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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@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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Did you receive reply about MSM?

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@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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Gail this ART sounds like the activator used by chiropractors

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@lioness

One thing I take to help my mood,depression is SAM- E buy at drugstore or Walmart

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No just by itself as I mostly do holistic Prescription meds are for blood pressure and cholesterol.

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@bonnieh218

@grandmar you mentioned in another post I read that you thought it would be great to get to a good hospital like Mayo. It is possible. I’m 65 so am on Medicare. I see Mayo doctors in Rochester for fibromyalgia. They have an excellent pain management program; it is a two week program. I have not done this program yet. You should call Mayo to get an appointment. It is not hard to get in. I always used to think it was so much more expensive to go there. It is not! Things work at Mayo within relatively short time spans and you get test, etc. reports right away so their teams of doctors work together to make a plan for your individual treatment. I don’t know anything about your situation but I hope you would be able to give this some thought and possibly get answers and relief.

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I am also on Medicare with BCBS. I know that the Mayo has financial help if needed; I have a friend right now applying for financial assistance. I have never heard of the Mayo Clinic turning anyone down. Are you talking about one of their systems smaller hospitals or clinics where they can’t actually treat all alignments? My friend went to one of the Mayo Health System facility and they could not help her. Her doctor wrote her a referral for Rochester where she presently is being taken care of. Mayo’s main philosophy is “the patient comes first”. I know it can be very hard sometimes because they have no open appointments for months. I live in MN and visit Rochester every year. Many people don’t like MN winters and don’t want appointments in the winter so it might actually be easier to get an appointment at that time if you were willingly to put up with our weather. Keep trying.

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@bonnieh218

@grandmar you mentioned in another post I read that you thought it would be great to get to a good hospital like Mayo. It is possible. I’m 65 so am on Medicare. I see Mayo doctors in Rochester for fibromyalgia. They have an excellent pain management program; it is a two week program. I have not done this program yet. You should call Mayo to get an appointment. It is not hard to get in. I always used to think it was so much more expensive to go there. It is not! Things work at Mayo within relatively short time spans and you get test, etc. reports right away so their teams of doctors work together to make a plan for your individual treatment. I don’t know anything about your situation but I hope you would be able to give this some thought and possibly get answers and relief.

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Thanks for the great marketing for MN. I live there in the spring and fall. I never thought about the winter being more accessible for appointments. Unfortunately, I was turned down for treatment by the Mayo Rochester physician group that meets to review cases and makes these decisions. The reason I received was that there was nothing more that Mayo could do for my chronic myofascial pain syndrome, idiopathic polyneuropathy and small fiber neuropathy. At the time I was only taking gabapentin and experiencing progressive suffering. They did tell me that I could try again at a later date. I will say that the "patients come first" philosophy is very evident throughout the entire Mayo organization. My partner was there for surgery one year ago and the entire experience was amazingly supportive and professional. It probably helped that he had a patient number given at the age of 9 mos which guarantees access for life. He needed no referral and they saw him within a week. So if any of you have such a number hanging around in a file cabinet, it is golden. And then....don't give up! Turn the next corner and set your sights high!

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I too know how depressing it is to be in constant pain. Just doing things around my house gets harder. I love cooking, baking and canning. I have compression fractures in both the upper and lower spine. Now I am having trouble in the neck. I have had a pain stimulator, didn't work, I have had so many injections I have lost track. The last was the medial branch nerve block, I have had three. I also have peripheral neuropathy. I am on gabapentin. I go to a pain specialist. So far nothing has worked. He said he didn't think I would find a surgeon that would operate on me. I know my age!!! I am 82 and boy do they keep reminding me of that. I realize I am getting old! But do I have to be in pain? If I take the pain medication, then I can't function anyway. So????????? I do have family (they have their own life and have to work) I have my church family and my faith in God. That keeps ,me motivated.

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@hosta

I too know how depressing it is to be in constant pain. Just doing things around my house gets harder. I love cooking, baking and canning. I have compression fractures in both the upper and lower spine. Now I am having trouble in the neck. I have had a pain stimulator, didn't work, I have had so many injections I have lost track. The last was the medial branch nerve block, I have had three. I also have peripheral neuropathy. I am on gabapentin. I go to a pain specialist. So far nothing has worked. He said he didn't think I would find a surgeon that would operate on me. I know my age!!! I am 82 and boy do they keep reminding me of that. I realize I am getting old! But do I have to be in pain? If I take the pain medication, then I can't function anyway. So????????? I do have family (they have their own life and have to work) I have my church family and my faith in God. That keeps ,me motivated.

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Finally got into this page.For Pain a good tea will help it's Arnica tea ☕ you can find it at Rite Aid I drink it when in pain ,it gets rid of pain for a long time ,.

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It you can drink ☕ Arnica tea is good for pain,relieved it ,for depression get SAM,-e or St John,s Wort if your on Coumadin don't take St John,s Wort.

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@hosta

I too know how depressing it is to be in constant pain. Just doing things around my house gets harder. I love cooking, baking and canning. I have compression fractures in both the upper and lower spine. Now I am having trouble in the neck. I have had a pain stimulator, didn't work, I have had so many injections I have lost track. The last was the medial branch nerve block, I have had three. I also have peripheral neuropathy. I am on gabapentin. I go to a pain specialist. So far nothing has worked. He said he didn't think I would find a surgeon that would operate on me. I know my age!!! I am 82 and boy do they keep reminding me of that. I realize I am getting old! But do I have to be in pain? If I take the pain medication, then I can't function anyway. So????????? I do have family (they have their own life and have to work) I have my church family and my faith in God. That keeps ,me motivated.

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If your pain meds don't work or knock you out, you're taking the wrong one or the wrong amount. There are many narcotic and they all affect different people in different ways. Oxycontin doesn't work anymore for me but hydromorphone, (dilaudid), does a great job. There are several others to try. I also get relief from Healing touch, Qigong and meditation.

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@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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A lady who had experienced chronic back pain for a bunch of years had surgery to put two cadaver(human) discs in her back to replace two she had that had failed (I guess the medical term is ruptured) instead of artificial ones and she is feeling wonderful.

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