It's freaking 8:30am I have been up for an hour and my back is f%$king killing me!![:(!][:(!]  It has been 9 months since my back surgery (which did cure the leg numbness problem) and I still have back pain every day!![:(!][:(!]  It gets much worse when the weather turns cold (like today), that's when I can barely stand or even walk!![:(!][:(!]
I know that pain pills helps alot but I am getting real tired of taking them all the ime.  Sex is outa the question, sleeping makes it worse, siting to long makes it worse....[b]IT JUST PLAIN F*CKING SUCKS!![:(!][:(!][:(!]!![/B]

I am not looking forward to this winter, bcause the pain level is going to increase.  Literally, there are days were I just can't take it.[>(]  I have tried many different solutions and nothing is helping except the pills. I seriously want to ask the doc for a stronger pain pill other than vicatin, but have concerns about that.

I am not looking for sympathy from you guys...I just needed a place to blow off this steam because I am getting real tired off it all!!  God I wish this would stop!!

sgtar15
:/]>

Actually, you seem even-tempered...just like me!!! [}:D]

Sorry to hear about your back. Makes things difficult when you can't even move. Hang in there.

Sorry to hear about your pain.

Have you considered Acupuncture?  Sounds like voodoo but it has made a difference in some people's lives.

Alternative medicine (ie. Eastern Medicine) may be a route to follow if the mainstream therapies have not worked for you.

Good luck.

It took me about 3 years after injuring my back on a jump to fully recover to tolerable levels of pain.

Now, it only aches when there is a drastic change in temp or humidity, and does not ache much at that.

There is hope but getting there hurts.

It got much better when I stopped taking all pain meds (hurt like all hell for about 2 weeks), Ibuprofen excepted. The body's endorphins are MUCH stronger that the prescribed meds, but while taking meds, the body stops endorphin production.

Hope this helps, I know where you are coming from (and going thru this again with my knee).

Don Out

Ahhh man....   I feel you ... I go to the doctor Monday for a long term back problem I have been having. I have been living with intermittant pain w/ radiating pain down my legs for over 10 years. I have recently started getting periods of tingling in my feet and extreme muscle spasming.

I am not looking fprward to this appointment... I just got reliesed from my doctor for my hurnia operation.....

sgtar15 you have my sympathies.  My nieghbor injured his back and he has to change jobs.  He used to be a repair tech for automotive wheel alignment equip, which involved some heavy lifting, of course he can't do that anymore.  Now he is going to work for the company as a salesman.

Yes I have tried/do Acupuncture, it helps well for the muscle tightness but it is the disks/bones that hurt all the time.  The Docs say there is nothing more they can do for me...it just takes time.  I have two screws in my lower back (L4-S1) and they really hurt when the weather gets cold.  Plus I have other degenerative bone problems, which just makes things much worse.[:(!][:(!]

I know time is the answer...but 3 freaking years!!!

anothergene, I think shooting is part of the problem...I practiced my prone shooting last week and that's when things really started kicking up[:(].


sgtar15

Have you tried an inversion table?

A WHAT????????

Looks like a medieval torture device, cross between the rack and the wheel

11H1P, That hurts just thinking about it!!  Let me ask you this. After you hurt your back did other problems develope as a result of the surgery?  Meaning, I know have a vertibre in the middle of my back that seems to "move" forward and backward in an odd way.  Plus when I sit to long it "pinches" really bad and seems to be swollen at times.  

Anyway, I have a Docs appt next monday I'll need to ask him about it...because it really has me worried.

sgtar15

I sincerely hope you did not have any sort of spinal fusion, although from your symptoms you're describing typical fusion results.  Most of the time pain actually get's worse after spinal fusion.

I suffered for years with a herneated disc at L4L5 pressing on my spinal cord, causing me all sorts of pain and problems.  Then one day while using a search engine I stumbled onto Dr. John Chiu:

[url]http://www.spinecenter.com[/url]

My surgery lasted 40 minutes and I stood up and walked out of the OR and went home.  The reduction in pain was immediate and permanent.  Over the next few months, all the residual discomfort gradually subsided to zero.  Totally amazing!

