I was talking to my wife last night and she pointed out it was probably around November last year when the pain was really making my life difficult. Quality of life wasn't great, and there was a week when both of us were almost useless since she had hurt her neck and it had gone into some form of muscle spasm..
At the time I was of the opinion it would "go away" on it's own and that medical treatment was not necessary..
I see people go to doctors with the most small problem.. or with problems they had a week ago (a pain) and now the symptoms gone.. I can't believe how long it took for me to realise I needed help and to start sorting the problem out. I am also amazed that the first treatment that was offered to me was a pill - rather than thinking about what I could do myself.
With all of the technology I am still somewhat perplexed on the medical profession with this type of problem, what answers and solutions they are offering.
I still have bits of pain, but it's not chronic and acute.. it's more of an ache, which is manageable. I can do pretty much all of the things I need to do.
3 comments:
Hi. This is Rick from Timmins, Ontario, Canada.
I have been following your post off and on now for 6 months or so. I had my first attack in late August 2005. It became severe in Sept to the point that it kept me bedridden for 2 weeks. One morning I tried to get out of bed and was hit with such a severe pain (like a knife had jabbed my back spinal area and buttock) I fell to the floor. My Mother, who was visiting, and was 81 at the time became terrified as I tried to crall back into bed and was crying out obsenities. I spent the next 2 weeks laid up. The pain subsided somewhat until I was able to start moving around again. For the next 2.5 years I felt the pain and the doctors had MRIs and CT scans done and prescribed painkillers. This past March 23rd, just prior to having a complete reno to our house I started feeling the pain increase to a point where I was very little help with the contractor. This lasted until November 25, almost exactly 8 months to the day when suddenly the pain in my backside seemed to completely disappear overnight. I could not beleive it. But something else replaced it. Where the pain had run down from my back and along side the outer side of my leg and down to my foot, had been replaced with a numbness. It has left a tingley feeling on the underside of my foot like it was asleep. I can rub my leg but all I feel numbness. This is day two like this and I am unsure of where to proceed. I much prefer this to the pain but I wonder if there is more damage to the sciatic nerve or is there a healing process going on. I guess time will tell. If anyone has felt this please comment.
Hi Rick, very sorry to read your story, sounds like you have had a rough time with this for a few years.
I have tried to find out if this sort of problem "heals" itself. My father is a surgeon and he always had this general comment to me as I was growing up, that a lot of things sort themselves with time.. i.e the body self heals a lot of things. When I inquired about the damage to my back after the MRI scan - the medical guy said it wouldn't "heal" on it's own. But something must have happened in the 12months for the pain to get significantly less.. so something must be "healing". What I do find is the pain can wander around a bit.. i.e it was really bad in my buttock and then started to become a leg pain - and the pain can come in different sensations. I wonder if the "numbness" is another manifestation of the nerve.
How is the medical care in Canada? Can you go to the doctor without cost?
Hi Choco. An update to my condition. The numbness is slowley leaving I beleive. The pain has subsided to a point where I can get to sleep at night for a few hours. I have been taking a drug that is an inflammatory (Flurbiprofen 100mg)that I used for my occasional gout flareup. If I feel the onset of pain I take one and it seems to releive it. It really works for gout. My doctor says that it would help a bit.
In Canada our Health Care is fairly good. The USA would like to copy outs. They probably would if they didn't have a war to deal with.
Thank you for your reply. Now I must venture outdoors as it is snowing like crazy and I must clear the driveway. A month ago it would have been too painful. Sure glad I am retired.
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