Positional pain?

[Maria]

edited as necessary

[dshobbies]

Maria,

Regardless of specific circumstances, due to the condition of your spine, you're destined to have recurrent spasms and pain which when followed by rest well tend to lesson.

One thing that has me nervous, is that if pushed just a bit too hard, your disc can rupture. In my case, I needed emergency surgery and sustained permanant nerve damage (quite mild) from this rupture. The only thing I did was have dinner with a friend.

You know that picking up furniture, however light, or vaccuming or even a sneeze can send you into pain space. Please don't push your luck... and brace yourself for those sneezes!

Dale

[Maria]

edited as necessary

[mmglobal]

You'll never know, except in hindsight. It will definately get better, get worse or stay the same... I'm certain of it!

With episodic problems related to degenerative changes, we can sometimes manage pain and episodes vs. activities so they don't impact our lives to severely. We get to a place where the good time between episodes becomes shorter... length of episodes increase... severity of episodes increase... response to treatments decrease... kind of a vicious cycle. Waiting for surgery is a wonderful thing to do when we have a fighting chance of avoiding it. With some problems, we can hope that things will settle into a non- or less-painful configuration and slowly be immobilized... leading to a good result without surgery. Against our hope is the possibilty that there is a serious structural problem causing our problems... and it will continue to get worse as things collapse further.

It's hard to say who is who.... who benefits by early surgery... who is harmed by early surgery??? Again... only hindsight or a properly adjusted and functioning crystal ball can tell.

Maria... if you have a flare... wait a few days... it may all blow over and just be one of those unfriendly reminders of how close to the edge you are. To answer your original question... I have positional pain too. I stopped doing the back handsprings off the headboard... using different positions now and the pain has subsided.

Mark

[dshobbies]

Maria,

Having one leg longer than the other, I had back spasms all my adult life. I did not know you could actually injure your back so when I had a severe spasm, I did what I always did, rest. My chiro did not mention that I should have an MRI and I assumed this was just a bad one, lasting 5 months. I had no other symptoms, no pain down my legs, buttocks, no foot drop... nothing. After dinner out with friends, my back was considerably worse, I took a bath to relax but didn't help. The pain was so intense I couldn't sleep and by morning, I could barely walk and was unable to straighten my right leg.

I called my doctor who saw me 7 in the morning, sent me for an MRI and an immediate consult with a neuro... who immediately scheduled surgery. I did wait 1 week for an autalogous blood donation but don't remember much because of the drugs. I think I slept most of the time.

After surgery, I could straighten my leg but my foot and other 'spots' down my leg were numb. Some of the feeling has since come back but the rest remains permanantly numb. I no longer limp and can otherwise use my entire leg (wish I could say the same for my left) but I was warned another rupture could cause more nerve damage. That's why, when I knew L4/5 was in trouble, I ran for surgery 8 years later. Didn't last a year before I was in trouble again. Then I found Mark and the rest is history.

Your discs are so weak and compromised that not only might you be compromising other discs but you should ask your doctor how close you might be to a rupture, especially if you continue picking up furniture .

I know all about your fence and don't blame you one little bit. This is serious stuff and your concern for the surgery and a positive outcome is extremely valid. I just have to wonder how long you can live on these drugs that mask serious pain without sustaining other damage. Call me and we can discuss if you like. Look for my pm

Dale

[Maria]

Mark,
Whatever makes you think I ever did handsprings off the headboard! I use "the net"

I was hoping I might be one of the persons who could escape more surgery tho I think my previous surgeries and general spine health have predisposed me to some further intervention. Even if just ESIs on regular basis which WC doesn't want to provide anymore...

My PM upped my dose of Methadone and I haven't really gone there but might try it first, see what happens. And icing the area that spasms is his other suggestion for flare ups. I've kind of gone beyond that much.

Dale, thanks for reply and am going to your pm now~

[Maria]

edited as necessary