The DOCTOR thought it was a bad back !!!!
For over ten months now I have had a bad back, at first it was a little back pain here and there, but I knew about it. I went to the doctor who prescribed me some pain killers. After that it was pretty much left and I started a course of mild pain killers. A month or two later, the back pain seemed to have got worse and I started having problems when standing up and sitting down.
I went back to the doctors who decided to give me even stronger pain killers, he felt the area where the pain was coming from, poked and prodded it and came to a decision that the muscle was tight and the cause was due to being sat at a computer for too many hours and not doing enough exercise. So, the story continues………
I was now taking 30/500 co-codamol which were making me drowsy and caused a loss of apetite. Another trip to the doctors and another set of tablets. I had been given some anti inflammatories and told to take them with paracetamol. So, I left again and started doing as he asked. Within a few days I had a bad stomach pain and had problems going to the toilet, not to mention the drowsiness again, not to mention the pain was getting worse by the day.
I went back to ther doctors again, who referred me to a physiotherapist. Six weeks later I had my first appointment and we went through a few basic exercises. I was told to do them as often as possible and try and stay active and then go back once a week. Over a period of about six weeks, the pain just got worse and the physio could not understand what was happening so referred me back to the doctor who then referred me to the hospital.
More time went by and the pain got worse and worse, there became times when I could not stand up without being in severe pain, walking became difficult, sitting down at my desk was painful, nothing seemed to be getting any easier and the pain killers were not working in the slightest.
Within a few weeks a letter from the hospital dropped through the door with an appointment date, in the meantime I saw the doctor again who gave me some diclofenac which he claimed “would help this time”. By the time the appointment came round the pain had moved into my right leg and was affecting my sleep.
Due to Kings Mill Hospital waiting list being too long I was sent to Bassetlaw. The doctor there was fantastic, he did a few checks on my back and leg and soon found out that I had a slipped disc and requested that I have a MRI scan to see how bad it was. I was told to wait for a letter which would confirm the date. This came within a few days and told me that I could go back in about four weeks time.
Ok, next was the MRI scan, nothing to it, went in, laid on a long bed and stuck some earplugs in and laid there for about 20 minutes whilst the machine scanned me and made some strange noises.
A few weeks later I went back for the results and as the doctor thought it was a slipped disc, and a bad one at that. He said the disc was quite big and sticking out quite a bit which is what was causing all the pain. Stronger medication was prescribed and an appointment to come to the hospital for a caudal epidural was made for a few weeks time.
This diagram shows exactly what happens:
I was now on Gabapentin, a large orange capsule. After a fews days of taking these the pain did not ease at all, I just became really drowsy and spaced out. Following two trips to A&E as the pain became unbearable they tried me on some different tablets, which again have not really had an effect. They did give me some crutches though which were helping with walking until they too became useless.
Next was the caudal epidural, the idea was to inject steroids into my spine which could take away some of the pain, the doctor said that it may not work because of how bad the slipped disc was but it was worth a try. Failing this, he would need to operate. I went to Bassetlaw Hospital @ 7.30am one morning and was in the operating room for about 11am. After giving me a local anaesthetic they proceeded with an injection into the spine, which was the most weirdest feeling ever, I felt pressure along the bottom of my back and down my right leg, it was horrible. A few hours later I was back at home, feeling numb and drowsy, as for the pain, it was still there. The doctor has now prescribed me with some morphine patches and told me to carry on taking the pain killers. One patch was applied to my shoulder and within a few hours the pain had eased off a little.
The following morning came round, and the pain was still there but was not as bad, as instructed I rested and spent a few days in bed and tried to stay as still as possible. The following couple of weeks went by and the pain became unbearable which meant an increase in painkillers and another morphine patch. I went back to the hospital and was told that an operation was needed to cut away a part of the disc, first I must go for a pre-assessment then the main op a couple of days later, at the time I was told that the waiting list was not that long. A few days later I got a call and was asked to go in for the pre-assessment then if that went ok could have the operation two days later.
Thats where I am at at the moment, this Monday for the pre-assessment and the operation on Wednesday, fingers crossed that it goes ok and that I can get back to normal. What a long wait it has been.
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