1. < Spine Health

Low back pain & neuropathy issues

Posted by timmckinney @timmckinney, Feb 6, 2018

68 years old and lower back+neuropathy issues make staying active hell. Used to be avid jogger and now cannot be on my feet for more than 10-15 minutes. No meds help. Very depressing.

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Feb 10, 2018
In reply to @wsh66 "I did go the gym today, twice. The first time i did 55 minutes on the..." + (show)
@wsh66

I did go the gym today, twice. The first time i did 55 minutes on the NuStep cross trainer. It's a wonderful device. I can't walk more than 20 feet without using a cane and even with a cane it gets very painful very fast. (I love going to the grocery store daily as It gives me social contacts and the carts make really good walkers.) Sorry, I digress. The NuStep positions your body, (seated, recumbent),in such a way that your back is not loaded at all. You work your arms with a push pull motion and your legs while pushing forward. After an hour or so I'm dripping sweat and feeling the effects on my one good lung. I've only been doing this for 3 weeks and it's getting stronger already. My cancer treatment gave me chronic hospital pneumonia which left me with COPD and my right lung collapsed and the diaphragm paralyzed. With only one to work with I need to make it stronger.

After my workout I took my 31 year old son who has Down's syndrome to work at the Pizza Barn where he has been a dish washer for the ;last 15 years. Then I went back to the gym for a complete massage with coconut oil and hot rocks. Massage won't cure your pain issues but think about it. When you have chronic pain how often does your whole body feel really great for a solid hour? Every muscle, every joint every pore on your skin is transformed into an instrument of pleasure. We're usually happy to just not hurt. This is way beyond just not hurting. This is pleasure. Your body, the source of your pain, the source of all your displeasure and you depression is transformed into the source of your pleasure. The warm oil, the hot rocks the masseuses powerful and skilled hands. It's just wonderful.

Alternative therapies like Massage, Qigong, Yoga, Thi Chi, Acupuncture, tapping, (Thought Field Therapy), and Healing Touch may not cure you. They might not replace your drugs or your spinal stimulator or your surgeon but they do all contribute to improving your general sense of well being and when that happens your pain or your experience of your pain lessens and improves. These alternatives may not be founded in modern science, you may nor be able to test them and produce repeatable results but they are not scalpels and pills nor are they parlor tricks and yes they don't work for everyone. You're dealing with nontraditional healers and you must have confidence in them and in what they do. They are bringing you gifts that existed for thousand s of years before there was modern medicine. Many of the oldest come from the east where they had highly organized bureaucracies, organized cities and libraries while we of European descent were still running around hitting each other with rocks. These are not stupid peoples. They hung on to things like Qigong because they work.

I don't use Homeopathy. I do or have used Qigong, massage, Cranial sacral Release, Yoga, Tapping and Healing Touch. In fact, tomorrow afternoon I'll be receiving Healing Touch for an hour and a half and I'll be getting from a RN who has worked at our local Fairview clinic for years.

I'm in pain right now as a result of my workout. However the trade off is worth it. The exercise and the massage elevate my mood so much that dealing with my pain is easier. In many periods over the past 20 years I have been as miserable and hopeless as anyone who checks in here. I have all of modern medicine and several great doctors at my disposal and we have run out of answers. They do all they can and they do a great job but I still have significant pain. There are other answers to turn to and not just alternative therapies. It gets down to individual choices and attempts to improve ones mood and one's outlook of life. The only alternative I refuse to entertain is to give up.

I wish you all Love and Blessings.

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Where and in what form do you get it?

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @grandmar "I feel your pain...literally! I am 63 (in a month) and I also suffer from chronic..." + (show)
@grandmar

I feel your pain...literally! I am 63 (in a month) and I also suffer from chronic pain. My lumbar and cervical spines are in real trouble! At one point I stopped walking for over 2 years because of the pain. I also had severe, I want to die pain in my left arm to fingers that came from my cervical spine. I went to a pain doc who gave me a shot. The shot was the answer and thankfully it worked for years!
As for my lower issues, I saw 4 docs. They all tried lots of things that didn't work. Three years ago I moved and went to one doc who was good for nothing. I searched and searched and finally found a pain doc who is about 1-2 hours away (because of traffic, it can be longer). He has worked MAGIC on my lumbar spine!. He uses a fluoroscope to find the sweet spot, based on my MRIs and what I tell him. His shots usually last 8-12 weeks if I behave.
I agree with Jim. You are too young to be homebound. Do some research in your area for a good pain doc. Read reviews by patients and other docs.

