L5-S1 Lumbar....

[rpowell01]

I need some advice since I haven't been getting much help from Neuropain after telling them my Lower lumbar needs urgent attention and that they only want to work on one part of the spine at a time.

I am getting a lot of pain in the ridge of my lumbar, enough to put tears in my eyes. I now have more radiculopathy, more pain in my calves and front of the thighs.

I don't take any opiates because the VA will not give me any. I guess this is the new policy. I do take Tramadol 300mg per day and Gabapentin 3200mg per day.

Is there any thing that will help this pain. I have tried ice but it comes right back. I can't lay on my back because it gets worse. The only thing I can find that helps is to lay on my stomach.

Are there any other home treatments I can try? I know about heat which never has helped me, its always been ice that has helped but not this time.

Thanks

Rob

[vet12]

Rpowell,

I take the same meds as you but take lower doses. I also have problems with my back.. I tried two different choirpractors, VA PT and finally went to our local hospital for tips on using a pool, I joined our city Rec center and use their pool for back exercises. It has reduced the pain shooting down my legs. I still have lots of pain but not as bad as it was. A heat pad helps some. I saw a pain specialist recently at the VA and he said "look at your age".

I know a lot of people my age who don't have my back problems. He also said to do yoga 3-7 times weekly. The local hospital told me not to exercise if I was in pain. I also take Vicitan (mispelled) when needed.

I hope you find some relief. Quality of life isn't very good being in so much pain.

vet12

[rpowell01]

Sorry for the slow response vet12. I think did something to my lower back. It finally went away but now I do get a lot of pain in the back of my legs whenever I try to walk too far. This pain is different than any other pain I have had because it just shoots down the back of my legs.

I dislike our local bandage hospital here that took them 1 year 4 months to find out I had a bad gall bladder when I had all the symptoms.

BTW does anybody know if thoracic spine issues can cause gall bladder problems? I was seeing in my chiropractor office that in the same area I have bad issues in my thoracic spine there are nerves that go to my liver and gall bladder. How hard would it be to connect these two?

[Testvet]

I have had back problems for years surgery on L5/S1 in 1994 reinjured my back in 2000 used heat pads then I had a heart attack in June 2002 that caused me to have an ejection fraction of 25% and the VA docs told me to file for SSD that I could not return to any type of work that also put me on their "we ain't operating on you anymore list" the back pain was pretty bad at that point and my PC doc got a new MRI on my back it showed L3, L4, L5/S1 all herniated she did put me on percocet since I had quit driving and my wife drove me everywhere knock on wood I am scared they will try and stop them now with this new push to get vets off of opiates, but my medical condition has worsened over the years.

After the last major heart attack in April 2011 they told me I could NOT use my hot tub any longer, the heat supposedly is not good gor my blood/oxygen levels yada yada yada I quit listening as to why it was one of the last real enjoyments I had in life, but I can still use my pool and I have found that if I get in and float on a big fat noodle or 2 of the smaller ones it takes the weight off my back and just let my legs dangle for about 20 - 30 minutes twice a day that it helps keep the back from screaming in pain down from make a "noise and I will kill you feelings" I have tried everything known to man I think TENS unit didn't work acupuncture didn't work heck I offered to let them operate on my using an epidural to stop the pain they refused to attempt it

the only surgical procedure they did was place a pacemaker/defib in Sep 2011 that risk was acceptable because of the defib function not all emergency vehicles have the heart attack paddle units in them in our area the police chief has one but there is no guarantee he is the car that will respond and not one of the deputies one time I passed out and he was there a good 5 minutes before the ambulance showed up that was about 4 years ago. We bought a house that had a pool because the VA told me I could only use theirs for 5 minutes three times a week it wasn't worth driving there for that with my own pool I can go in every day and as often as I like Oct to May is to cold to use and heating it would be to expensive I do miss that hot tub good luck finding some relief back pain sux

[Valsacar]

I have a herniated L4/5 and L5/S1. I also use Tramodol for the pain, which works for the minor stuff. Coritical steroids works well (ESI), lasts for 6-12 months for me.

The other medication you mentioned I'm not familiar with, but I also take Celebrex which I'd say is nearly 70% effective. It's a COX-2 inhibiter (what ever that means, I just know it helps).

I can't use narcotics, thank you mom, because they have no effect. Doc once explained that some people (apparently fairly rare) metabolise narcotics so fast that they never get a chance to work, my mother and I are both like that... they've tried double and even tripple doses, might as well have been sugar pills. Migraines are fun without narcotics, and of course the back pain we're discussing here.

One thing I have, for emergencies only, that works really well (most of the time, except last week) is prednisone. I take 50mg for those days where you litterally can't move because of the pain. My doctor doesn't like giving them, due to the long term damage constant oral steroids can cause, but he does give me 1-2 doses for emergency use. I normally only need it once or twice a year, when the pain comes at a time where I need to deal with it because of some work or family event. If it's not an emergency then I head to the ER.

At the ER I've found Torodol works really well, that's what I use to treat my most severe migraines but it also reduces the pain from my back. Of course it's not treating anything, but it does make it so I can function that day.

I don't know about your case, but for me I generally have a discomfort level of pain daily. Some days are worse than others, on those I use tramadol to help control it. The steroids and ER visits are for the worst days, which only happen a few times a year for me. When those happen the pain does last for weeks, gradually getting better, but that first day is so bad I can't move at all.

I'd suggest looking into getting something like Celebrex for daily (unless that other medication is the same type), and see what they can do for emergency use like my prednisone.

[rpowell01]

Seen the Pysch Doc yesterday. He told me that I don't want to do surgery because its only going to lead to another surgery then another. So, I have decided that is this stuff does get any worse as of current then I will decline any surgery. As for needles in the spine I am on the "No needles to the spine" list with VA. Don't know but I have this weird reaction to needles in my spine now.

I have foraminal narrowing causes by the Ostearthritis so I am going to let it run its course. I medically retired last year because I can't work, there is noway I can work. I would get fired from calling in all the time.

I guess I am going to take a trip to see my private doctor about getting some pain killers so I can use at night. Whenever I wake up in the morning that is where the real pain is at. I cannot stand the pain...

[meghp0405]

Bob, I have many of the same issues that you have explained. What helped me was aquatic treatment. Didn't take all the pain away, don't know if that will ever happen, but the pool helped a lot. See your VA Doc and have him/her place an order for this. I've gone off and on for the past 6 years and VA paying all the costs through Fee basis. It might be something worth looking into. Again, it helped me a lot.