him for help either. So I lay here in pain and can't do anything about it. As far as what they are gonna do to fix this, I wont know until I see my NS in August as it stands right now.
I hope that answered some of your questions. I tried not to be to long winded but it's hard to some up in just a few words!!
Thank you all again for talking to me, and Teri and griff I'm sorry that I haven't called, this it's self hard for me,and I can take as long as I want to write it. But if you want to call you can any time. I just can't promise I will talk for very long
You all have been wonderful and I hope and wish all of you the very best!!
TTFN
Take Care,
Beth

Isn't that something. I thought that PM docs were supposed to manage pain! I have heard so many horror stories of PM's that it really makes me thankful that I have a good one. I hope you can get some type of relief from your PCP on the 3rd. Have you ever tried the walk in urgent care places like doctors care, etc? When I first moved to a new area a couple of years ago, I had never heard of PM docs so needless to say, I did not have one. My pcp would not write narcotics so I went to a doctors care and had no problem getting scripts for pain. I don't know if they are like that everywhere but thought that it might be worth trying. Good luck.

hi beth,
thanks so much for describing all over again what the issue was. now i remember after you saying everything from the other site , how easy we forget!!
i wish you the best of luck at your appt today. hopefully you can get some pain relief. make sure the dr has a report of your test showing the rupture of the disk. or the films.
iv heard how painful they can be. hopefully it will heal on its own and surgery is not in your future.
good luck today!!!
hugs
terri

This has been the worst month possibly since my surgery a year ago... I was fused at L4 L5 S1. I now have what they tell me is Failed Back Syndrome. Its a horrible way to live and I dont sleep much either so I can so appreciate how your feeling Beth. There are several days this month when I called or went into my PM's office crying only to be told that he didnt want to increase any of my meds, but in fact would like to get me off all meds. Im so confused and frustrated with him. The meds he gives me now hardly touch the edge of the pain most days. Im on Darvacet, Gabapentin, Amitryptilyne, and a low dose of Vicodin for any break through pain.

I have barely been able to keep my job, which is a desk job that I only work 4 hours a day. But by time I get out of there I am in tears. I feel like this PM doesn't believe me when I say how bad it hurts. He seems uninterested in the numbness that goes down my leg, and that I am starting to lose control of my bladder. I have always been told these are serious things, but he blows me off all the time.

So I fired him. I go to see a new PM on Tuesday and I am so hoping that he will have a new working plan for me. I am so desperate for some compassion and hope that this pain can be controlled. I have had days recently where I was wishing for a bullet and pricing rope... NOT GOOD !!!

Well thats my vent for the day, I sure hope you have better luck with a pain dr then I have had Beth. No one should ever be treated that way. No one should have to live this way.

I am ever thankful for this site and the support I find here on a daily basis. Thanks again for all the support.

hi,

just wondering, do you have RA or any type of arthritis? the reason i am asking is because i have RA and that has happened to me, the pain you are describing i understood to the "T"! Heating pad on the lower back and hip would do a lot for your pain and then take your meds, on a empty stomach seems to make them work better for me. take motrin if you can or tylenol but motrin would be better. other than that i say call your dr and if nothing else go back to ER and if they treat you badly demand to see the patient representative! that always sends them scooting! hope any of this will help you. i am so sorry for your pain, like i said i know exactly what you are going thru!

big hugs,

karenc

hi,

just wondering, do you have RA or any type of arthritis? the reason i am asking is because i have RA and that has happened to me, the pain you are describing i understood to the "T"! Heating pad on the lower back and hip would do a lot for your pain and then take your meds, on a empty stomach seems to make them work better for me. take motrin if you can or tylenol but motrin would be better. other than that i say call your dr and if nothing else go back to ER and if they treat you badly demand to see the patient representative! that always sends them scooting! hope any of this will help you. i am so sorry for your pain, like i said i know exactly what you are going thru!

big hugs,

karenc

Beth:

Haven't heard from you in a few days.... I was just wondering how you're doing? Give us an update when you're feeling up to it.

Theresa (Mrs. Wings) - Rope is way too expensive to just use once.... I know pain can be unbearable... But leave the rope to the cowboys. Anyone on this forum will be glad to listen to either one of you vent. It won't take away the pain, but just giving voice to grievances seems to help.

Take care ladies!

Jeaux

Thank you Jeaux and the whole group for your support... I went to see my new PM yesterday, and after much prayer to have my God bring me some sign that its going to be ok, to help this man know whats going on... He did !!

The dr. said that after a very extensive exam that I have a disk thats bulging pretty severely above my 2 level fusion. Also it appears that my hardware (screws) may be in part cause for my increased and never ending pain.

The Dr. is going to do some facet joint injections in that area to try to reduce the swelling, he made no promises that this was going to be the cure all, and I do appreciate his honesty there. He also said that he will want to be trying some kind or radio thing, burning the nerves (not sure of this procedure) if the injections don't help much... if it should be an issue with my hardware that he really cant do a whole lot about he is considering a pain pump for me.

So for the moment, I am adding Kadian to my list of medications and really hoping that it helps. I was recently started on Ambien and I was still awake several times last night. Just too uncomfortable in my own skin, cant stand to even have clothes touching my back. I will start my first dose of the Kadian today and I am so hoping that it helps.

I will try to keep folks updated so I can share how the Kadian works for me, maybe it will be of help to someone else, or maybe I will find its a new nightmare for me... this too I would like to share for someone else's benefit...

Well time to start thinking of getting ready for work here. I sure hope for you all--- pain free days and many blessings.

going to the er sends up red flags to the staff. it lables you as a drug seeker. if you have insurance to to your family dr and ask for a referral. if you keep going to er the staff will become more obnixious. this is why they treated you good the first time and lousy the second time you went. did you ask for pain meds? if you did this definitely sends up red flags. in the 10 years that i have had sciatica and herniated disk with 4 surgeries, i have never gone to the er. your pain meds should take care of the problem and if not make an appt to see your regular dr and explain the situation with him. only seek er help in an extreem emergency if you need to. it also ties up dr time for other people who need to see a dr. if you have a kidney stone or pneumonia etc, this is what ers are for. if you don't have pain meds see your dr and if he does not help get another dr. i am not trying to be a jerk i am telling you what er staff thinks when people keep going to the er. if your dr tells you to go to the er, that is a different story. i am friends with nurses that work in er and this is what they tell me how everyone feels. just trying to help
good luck
jon