I've had lower back issues for 20 years. Sometimes I'll be fine for weeks and then it comes on and I'll be in pain for a few weeks. I've never taken any pain medication for it. It's alternates between a dull ache and shooting pains. I know what it can be like when all you can think about is the pain and you can't concentrate on anything else. You feel crabby, irritable and downright volatile. 

I think mine is either sciatic or piriformis related, because doing piriformis stretches every day after some exercise has helped it a lot. I would look into what kind of stretches could be good for your particular problem, if applicable. A lot of back pain is made worse by tight hamstrings or weak abdominal muscles. It also helps to exercise your pelvic floor muscle (the muscle which you use to stop peeing) because it provides a lot of support. If your pain is the result of an injury then stretches and exercises might not cure it but they can deliver some improvement, take the edge off and make it manageable. 

By the way I wouldn't be too jealous about those "other countries." Every system has its ups and downs. When I had skin cancer and was told by my specialist in New York that I'd have to have surgery within 6 weeks otherwise it might spread to my lymph system, I inquired back home to see about having it done for free on the British NHS. I was told that I might wait anywhere up to 12 weeks to have the surgery. By which time, my chances of survival would have been significantly lower. So I had it done in New York and paid for it (I didn't have insurance). When I asked how soon I could have it done they asked "when are you next free?"

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement. Really. I knew that many others suffer from similar symptoms but it's good to hear from them. It can seem pretty hopeless at 3:00 in the morning and you haven't slept in days and the pain just won't quit. 

Things are looking up and I'm feeling more optimistic (although it could be the drugs). I got a message through to my doctor and I think he'll refill my pain pills, so that's a load off. Unfortunately, I cannot schedule the MRI because I don't know the makes and models of the three cardiac stents I've been carrying around in my heart since 2001. Consequently, I'm devoting today to tracking down that information. 

Between phone calls and hospital hold music, I plan on listening to every post in the Songs forum for the past month. Janet's beautiful piano piece was just the ticket. Now a little julibee therapy and I'll be set. 

No personal experience, but someone I know had similar problems for a long while that nothing seemed to work on. He had been having cortisone injections for quite sone time just to be able to work, but this was obviosusly not a good long term solution. When all else seemed to have failed someone suggested he try sleeping on a water bed instead of his regular one. Having nothing to lose, he tried it and it did the trick.  I think he rented one at first, but bought once he knew it was working. Dunno if you can rent such things where you are, but maybe worth looking into ?

Sorry to hear about your back, Bit.   It's not like you can just not use your back for awhile, is it?  I had chronic back pain since I was a young kid.  I went to doctors and chiropractors and everybody helped to some degree or another.  In the end, I had to accept that a certain amount of pain is inevitable and to live with what I can tolerate.  I have family members who have injured a disc and have had surgery to treat it.  The surgery helped and now it's a matter of pain management.  As you know, it often comes down to a balancing act with medications.  One will kill your liver while another will kill your kidneys, etc.  A good pain management specialist should help to find the right combination of meds for you along with physical therapy, chiropractors, massage therapy, etc.  It helps to take the long view because progress can seem slow or nonexistent at times.  Hang in there and I hope you can get the info you need to schedule your MRI.  Once your doc has that, everyone can speak a little more intelligently about it.

Also there are good things being said at the moment about turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties in helping people deal with pain, including back pain. Might be worth seeking out the concentrated extract capsules. Sometimes it comes with bromelain - the two work in tandem. Ginger is another one. I make a strong ginger tea when I'm going through a bout of my pain and it seems to help. 

Sorry for your pain bitflipper, I've been there and I know how easy it is to be incapacitated by back pain. Who would of thought that lifting an arm could cause pain in ones back.

In my case I was trying to undo a lug nut on a flat tire, I went down immediately and was lying on the ground not moving at all hoping maybe my neighbors would see me when they got up. After an hour or so I was able to get up and into the house with alot of pain, IIRC it took about an hour to get up the stairs.

My primary care doc also specializes in sports medicine and when I finally got in to see him he did the usual synth-heroin perscription and demanded that I walk a minimum of one hour per day. I was semi fortunate in that I tend to be physically active anyway so it wasn't too difficult to follow his instructions once I was stoned out of my mind pain. Walking was supposed to be followed up with gentle stretching exercises which I did.

