Who has back pains or any pain and how do you cope?

[Jay481985]

In reply to Jeff's first post:

I know that moving is the best thing, really but its winter and i'm too

damn lazy in the cold. I wish I hurt my back in the spring. Actually

the best time my back ever felt was when I was working.

As with the pain pills, I rarely take them. But the problem is I can

either stand or laydown. Sitting is the devil to my back. Might as well

be doing my own surgury while I am sitting. That is the problem; I go

back to school next week and its 120 minutes of sitting in the same

position. I slouch like crazy in order to compensate. The shoulders

putting as much upper body pressure to the chair back and my butt

angled to prevenjt prevent pressue on my midspine. Sometimes after

class getting up is a problem. And recently I believe my legs are

losing feeling. It sorta feels like the blood going away and going to

sleep sorta thing. Also from slouching and trying to not put pressure

on my back, i compromiseed my other parts of my back, shoulder and

lumbar are definitely out of place.

I only took the painkillers when I had class or tests. I know stupid of

me because I became sleepy and semi high but it is better taking a test

that way than not being able to thing nor care about my test at all...

[Jay481985]

I have had a back injury since 1979 and

have had regular chiropractor visits since then. Sometimes I feel

better after a visit, some times not, I will occasionally get spasms in

my back and have needed to be transported to the hospital to get them

relieved. Now I have on hand muscle relaxers and VIC-O-DEN available to

get things to calm down. It hurts every day and I can't work at a

counter for more than a few minutes without agony setting in. So goes

daily life. OH BTW, a bottle of 30 vicoden will last me for better than

a year, ......... most years.

vicoden seems to not even work for me... its hydrocodone as opposed to

oxy, from what little bio and chemistry I have taken. I know that the

prefix oxy makes it much more powerful and effective. Percocets are

oxy, and so is well oxycontin (Which no doctor is giving me

because of my age) and also I am a college student. Which people in my

hall know of my problem and knock to ask if they can spare me some of

my meds for their habits... **** them. I'm in real pain. Also the pain

has been so adamant sometimes that my no illegal drug policy has been

subject to change. Though it has not. I never even smoke a joint!

[Jay481985]

Maybe it's time to try alternative or eastern

medicine? The first thing that comes to mind is accupuncture. I've

heard it truly works miracles.

The downside is, however, I don't believe conventional healthcare

insurances cover such treatment.

Thanks Nicholtl, but as you said you heard and I have done. Not the

little needles too, the ones that are sewing needle sized in order to

facilitate the healing faster. The smaller diameter needles (ones that

are as small as thick human hair) tend to push the skin molecules and

squeeze in (the tips are round not pointy) the bigger ones well need

more space but are still not pointy but to get them in you need to move

alot more skin which means blood...

I done half a year and although it seems to work great for other

problems like a twisted knee and inflammation when I broke my wrist.

Acupuncture cannot do miracles. It works great for everything up to and

even helping in the healing process of broken bones but the fact is

your not going to run a marathon after a few sessions of acupuncture.

BTW the fact that I don't want to be a pincushion again is also another reason.

[Jeff Matthews]

Jay, for starters, force yourself to sit up nice and straight and keep good sitting posture. Slouching and kicking back is one of my worst pitfalls. Good posture, with the shoulders back, helps if you make it a habit. That goes for the way you walk, too.

[Jay481985]

I'm sorry to hear about you back. I've

ruptured discs twice in my lower back and once in my neck. I've

survived 3 lamenectomies. Not fun.

Have you tried a spinal block? It never worked for me but many have had success and it lasts a good long time.

I

hate to see anyone get addicted to painkillers but sometimes it's

better then being tortured 24/7. Try everything else

first. Pain specialists tend to go straight to the

narcs. If you must go that way, there's a patch that works for

many and Oxycontin which is a time-released percocet, very addictive

but supposed to work very well. Its had a bad rap because drug

addicts abuse it, shoot it up, etc.

Surgeries worked for me but

when I over-do, I feel it. I have to be really careful. No

more hauling cornwalls up the stairs by myself.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Beause my age and college student (read my prior post) the doctors are

reluctant to giving me oxycontin. And yes pain specialists do go

straight with what they know.....

