Update On My Dodgy Back

[douglas9401]

Hi, just had a phone call from my GP regarding the MRI done last Friday week.
Good news/bad news is that its 'just' disc protrusions between L4 & 5 most likely causing spinal nerves to be pushed out of line, all combining to cause my pain.
The scan's being passed to neurosurgical bods for a look and opinion but it's looking more and more like 'keep it till it's better'.
I've had my amitriptyline dosage upped from 10mg to 25 + standard paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets at regular intervals to keep the worst of the pain at bay.
Swollen ankles and feet are the latest embarrassment but I'll live with that till I'm mobile again.
Signed off for another two weeks so hopefully plenty of time to recover fully and get ready for back to work.
Have a nice day now. :)

[Sqad]

Update appreciated.

[Mamyalynne]

Trouble is we were never intended to walk upright, hope the pain settles somewhat soon D.

[Old_Geezer]

Evolution doesn't do intention.
Do these protrusions just go away then ?

[Sqad]

"Do these protrusions just go away then ?" ^^^^^

They might if given the chance.........never go completely back to normal, but far enough to stop pressure on the nerves.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah, good luck with it then, Doug

[anneasquith]

Really painful condition, poor you, good news re medication increase, hope it has desired effect,is your gp aware of ankle oedema ?

[Patsy33]

I really hope you get the long awaited pain relief for your poorly back very soon douglas.

[douglas9401]

Thank you all for your comments and concern.
OG, as Sqad has already said, possibly, but once the damage is done t seems that the weakness will always be there.
Anne, he is indeed and said I should try to keep feet slightly elevated until I'm fully mobile again and things should right themselves in time.
It doesn't seem to be helping that I'm the wrong side of 50 but at least I've learned to have patience and that things can only get better.

[anneasquith]

I believe 50 is the new 40 :-)take care .

[Smowball]

Hi Douglas. I hurt my back when we moved into this house - twisted awkwardly carrying heavy box up curved stairs. It's never recovered properly back to normal as Sqad says - we just have to be a bit more careful. Don't think some people realise just how incredibly painful it can be - they just think you've got 'a bit of a bad back' . Hope you feel better soon.

[Hopkirk]

In my 20's and 30's I suffered a lot of back problems. Now in my late 50's they are mostly a distant memory.

What changed is my understanding of the postural causes of the problem.

The worst period was when the children were very young, and I would sit for long periods bottle feeding on a sofa, then just enjoying having a sleeping baby on me. However my back was in a 'deckchair' posture. Coupled to that was the stance of lifting or lowering an infant into a deep cot.

My car at the time had a well worn and poorly designed seat, so my lower back was always in the wrong posture

Once the worst has passed, think hard about your posture, and try to get decent lumber support in every chair you sit in.

A good physiotherapist can be a lifesaver.