After a week or so I was off the meds and not feeling any pain so in my case it all worked out. Assuming you haven't physically damaged any discs or your skeletal structure I would hope that this would work for you.

Anywho, hope you feel better I know how tough it can be.

Regards,

Please, no gloating from those living in Canada, France, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Cuba or anywhere else in the civilized world where health care and bankruptcy aren't part of the same program.

Healthcare in Canada, yeah, right... :s Wanna hear a good one?


In late 2000, I broke my back at work. I went home, hoping that some rest would help. Had to call in sick the next 2 days, and on the second day, I went to the hospital.

I came in at 1 pm and managed to see a doctor past midnight. Staying seated for just 5 minutes was very painful, I'll let you imagine what those 11 hours on an uncomfortable hospital chair did to me.

The doctor's verdict - bad injury, and I would need to see a physiotherapist. When he told me how much that would cost me and that there was no way to tell how many appointments it'd take (could be one, could be twenty), I realized that I just couldn't afford the treatment. I was working for minimum wage, had no insurances, etc. Plus the doctor told me I couldn't go back to work for a while, so, no income.

I went back to my employer and explained the situation. Their answer was that - 

1: they were letting me go because they didn't need someone w/ a broken back in the warehouse.

2: I had waited too long to go to the doctor and that they wouldn't allow me to get any form of compensation from the basic public insurance (CSST as we call back home). And being fired, I didn't have access to employment insurance either. 

My only option was public welfare. Which was a total disgrace. 

I had had to go that low once before, for a month. Another glorious chapter. I was looking for a job in a new city we had just moved to. I had no revenue, but the in-laws were helping for the first few months since we had moved there so that my (ex) wife could study. But the government demanded that I continue paying my own student load right away. When I told them about my situation, and that it'd be just for a month or two, they told me that the only way they could exempt me from payment was if I was on welfare. In other words, the only way for them to cut me a slack was if I asked them for money. Makes a lot of sense... So for a month I had been on welfare. The government had sent one big fat check my way - $178 for the month. 

So when the opportunity to cash in on the system again presented itself, I passed on it and took a few gigs writing music for documentaries and such. But these were few and far between. My (ex) wife and I split. Obviously...

And that's how I ended up living in a walk-in over at my friends' place. Otherwise, I'd be on the street. 

That's how wonderful it really is in Canada. There's a safety net - but there are definitely holes big enough in it for one to pass through.

On a positive note - my back got better on its own, though it isn't totally fixed. But once I was a bit better, training and exercises helped re-inforce it. 

Late to the game Dave, but I pulled my lower back out, some 28 years ago, reaching for a pencil on a desk. Seriously. 

I was laid up for two weeks and sought Chiropractic help. He's been my Dr. for all that time. I only now see him for neck stress maybe twice a year (used to be more than that with headaches but Daryl's sister helped me out with those).

I just know not to overwork my back these days. And yes I do, but rarely to excruciating pain. 

WRT to my back, I know my limits.

Song plugs? Now that's another story altogether.

I can only say- be very careful with narcotic pain meds.

I was on the stuff for quite a while a few years back and I really didn't take any more than directed, but lets just say I was on multiple different versions and not minimalist doses.

I would wake up at like 5 AM every morning and feel like I couldn't breathe. I didn't realize at the time (I was in bad shape after spending almost a month in the hospital and then rehab), but you stop breathing when you OD.

It wasn't until a few months later when I asked my doctor whether it would be OK to have a glass of wine with dinner at Thanksgiving while on the meds that I realized what had been happening:

Dr.: Alcohol isn't a good idea.

Me: What happens?

Dr.: You stop breathing.

Me: Gee, I like breathing...

I had similar problems until I got on a regular schedule of appointments with a chiropractor. He gave me a back brace to wear which fixed my problem in just a few minutes....Another time I had neck & back injuries and seen a different chiropractor, after a couple of months of visits, I'm happy to report 99% of the pain and problems are gone. I still go into see him once a week for maintenance and everything is just fine now. Regular medical doctors didn't have a clue how to fix the problem, they just give you pain medications to cover it up.