29th March 2004
Lindsey:
I had an MRI but still have immense pain in my hip and a very inflammed nerve. I have started on Neurontin, ramping up from 300 mg a day until I hit 2400 mg a day. I am currently at 900 mg and for the first time in a year am pain free with only minimal pain if I do something strenuous. I had shooting pains from my back to my hip and also shooting to the left side in front. I thought that it would never end. The sciatic nerve was definetely involved.
My MRI said that I didn't have spinal stenoisis, no arthritis, I did have DDD but that is normal for a person of fifty. I had L5-SI problems but that was due to stretched ligaments that were pulling my pelvis out of whack. I have been having my pelvis adjusted for about ten years now. I had Prolotherapy (tightens up the ligaments) for two months now. (two sessions). This has helped immensely. My pelvis has not gone out since the second session, which is rare for me as it would go out the same day that I had it manipulated so the Prolotherapy is working for me. It can't hurt to ask your doc if your ligaments are loose and causing some of your problem.
Mine was a snowball effect. Since my ligaments were loose, each time that my pelvis became misaligned, it would put wear on my disks. This would inflame the area and press on my nerve (sciatic). The pain would shoot to the hip, down the leg, and I would feel numbness. Sometimes my foot would actually drag.
With Prolotherapy and Neurontin I am solving his problem, hopefully. I have an appointment with a back doc today and an appointment with a Neurologist next week. I am going to have the EMG and discogram. NO PAIN MANAGEMENT!
My husband is a different story:
He woke up with a crink in his neck. He went to a DO (osteopath/focuses on backs and back manipulations and massage:real doctor, just specializes)
Had X-Rays, MRI, put on pain pills (didn't take), muscle relaxers, Soma, Vioxx, physical therapy, and light duty at work.
Didn't work. Then he asked for Neurontin. We are taking it together.
Went to Neurologist: The Neurologist was a bumbling idiot. He dropped the MRI's several times, didn't read the radiologist's report, told him that he had a pinched nerve and that he had to take Prednisone. I had told him to refuse the shots as they destroy tissue. Prednisone is not much better but the doc would not go any further in his treatment unless he took them. That is a pretty nasty drug. Really hard on the body. Same with shots.
He is back at physical therapy getting treatments to calm down the nerve.
Neurologist did an EMG at my insistence. First they stuck his with electric things which made him literally jump out of the chair. He said that it hurt but then he is a man (never experienced child birth). Next they stuck him with needles and electricity. Again, it hurt, according to him. But, it did prove to the doc that he was indeed, suffering from pain, from a nerve.
The MRI showed that he had an old injury, an bulging disk as well as a herniated disk. The DO didn't think that it was the cause of the pain. The radiologist who read the MRI said that the nerve was not impinged on by the disks. This Neurologist, who is also a pain managment doc and who also does surgery is suggesting either/or. He says that there is no other way.
Before you have surgery or we have surgery, I read that any reputable doctor will offer a discogram to make sure that it is the disc that is causing the pain. This Neurologist refuses to do one so I am going to have to find one who will and pay for it as this guy is our only PPO on our insurance plan and he knows it.
If it were me, I would follow the protocal that I am presently following. I am only offering advice and my opinion and what we found through trial and error:
Even is you have to pay for it out of pocket, and we will on some things, your health is all that you have and you only get one body. You don't want permanant nerve damage so find out what it wrong right away.
These are the steps that we followed:
See a DO (if your insurance covers it) Ask him about your ligaments.
Set up an MRI (we were able to do this w/o a referral)
Set up X-rays
Set up an appointment with a Neurologist and if you can find one, make sure that he is not also a pain management doctor or there may be a conflict of interest on his part.
Ask for (insist) on an EMG
If you have disk damage insist on a discogram before thinking about surgery
Meantime build up your abs through crunches, do a lot of stretches, yoga for beginners, use the exercise ball as it is not hard on the joints, and take long walks with a cell phone if you have it so that you can calls someone to come pick you up if you find yourself in too much pain. We walk the track as we can drive there, walk five miles, and then drive home.
Ask about Neurontin. Most docs are not familiar with it and the ramp methods. Make yourself familar with it and then take that info to your doc.
Stay away from the steroids if you can. They are only temp relief at best.
Stay away from NSID's. (Anti-inflammatory drugs) they stop the healing process.
Ice is good, but for only twenty minutes at time. It is only for acute pain, not chonic, as it too will stop the healing processes.
Rest is not always a good thing. You need to keep the muscles stretched and the joints moving. You can do this with gentle stretches which you can find on the net.
If you have loose ligaments, there is only one way to tighten them back up and that is with Prolotherapy. It is only 86% effective but better than a lifetime of pain. It in itself is a very painful process but worth it in the long run. I literally wanted to die after the first treatment but went back for a second and will be doing two more. And, it is not covered by insurance so you are looking at about $400 per treatment.
Look up R.I.C.E. versus M.E.A.T. on the Google search engine.
Supplements:
Chondroitin
Glucosomine
MSN
multivitamin or Total (cereal) every day
bulk up on vitamina A, C, E, and B complex (do not over do A) (try to get these through food sources)
Maganese
Bioflavanoids
Zinc
Selenium
Blessed Thistle
Omega 3's
All of these seem to help us. And, if taken correctly, can't hurt your body, only your checkbook.
Always, always, always, seek more than one opinion and never accept surgery unless it is your only, last choice and you have had it proved to you through a discogram that it is absolutely necessary.
