Lower back pain and feeling low

Posted by anuva @anuva, 3 days ago

Hi everyone.. I'm new here. I have been dealing with a disc bulge lower back pain. It's been there for many years, many doctors told me to do some exercises + rest etc. I have been doing that but recently it just got worse. Because of the pain I'm unable to go out much. Many times I feel very low and depressed because of that (I try to stay positive and accept but sometimes it's hard).

Especially this week has been hard. I'm living in Europe for the first time. My husband is out of town for a month. And I've been going through a flare up. Meeting new people, improving my public speaking skills has been my dream for a long time so I joined a local public speaking club. I was so excited but now because of the flare-up I'm unable to go. It's also frustrating because sometimes I don't know if I'm simply scared or actually I'm in a condition where I can't travel for 40 min and sit for 2 hours.

It's been challenging to find the right diagnosis and treatment but I have booked the appointment back in my country next month. I feel like it's stopping me from every goal 😪 and I feel very sad 😔

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

gently | @gently | 3 days ago

Anuva, it sounds like you have a herniated disc. If the bulge has broken though the outer layer of the disc the center of the disc can spill even down several levels. It is highly caustic and in the perfect position to douse sensitive nerves. And it is unbearably painful.
It may still be intact but pressing against nerves. And you could have microdisectomy. https://www.hss.edu/health-library/conditions-and-treatments/microdiscectomy ,
Otherwise,
https://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/neurospine/adr.html
https://www.hss.edu/health-library/conditions-and-treatments/minimally-invasive-lower-back-surgery-anterolateral
You aren't just scared. You are actually in a condition where you can't travel for 40 min and sit for 2 hours. But the condition isn't permanent.

psflinville | @psflinville | 2 days ago

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. I have spinal stenosis and it has gotten so bad that I hardly leave the house. I am in the middle of trying to get better pain control, so far, the do tors seem unwilling to adjust my pain meds high enough to control the pain. I wish you luck, please keep your progress posted .