A couple of sites you can use:
vitals.com
Zocdoc.com
nationalpeerreview.com
WebMD.com
ratemds.com

Hope this helps.
Ronnie

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I am so, so happy for you!! I look forward to the day when I will be pain free.......I hope!!!!!

I actually went to see a neurosurgeon last week. I've decided on surgery. Since the injections in my lumbar is giving me relief, the doc suggested starting with my cervical spine first. I am having 2 discs removed and 2 artificial discs to replace those. He showed me my MRI and how bad the stenosis is. At this point, it looks like surgery is my last option. He told me he usually does not operate on a patient when seeing them for the first time but when I listed all the non-surgical interventions I've gone through, he approved the surgery.

As for my lumbar spine, that will be next. He said he has several ideas about what can be done. I don't know what they are, but one thing at a time.

Thank you for the suggestion. I hope that you continue to be pain free and take advantage of all the things you could not do while suffering.

Ronnie

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grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @jimhd "@timmckinney Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when..." + (show)
@jimhd

@timmckinney

Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when I fell several years ago, and have peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June last year, and the pain in my feet has been reduced significantly, though certainly not completely. It's frustrating not to be able to walk like I used to. I take morphine sulfate contin and I'm trying Gabapentin again. I'm hoping that one of the medications for neuropathy will work, now that I have the stimulator. None of them did anything before.

Going to a pain specialist was one of the best things I've done. He took a sincere interest in helping me. I had been through all the neuropathy meds with the neurologist, with no success.

What doctors have you seen about the neuropathy? Keep pressing them to try everything they can. Don't let them give up.

Jim

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Please don't give up. I understand the feeling of helplessness. I was a very active person, at one time. Now, my husband basically has to do everything. Who thought I'd miss cleaning my own house or cooking us a meal? We are also retired and I cannot join in on the things we dreamed of doing at this time in our lives.

I went to 4 or 5 pain doctors before finding the one I am currently using. He has been only partially successful in helping me with my cervical spine issues, but he has done, up until now, a great job with my lumbar issues. However, I realize that I cannot take these injections the rest of my life. Who know what the consequences will be? Surely shooting steroids into my body every 6-12 weeks can't be great.

My doc also suggested I see a therapist to work on the emotional issues connected with living with chronic pain and all its implications. The doc is great, but has not really helped me with living with the pain, but he has helped with other issues which is one less thing I have to deal with.

As for pain meds, that is going to be more difficult to get with the opioid epidemic. I hear that docs are suppose to suggest ASPIRIN first. What a joke!!!!

Well, keep your head up and do research for new docs. If you don't like one, find another.

Best wishes!
ronnie

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @grandmar "I feel your pain...literally! I am 63 (in a month) and I also suffer from chronic..." + (show)
@grandmar

I feel your pain...literally! I am 63 (in a month) and I also suffer from chronic pain. My lumbar and cervical spines are in real trouble! At one point I stopped walking for over 2 years because of the pain. I also had severe, I want to die pain in my left arm to fingers that came from my cervical spine. I went to a pain doc who gave me a shot. The shot was the answer and thankfully it worked for years!
As for my lower issues, I saw 4 docs. They all tried lots of things that didn't work. Three years ago I moved and went to one doc who was good for nothing. I searched and searched and finally found a pain doc who is about 1-2 hours away (because of traffic, it can be longer). He has worked MAGIC on my lumbar spine!. He uses a fluoroscope to find the sweet spot, based on my MRIs and what I tell him. His shots usually last 8-12 weeks if I behave.
I agree with Jim. You are too young to be homebound. Do some research in your area for a good pain doc. Read reviews by patients and other docs.

A couple of sites you can use:
vitals.com
Zocdoc.com
nationalpeerreview.com
WebMD.com
ratemds.com

Hope this helps.
Ronnie

Jump to this post

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live??