Whew! :D
I had an MRI but still have immense pain in my hip and a very inflammed nerve. I have started on Neurontin, ramping up from 300 mg a day until I hit 2400 mg a day. I am currently at 900 mg and for the first time in a year am pain free with only minimal pain if I do something strenuous. I had shooting pains from my back to my hip and also shooting to the left side in front. I thought that it would never end. The sciatic nerve was definetely involved.
My MRI said that I didn't have spinal stenoisis, no arthritis, I did have DDD but that is normal for a person of fifty. I had L5-SI problems but that was due to stretched ligaments that were pulling my pelvis out of whack. I have been having my pelvis adjusted for about ten years now. I had Prolotherapy (tightens up the ligaments) for two months now. (two sessions). This has helped immensely. My pelvis has not gone out since the second session, which is rare for me as it would go out the same day that I had it manipulated so the Prolotherapy is working for me. It can't hurt to ask your doc if your ligaments are loose and causing some of your problem.
Mine was a snowball effect. Since my ligaments were loose, each time that my pelvis became misaligned, it would put wear on my disks. This would inflame the area and press on my nerve (sciatic). The pain would shoot to the hip, down the leg, and I would feel numbness. Sometimes my foot would actually drag.
With Prolotherapy and Neurontin I am solving his problem, hopefully. I have an appointment with a back doc today and an appointment with a Neurologist next week. I am going to have the EMG and discogram. NO PAIN MANAGEMENT!
My husband is a different story:
He woke up with a crink in his neck. He went to a DO (osteopath/focuses on backs and back manipulations and massage:real doctor, just specializes)
Had X-Rays, MRI, put on pain pills (didn't take), muscle relaxers, Soma, Vioxx, physical therapy, and light duty at work.
Didn't work. Then he asked for Neurontin. We are taking it together.
Went to Neurologist: The Neurologist was a bumbling idiot. He dropped the MRI's several times, didn't read the radiologist's report, told him that he had a pinched nerve and that he had to take Prednisone. I had told him to refuse the shots as they destroy tissue. Prednisone is not much better but the doc would not go any further in his treatment unless he took them. That is a pretty nasty drug. Really hard on the body. Same with shots.
He is back at physical therapy getting treatments to calm down the nerve.
Neurologist did an EMG at my insistence. First they stuck his with electric things which made him literally jump out of the chair. He said that it hurt but then he is a man (never experienced child birth). Next they stuck him with needles and electricity. Again, it hurt, according to him. But, it did prove to the doc that he was indeed, suffering from pain, from a nerve.
The MRI showed that he had an old injury, an bulging disk as well as a herniated disk. The DO didn't think that it was the cause of the pain. The radiologist who read the MRI said that the nerve was not impinged on by the disks. This Neurologist, who is also a pain managment doc and who also does surgery is suggesting either/or. He says that there is no other way.
Before you have surgery or we have surgery, I read that any reputable doctor will offer a discogram to make sure that it is the disc that is causing the pain. This Neurologist refuses to do one so I am going to have to find one who will and pay for it as this guy is our only PPO on our insurance plan and he knows it.
If it were me, I would follow the protocal that I am presently following. I am only offering advice and my opinion and what we found through trial and error:
Even is you have to pay for it out of pocket, and we will on some things, your health is all that you have and you only get one body. You don't want permanant nerve damage so find out what it wrong right away.
These are the steps that we followed:
See a DO (if your insurance covers it) Ask him about your ligaments.
Set up an MRI (we were able to do this w/o a referral)
Set up X-rays
Set up an appointment with a Neurologist and if you can find one, make sure that he is not also a pain management doctor or there may be a conflict of interest on his part.
Ask for (insist) on an EMG
If you have disk damage insist on a discogram before thinking about surgery
Meantime build up your abs through crunches, do a lot of stretches, yoga for beginners, use the exercise ball as it is not hard on the joints, and take long walks with a cell phone if you have it so that you can calls someone to come pick you up if you find yourself in too much pain. We walk the track as we can drive there, walk five miles, and then drive home.
Ask about Neurontin. Most docs are not familiar with it and the ramp methods. Make yourself familar with it and then take that info to your doc.
Stay away from the steroids if you can. They are only temp relief at best.
Stay away from NSID's. (Anti-inflammatory drugs) they stop the healing process.
Ice is good, but for only twenty minutes at time. It is only for acute pain, not chonic, as it too will stop the healing processes.
Rest is not always a good thing. You need to keep the muscles stretched and the joints moving. You can do this with gentle stretches which you can find on the net.
If you have loose ligaments, there is only one way to tighten them back up and that is with Prolotherapy. It is only 86% effective but better than a lifetime of pain. It in itself is a very painful process but worth it in the long run. I literally wanted to die after the first treatment but went back for a second and will be doing two more. And, it is not covered by insurance so you are looking at about $400 per treatment.
Look up R.I.C.E. versus M.E.A.T. on the Google search engine.
Supplements:
Chondroitin
Glucosomine
MSN
multivitamin or Total (cereal) every day
bulk up on vitamina A, C, E, and B complex (do not over do A) (try to get these through food sources)
Maganese
Bioflavanoids
Zinc
Selenium
Blessed Thistle
Omega 3's
All of these seem to help us. And, if taken correctly, can't hurt your body, only your checkbook.
Always, always, always, seek more than one opinion and never accept surgery unless it is your only, last choice and you have had it proved to you through a discogram that it is absolutely necessary.
Whew! :D