I referred my buddy Mark (many years ago his was the first AR I ever shot) to Dr. Chiu to fix a back problem he's had for 27 years ever since he "streamered in" while jumping in the 82nd Airborne.  For the last few decades Mark regularly had days where he couldn't walk and literally spent all day crawling around his apartment on his belly to get around.  His back was much worse than mine, requiring over 2 hours of surgery and repairs to 2 discs and 3 vertebrae.  That was a year ago, and today Mark has zero pain and bought his first mountain bike.

A year ago July I got nailed in a multi-car pile-up on the freeway, and it screwed up the disc at L5S1.  The insurance company Dr. is insisting on fusing three lumbar vertebrae, so my lawyer is now suing to make them pay for Dr. Chiu instead.

Under no circumstances will I let anyone ever fuse my spine!!!

Hey Sarge, I feel your pain.
Doc's told me basically the same thing.
"Damage is done, will get worse with time, Nothing we can really do for you etc."

I ended up in ER for my Stones wednesday night and have really been out of it since.

This was the worst yet and it aint done yet.
I thought I was just having some back pain and went to bed. Only to awaken around midnight in horrible agony.

So I never heard, how's your wife doing?

Del

When I hit my rucksack and collapsed the battery compartment of the PRC-77, the disc between my 2 lowest lumbar vertebrae disintigrated, and the vert. fused.

I had no surgery to correct this, but did have problems with nerve pinching for awhile. We used physical therapy to strengthen the back, which also almost entirely alleviated the pinching.

Like I said, it was a very painful process. Had I stopped the meds sooner I do not think that it would have taken 3 years.

I still get a little numbness/tingling in my left leg, but no real pain.

The knee was injured 2.5 months ago, and after the first 3 days, my only meds are 800MG Ibuprofin (road march candy), and though it still hurts, it is mostly a very bearable ache.

I would suggest asking the doctor about strengthening the back rather than endless fix-ups, and flexiblity/exercise does help immensely- hell, I'm going back into the Infantry at the end of the month.

Don Out

Don't worry too much about it.
I had a back fusion 4 years ago, and it took about a year or more to finally feel better.
I had numbness in my leg like you did, I also couldn't stand, sit, sleep, have sex, do laundry....basically ANYTHING would hurt, and bad! I went to see over a dozen doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, etc. I also tried everything under the sun to take care of it, nothing worked. I finally was referred to a neurosurgeon who gave me the fusion, and now I surf, jet ski, skateboard, you name it.....

If you did have a fusion, give it some time (I was EXACTLY the same as you, I wanted it to be better right away, and thought it never would, but one day you'll wake up and say "hey, I can't even remember the last time my back hurt"

And as a side note....I WOULD NOT BY ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO TO STEEL RATS DOCTOR!!!!!
I went to the site to look at it, as I am always interested in alternatives to fusion (although it's too late for me) and I noticed where the doctor is located, and who he is...
Dr Chiu fucked my Dad up BAD!!! and was an asshole about it to boot.
My dad had a waterskiing accident and had to have pins in his hip, where they stayed for about 15 years until his hip joint deteriorated to the point where he needed a hip jiont replacement. Dr Chiu did it. Well less than a year later my dad was complaining of serious pain, instead of admitting there might be a problem, he told him it was OK and gave him pain pills for another year. Well after the pain pills tore his stoamch up for a year, he decided to have another doctor look at it since good ole Dr Chiu wouldn't admit anything was wrong. Turns out the god damn hip joint was loose, and had been FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!!!! So my dad had to live in extreme pain cuz this asshole wouldn't listen to him.
Should have sued his malpractice ass!!!!!

Yo, 15,
I am not a Dr, nor do i play one on tv.

Ive had a double fusion/lami with instrumentation and the back cages.

