(no subject)

[cailj]

Bleh.

Okay, so I've had this vaguely recurring problem with the muscles in my lower back, on the left hand side, near the hip. Mostly it's just extreme pain which kinda radiates down my hip and into my leg. It'll stay for two or three weeks, and then go away for months and then come back.

It's back, and really it's worse than it's ever been. It doesn't hurt to bend over -- in fact, it feels better when I'm bent over (get your minds out of the gutter), but standing up straight nearly knocks me out with the pain.

800mg of Motrin does nothing. One of the Doc's hydrocodone put me to sleep, but didn't really do much for the pain. (though I /did/ sleep all the way through the night, so I liked that well enough) I've added 600 mg of Advil to the Motrin and I can at least sit at work and type and stuff, but godDAMN, this is annoying as all fuck.

And of course it happens RIGHT before I leave for Houston which happens RIGHT before Mardi Gras when we've got friends in town who want to see parades and stuff.

Whee. *grumble*

Still, pain is a pretty interesting experience. I don't /like/ it, but I am always curious about the ways it effects the way I think and act. It alternately has a clarifying effect and a muddling effect. One minute I'm thinking more clearly than I ever had, and the next, all I can think is, "Ugh.. food good... pain bad ..." or "Pleasedeargod I'll alwaysbegoodforeverandever if you just takethepainawayplease."

Comments

[steam.livejournal.com]

Motrin and Advil are the same drug. I'd really advise against taking 1400mg of it for very long (if at all). If the pain is that bad, go to a doctor and get something stronger. Your stomach and your liver will thank you later.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

Hip, down the leg... that's called sciatica, hon, and it has to do with pinched nerves in your lower back. (and there's not, that I know of, a great treatment other than fortitude and cortisone shots if you can talk them into it.)

Hrm?

[cai.livejournal.com]

Sciatica huh? I've never heard of that. Time to pull out the ol' trusty medical websites. Er, I guess that's not so much "pulling them out". All I know is it hurts like a motherfucker. But thank you for giving me something to go on.

[tuliphead.livejournal.com]

get thee to a chiropractor! i had some awful lower back pain and didn't know what it was until i saw a chiropractor, who was able to tell that i'd broken a vertebra in my lower back and that the bone scar tissue was causing me issues. thanks to him, i am now pain free with few relapses. a good chiropractor is worth his weight in gold - try to get some recommendations and see if visiting one helps you out.

[cai.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about a chiropractor. People who use them would swear by them. But see, I gots no medical insurance or anything, so money is an issue. Maybe, if it comes back again when I have money this summer I'll check one out. What did he do to you to make it better? I'm thinking of Eddie Izzard's shtick about how all they do is "crack yer bones". There's got to be more to it than that. :)

[tuliphead.livejournal.com]

i currently don't have insurance, either, which is why i was unable to go visit my saint of a chiropractor during my last relapse - which, fortunately, went away on its own. you might even find one that will treat you for a per-visit fee, sans insurance; my ch worked something like that out with me when i got laid off and lost my insurance. i totally understand your situation. it sucks a lot.

because of my bone problem, there is no back cracking for me; the one time my ch seriously tried it, he tried it very very gently for fear of disastrous results, and only tried it at my urging because of my pain. what my ch usually uses is traction and adjustment. traction consists of using gravity and your body's weight to realign the spine: you lay face down, and after ascertaining the state of your spine, the ch puts hard pillows under your legs or hips (usually one on the left, one on the right), and you lay there for 10-15 minutes or so while gravity and weight do their work to 'pull' your spine back to a natural placement. he'll then come in with an adjuster - one of those things that looks like a cross between a doorstop and a syringe, that gives a hard pop when you push it in - and feel your vertebrae and use the adjuster to realign them. none of this hurts - the adjuster sometimes stings a little, but never for long - and i almost always feel a noticeable improvement after a session. a session never took more than 30 minutes from walk-in to walk-out, either, and there were times i couldn't stand up straight when i came in and i could when i left.

the medical community disses chiropracty, usually, but doctors in general have a bad history of treating the back themselves. try to avoid chain clinics (dunno if you have them there, but they do exist here) and see if you can get referrals from anyone you trust. i actually found my dr in the phone book and was exceptionally lucky with the results, but i, too, swear by him. i hope you're able to give it a shot sometime!

[teslagirl.livejournal.com]

Yep, like steam said. 1400 mg of ibuprofen is rough on your stomach and liver.... Sciatica is terrible, and I don't know if a doctor could help, but you ought to try it. The pain sounds awful.

[geredan.livejournal.com]

All the wonderful medical advice aside, I only have one thing to add.

As if you could be good forever. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Good. *snort*

[cai.livejournal.com]

Brat.
Brat.
Brat.