What exact is a spinal block??? Is it sorta like what home depot people

use on their back? I was actually thinking of buying one of those and

putting a solid rod in their to support my back. Also I been buying

thermacare full size back pads like they were diapers... I should buy

stock in that company. Also I do hot and cold cycles one hour of warm

pad and a hour of cold. well really 10 minutes in a hour and than wait.

[Jay481985]

For those of you that have pain problems, may I ask what kind of doctor you are seeing?

As

for an alternative for those of you that live with pain, I would humbly

suggest seeing a clinical psychologist that specializes in pain

management. My father works at the University of Kentucky as one,

and roundabouts people are always stopping him when he is out

shopping/jogging and telling him how well their pain is doing.

Seeing a specialist may open up some new option that you may not have

realized were availible (both drug related and others). Just a

thought.

So far regular doctor, Sports medicine (the college doctor, they have

no orthopedists), orthopedist, neurologist. psychologist cannot

prescribe medications they are more talk therapy which I have and to

do. psychiatrists can prescribe meds which I have for my depression.....

[Jay481985]

Got to agree with

Jeff, I crushed my T-7 in a fall a few years ago, and found

that I felt best after rehab with regular light exercise. I know when I've been too much of a "couch potato" as my back still tells me so.

That's

funny you say that (the underlined part). Many mornings, I

get up because my back just hurts from sleeping (despite the $3500

Stearns & Foster bed). That's sometimes a little earlier than

I would normally get up, but I think the body needs to move or die.

My

theory, FWIW, is if you try to just sit or sleep through the pain, you

eventually trigger something in the brain (like endorphins) to allow

you to go past the pain a little and to a greater state of numbness and

dull pain. But then, you have to go through that much more

to get back to normal. If you stay in that state too long or too

regularly, then, things have to atrophy, and you no longer have support

for normal activity.

I was thinking about that foam swedish bed? that or my favorite is a

wooden floor believe it or not. I hate soft beds. I hate my college

sags alot bed I was thinking buying some mdf (unless it is void free

baltic birch cause I don't want to wake up with wood particles in me)

and making a piece of wood that fits on top of my mattress.

Also I believe endorphins go me through high school without any

medications... Though I think I exhausted all my endorphines a while

back hence depression

[Jeff Matthews]

I never even smoke a joint!

Well, there's the problem!

Not to make light, but I'm sure you can use a little humor when you can. Good luck. I wish you the best because I've seen what you're going through.

[Jay481985]

I hang...literally.

I have a herinated disk w/free floating fragments and short of

going under the knife it's the only thing that works. Takes a few

days... but it does work. I've tried all the above, drugs, doctors,

accupuncture etc. and hanging is the only thing that's helped. Often

you can hear your back popping as the disks decompress and separate.

This removes the load and thus the pressure off the spine. I paid about

$160 for my "inversion table" and have seen them at Sams Club for about

the same.

Another benefit, once your back is feeling better, is you can do some

killer crunches. I often strain my neck and shoulders when crunching on

the floor. Doesn't happen when I hang, and they're about ten times

harder to do.

For the cost of fewer than ten trips to the Chiro you can own

one. If it turns out it's not for you put an ad in the classifieds,

someone will buy it. Check it out.

here's one

http://cgi.ebay.com/Quality-Inversion-Table-Stress-Release-Relief-FREE-SHIP_W0QQitemZ7210818914QQcategoryZ44085QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Lucky I have a membership at sam's club... Will go maybe tommarrow? 160

well that cheaper than the copay of some medications on my insurance

plan

[Jay481985]

Jay,

I got hurt in an auto

accident in 1994 and went through a lot of the same stuff you're

experiencing. It would take forever to tell the whole story,

so I'll skip the complaining part and just give some quick

advice.

First and most important......don't use

narcotics to treat chronic pain. Especially if it

doesn't provide relief. I've tried them all and found Ibuprofen

helps as much as anything......for me anyway.

Don't use alcohol as medication.

Try

to take a long walk every day. It may be tough at first, but

go slow and work through the pain. Don't stop taking these

walks after you start feeling better. It's really hard to get

started once you've stopped. Then the pain will come back, making

it that much harder to get started again.

Keep socially active.

I hope this helps.

Good luck, Rick.