You've got to understand, the surgery is/was basically a procedure to "stabilize" the area; if you got pain or relief from nerve pain/numbness, consider it a bonus.

Scar tissue is a devil when it comes to invasive procedures in delicate area such as the spine area.

You can have surgery after surgery to remove the scar tissue, but it will come back with a vengence.The stuff is very stringy and tough it can and will choke the nerves.
You probably already had the Dr's/PT types tell you to strengthen the stomach muscles, etc..thats the best you can do.
I sure youre somewhat depressed with something of this magnitude.Depression will exacerbate the condition.Get out and go shooting,reload,read.Just keep your noggin occupied. Hell, watch some porn.

Pills and the such are band-aids on bullet wounds when it comes to this type of injury.

As for an inversion/traction tables STAY THE F@#( away from them damn things. After a fusion, the last thing you want is something putting stress on that area.
Number 1 reason back surgeries fail is the individual. You have to STAY on top of it. Walk/swim, do aquatics.
As for the sex part; aint nothing like playing pony for the wife.
[dracula]

Try not to get to hooked on the pain meds. It is essential that you put as much muscle around that back and abdomen as possible. Don't go crazy lifting weights or anything but Physical Therapy is a place you should be at regularly and then gradually increase activity. Aquatics, as mentioned might be a great start but talk to your doc. We don't even know for sure what is wrong or what procedure you had.

I had a double level fussion done Jan 26,01 on L4/L5 & L5/S1, but I also have the two disk right above them leaking also.  I do plenty of walking and streching, otherwise I would be really screwed.

Depression is a MOFO and usually I am able to stay out of it.  I guess this morning was just a little to much with all that is going on around here....my wife just had a hysterectomoy surgery on monday.  So I haven't really been able to take care of myself because she needs help getting around and such.

On the plus side, my wife's doctor added a couple of husband stiches and now the wife's puddy looks [i]sweet[/i][:P][:P].

Can't wait till the six weeks is up[sex]

sgtar15

sgtar15, Move to Arizona (current outside temp is a cool 86 deg.) and get a place with a Pool and or Jacuzzi or preferably both.

Visit this site first and make an appointment to see Dr. Light.

[url]http://www.spinenet.com/index5.html[/url]


THISISME

Sorry to hear about your dad, but you need to put down the crack pipe -

Dr. Chiu doesn't do hips, and never did - he's a neurosurgeon, not an orthopod.  You obviously have the wrong doctor.

put down the crack pipe?

so you can tell me point blank that 20 years ago, he NEVER did a hip?

anyway, even if I am wrong... might not want to get your panties in a wad defending your doctor, don't take it so personally

typical internet asshole

maybe I should get with the spirit of the net

take the dick out of your mouth before you reply steel rat

Stay away from oxycotten whatever you do. It kills pain good but is a mother to get away from. I use a spa turned up as hot as it goes and an inversion table.

sgtar15  you mentioned sleeping makes it worse and so does shooting prone so I am going to take a guess.  Do you sleep on your stomache?  If you do stop and start sleeping on your back.  I know it sounds wierd but sleeping and lying on your stomache compress your lower spine and increase the pain.  My back problem is not as severe as yours sounds by any means, but I did get knocked to the floor by pain at least once a month and sometimes several times a week.About 4 months ago I started seeing a chiro( probably not the answer for you) and under his guidance I am feeling much better. Hopefully your pain diminishes.

sgtar15:

Sorry to hear about your pain, I'm in the same boat.  I'm a Hot Spring Spa dealer in TX and the best part about my job is getting in the spas before and after work.  They do a wonderful job, very therapeutic.  Check them out.

[url]www.hotspring.com[/url]

I wish you good health!

Spa King

Ya know, I was going to suggest that myself.  Believe it or not, it might help.  If nothing else, going to chiropracter would ease some of the tension.  May I ask what caused your back injury??

Are you still here?  I would've thought you were gone already from that Cry Baby thread you started.  Another fucking whiner.

Good riddance.