There are old fashioned docs all over. I have been to docs who have told me fibromyalgia is not a real condition. Basically, they implied I'm a lady who over reacts. So, I understand your frustrations.

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @powerl2017 "Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info..." + (show)
@powerl2017

Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info now.

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I have looked into stem cell interventions, too. I think it is the way to go but I am concerned about the docs who perform the procedures. When I look at the websites, it looks so glitzy. I worry that some of these docs are just looking for money. It would be great to get into a program in a reputable hospital (like Mayo). So, I'm opting for cervical surgery to replace, not fuse 2 discs.

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @powerl2017 "Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info..." + (show)
@powerl2017

Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info now.

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I am sure you have heard about the 'opioid epidemic'. Yes, we suffer because of the abuse of others. It is going to get even more difficult to get pain meds now. What to do????

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @jimhd "@timmckinney Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when..." + (show)
@jimhd

@timmckinney

Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when I fell several years ago, and have peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June last year, and the pain in my feet has been reduced significantly, though certainly not completely. It's frustrating not to be able to walk like I used to. I take morphine sulfate contin and I'm trying Gabapentin again. I'm hoping that one of the medications for neuropathy will work, now that I have the stimulator. None of them did anything before.

Going to a pain specialist was one of the best things I've done. He took a sincere interest in helping me. I had been through all the neuropathy meds with the neurologist, with no success.

What doctors have you seen about the neuropathy? Keep pressing them to try everything they can. Don't let them give up.

Jim

Jump to this post

Pain doctors specialize in using a variety of interventions to help in the reduction of pain. Many of these docs are anesthesiologist. As far as my experiences with pain doctors, they perform invasive procedures. Not cutting, but needles. Now needles don't bother me and I don't take anything for the procedures. For me, my interventions included injections of steroids by bad discs. I've also had other interventions by them but the steroid injections are the ones I get the most.

These pain docs are USUALLY covered by insurance.

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @jimhd "@timmckinney Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when..." + (show)
@jimhd

@timmckinney

Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when I fell several years ago, and have peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June last year, and the pain in my feet has been reduced significantly, though certainly not completely. It's frustrating not to be able to walk like I used to. I take morphine sulfate contin and I'm trying Gabapentin again. I'm hoping that one of the medications for neuropathy will work, now that I have the stimulator. None of them did anything before.

Going to a pain specialist was one of the best things I've done. He took a sincere interest in helping me. I had been through all the neuropathy meds with the neurologist, with no success.

What doctors have you seen about the neuropathy? Keep pressing them to try everything they can. Don't let them give up.

Jim

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I personally could not tolerate it.

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @jimhd "@timmckinney Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when..." + (show)
@jimhd

@timmckinney

Parus is right. You're not alone. I had compression fractures in my lower back when I fell several years ago, and have peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June last year, and the pain in my feet has been reduced significantly, though certainly not completely. It's frustrating not to be able to walk like I used to. I take morphine sulfate contin and I'm trying Gabapentin again. I'm hoping that one of the medications for neuropathy will work, now that I have the stimulator. None of them did anything before.

Going to a pain specialist was one of the best things I've done. He took a sincere interest in helping me. I had been through all the neuropathy meds with the neurologist, with no success.

What doctors have you seen about the neuropathy? Keep pressing them to try everything they can. Don't let them give up.

Jim

Jump to this post

Wow! I never heard of that. Who did this for you???

REPLY
grandmaR | @grandmar | Feb 11, 2018
In reply to @powerl2017 "Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info..." + (show)
@powerl2017

Same hear I have three procedures no help . I am looking to stem cell info now.

Jump to this post

When I was taking PT, the therapist used a hand held device that looked like a remote control. She called it acupuncture. I wonder if it is actually TAPPING???? She was using her fingers to determine where to do it. She said that it would take about 10 sessions for it to work. Since I am having surgeries, I decided to stop PT because I have a limited amount I can do and will need it after the surgeries.

Docs will not give anyone meds without seeing them first. There is no way for them to know if medical situations have changed. In the meantime, taking something like 3 high dose Advils might help to calm the pain down a bit. Of course, you have to be careful about stomach issues. I used to do that in order to keep my pain med supply for those unbearable days. Don't laugh, I KNOW it is not a pain killer by any means.

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