What Can Be Done

[emmie]

have been told after an MRI scan that i have a pronounced curvature of the spine, degenerative discs in the spine, lumbar area, the rheumatology doctor said that doesn't he see a need for surgery, however i am in considerable pain, which to be truthful would be putting it mildly, which has progressed to both hips, entire buttock area, lower back, and coccyx which hurts on sitting. the Pain meds i have tried have had little success overall. was also told have small peripheral neuropathy in feet, lower legs, likely plantar fascitis, this may all be linked... apart from that i feel absolutely cream crackered.

[emmie]

to add to the problems, burning pain in both knees, and thighs, which doesn't go, can't stretch legs out properly, as they feel tight as drums.

[jno]

sorry if this is stating the bleedin' obvious, but have you tried non-surgical things like osteopathy? They can't cure degeneration but they can do a lot to ease pain

[emmie]

no, i have been shunted back and forth, the physio i had to start with made things worse.

[NoMercy]

You should really be under the care of T&O, not Rheumatology.

If surgical intervention isn't likely to be given, ask Gp to refer you to the Pain Management Team.

[emmie]

i have seen them once, and have for no reason i can explain had to be re referred back to them. I have sat and cried so often of late, just added more water to the downpour outside.

[BlueToffee]

Firstly emmie, you have my deepest sympathy as I have suffered, not as badly, for many a year.

May I be so bold as to recommend an Osteopath, I have been using one on and off for a number of years and get immense relief, sometimes for months.

My best wishes to you, and good luck.

[emmie]

i did see one once, he was a nightmare, made things a whole lot worse,
i wish i could get some relief from the pain, this feels like inflammation, having had bursitis before, remember how bad that was

[emmie]

and thank you.. sorry

[Mamyalynne]

I do suffer badly with pain following an accident and muliple breakages, so my thoughts are with you too.


Someone else may know - but are those Lumbar Support belts any help at all, wondering if the extra support may help you.

[emmie]

i have spent the best part of ten months and some before that trying to get help, other things health wise have been thrown into the mix, i finally did the MRI scan which for me a lifelong claustrophobic, was dire, they don't tell you how noisy it will be as well. One medication made me so dizzy i finally had to stop taking it.

[emmie]

had three things go, was doing some cleaning in the home, then an accident outside, got knocked over by someone in a hurry, and slipped in doors, but had similar for more than twenty years, its been getting worse though.

[birdie73]

Have you thought of trying acupuncture, not necessarily a cure but gives great relief, I speak from experience & assure you that the needles do not hurt. It gives relaxation to the mind & body which does help the pain.
My sympathies & good wishes to you.

[emmie]

birdie, i have and may do it, i just can't seem to find a mix of medication that works well enough, that doesn't make me feel infinitely worse, if that were possible.

[LazyGun]

@ Emmie Just wanted to offer you my sympathy, for what its worth. I do not understand how you have been left in such pain, given the path you have followed from GP to specialist etc.

Were I in your shoes, I would be camping out at the GP, demanding attention and some action over the pain management, and I might be tempted to look for a referral to a second specialist as well. I fail to understand why they have left you without any guidance or actions over the pain.

[emmie]

i did threaten i would buy a campbed, made sqad give a lol...
however the pain has increased beyond anything i understand.

[Mamyalynne]

I just wondered, have never tried them myself.

[emmie]

i had no idea why it's taken so long, nor why after seeing the pain management people i would have to be re referred, which hasn't happened yet. I have told the GP about the pain, we tried various options, some longer term, but they just didn't alleviate the pain. My legs feel swollen and where i have lost weight sitting on the rear end is dire. I would have begged but that's rather unseemly, x

[anneasquith]

oh emmie, you poor thing, I know its easy for us to say, but could you just keep going to gp and get a new assessment from pain management team.

[jno]

no two osteopaths or chiropractors work the same way (unlike GPs). If I've ever had one that wasn't doing me any good, I just found another one.

[anneasquith]

what is ' under the care of T&O not rheumatology ?