Thanks for your advice. Funny thing is I have a high tolerance and a

lack of liking to drink though. Oddly my parent do not drink, not even

socially, they hate how alcohol is bitter and burning to them so they

hate it. Though my brother and I found that we have a high tolerance,

meaning 8 drinks in a hour is not really drunk for us, legally yes

physically no. I have been noted to drink more than a 30 pack at some

frats in under 4 hours and still help lightweights make it to the

bathroom... I threw up only twice in my life because of alcohol, once I

had a stomach virus... and the other because I smelled the throwup of

another person which even sober makes me want to gag.

And one problem with me is that I don't want to become a junkie so the

times when I use the medication I use it when absolutely necessary.

[Jay481985]

`

So I am here

asking fellow forum members if they have back pain or any chronic pains

to suggest to me how you cope with it? I need to regain my life... Even

my klipsch are starting to sound a bit dull... I am all ears.

Hi Jay,

A

lot of familiar names here talking about back problems...[] In the

past sleeping on my side with a small pillow between my knees helped a

LOT. The "patch" is highly addictive along with any narcotics but it is

better than than knocking off your liver with too much Acetaminophen

(tylenol). Sitting is the worst thing for my back and it doesnt

matter if it's in a thousand dollar recliner or a wood park bench.

I

am now getting back into the workforce and have found hard physical

work makes me feel the best, I suppose it strengthens the muscles and

in turn supports the backbone.

Many nights I have spent listening to my Klipsch helping me forget all about my back pain. They are great aren't they?

I sleep on my side with a king size pillow between my knees too. What

exactly is the patch??? Also I was concerned with all the acetamenophen

intake I had while I was percocet. I remember something like 3 grams in

one day can cause liver damage

[Jay481985]

Jay, for starters, force yourself to sit up

nice and straight and keep good sitting posture. Slouching and

kicking back is one of my worst pitfalls. Good posture, with the

shoulders back, helps if you make it a habit. That goes for

the way you walk, too.

I walk like a stiff soldier haha... But sitting up good forces all the

pressure into my damaged back. then everything goes numb, I go insane,

and my body literally slouches itself.

[Jeff Matthews]

Jay, for starters, force yourself to sit up nice and straight and keep good sitting posture. Slouching and kicking back is one of my worst pitfalls. Good posture, with the shoulders back, helps if you make it a habit. That goes for the way you walk, too.

I walk like a stiff soldier haha... But sitting up good forces all the pressure into my damaged back. then everything goes numb, I go insane, and my body literally slouches itself.

Could it be you're having spasms at that time?

[Jay481985]

oh I do get spasms when I sit down with good posture... Like a beating

heart tick... My parents were like WTF! when they actually felt it

[Jeff Matthews]

That's what I had. What a mess! It's gone, now. I think a few toe-touches and windmills are a good thing when you're not in the middle of lock-down. That's about the best I can say for that issue - if it's spasms driving you down. Those are rough!

[Speedball]

It is a patch like what smokers wear....the medicine slowly seeps into the bloodstream over a couple days and it is "very" powerful.

I tried the 25mg patch a couple years ago for a few weeks then graduated to the 50mg. Oh sure it killed the pain alright, it also put me to sleep driving to work so it was time to try something else. I quit cold turkey and later the doctor chuckled and said I should have done it slowly, tremors at night and severe withdraw, yuck...yuck.

[Speedball]

a few toe-touches and windmills are a good thing when you're not in the middle of lock-down.

Mmmmmmmmmm, last time I heard the words "lock-down" I worked for the department of correction many years ago.

[Jeff Matthews]

If it's severe spasms, he can forget anything that has to do with painkillers. I've been there and weathered it. You have to work them out through moderate exercise when you're not being wrenched at the moment. The spasms do let up for enough time to do that.

[Jeff Matthews]

a few toe-touches and windmills are a good thing when you're not in the middle of lock-down.

Mmmmmmmmmm, last time I heard the words "lock-down" I worked for the department of correction many years ago.

Yeah, but that's what it is. Those spasms hit, and bam! You're locked. It doesn't matter what position you're in at the time. You just better be still and relax. It's crazy. I began thinking it might be a hernia because the spasms almost go all the way through the stomach.

[Jay481985]

Also my leg has been going quite numb lately, It responds to me but it

always has that feeling of falling asleep where I can feel a lack of

blood circulating in my legs.

Also when the spasms hit I try to gently for lack of words slap it to get it to stop which it doesn;t....

I take some sleep meds and hope that time will take its course