Back Pain Community

hi and welcome to the support group -

for some reason recliner chairs do help a lot!! I sleep in ours, though it is worn out and really needs to be replaced.

Yes a good pain management clinic is vital to our pain control. I see a PHYSIATRIST Pain doc

http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/what-physiatrist

I find they go deeper into pain management than regular pain clinics.

I also believe seeing the right spine specialist (Orthopedic Spine Specialist or Neurosurgeon Spine Specialist) will help too. My pain doc has a set of spine specialist they deal directly with and I have been really happy with their care.

I too am on Neurontin for the nerve damage in both my legs. the dosage must be started on a low mg and slowly increased until a therapeutic dose is established. I now take 3600mg daily and it really makes a difference. I take 1800mg twice a day and if I miss a dose boy I can really tell as a couple of hours later my legs will start to hurt etc., and even getting back on track it can take a couple of days.

I do hope and pray you can get the relief you need. - keep us posted how you are doing~~

I to sleep a certain amount of time in our recliners in order to help gain some relief from the pain. At times that is the only way I can sleep even with the Methocarbamol & Lortab on board.

2 days after injection and the pain is down to a 7 sustained. Still getting quite a bit of sciatic pain. Ended up on 900 mg of neurontin and 4mg of dilaudid for pain. The dilaudid gave me the worst migraine I have ever had with vomiting almost called 911. Still have not been able to sleep in bed hopefully sometime soon. Doctor is sending me for a new MRI and a consult with an orthopedist to go over the results. Looks like I will need another injection on the left side in the meantime. I don't know how to stay sane with all this pain. Husband and kids are having a difficult time understanding. They think that If I just got more exercise that would solve all my pain issues. I wish life was that easy. I can see how chronic pain and depression go hand in hand.

Hi EEEYORE1990 -

What exactly is your diagnosis? what did your MRI show? What types of doctors have you seen? have you seen a pain specialist? I see a PHYSIATRIST Pain Management Specialist.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/what-physiatrist

they go deeper into pain management control and treat the underlying problem and not the symptoms. And they treat based on what the patient's needs are.

It's best to see either a Orthopedic Spine Specialist or Neurosurgeon Spine Specialist. they are the only ones that can properly read MRI/CT Scan, etc., film reports.


In regards to the neurontin you are taking. for the longest time I was on 900mg daily of neurontin and still complaining about the nerve pains (S1 nerve root permanent damage on both sides) and when I was referred to a PHYSIATRIST Pain Specialist he told me that the 900mg is not a therapeutic dose. Over several weeks/months the neurontin was increased slowly until I was at the therapeutic dose for me, which is 3600mg daily.

You may want to discuss with your doc to see if the dose may need to be adjusted upward (slowly increased) until you can feel the benefits of it.

when you sleep in bed try using extra pillows - between your knees when sleeping on your side and under your knees when sleeping on your back - if I sleep on my back I usually stack pillows up behind me and then under my knees - this way I'm sleeping in a reclining position. If you have a recliner chair this gives a lot of relief of both the back and my legs and I can get much needed sleep!! (if I sleep in bed maybe 2-3 hours sleep).

In the years that I've had steroid injections (since 2006 to 2010) I've never had the injections work for the S1 nerve root (sciatic) and they have never worked on my back pains. Everyone is different on how the injections work but I really think maybe you should get a couple of opinions from both Orthopedic and Neurosurgeon Spine Specialists. And you can get evaluated and treatment options from a PHYSIATRIST Pain Specialist.

Please let us know a little more so that we can offer better suggestions/advise.

The diagnosis is L4 and L5 herniation with DDD and arthritis. I had a granite bartop minus the hydrolics come down on my head in 2005 this is when I started to experience the sciatica. In early 2006 I had the most intense pain imaginable and this is when the MRI was done and I was told about the herniation. The lumbar steroid injections help a bit with the sciatica but they are not doing anything for the lower back pain. I was given a nerve block on the left side which gave me about 2 months of limited relief but the right side has gotten me right back where I started. I have scheduled another MRI for next week to see how much has changed from the last and I have a consult with my pain management doctor and an orthopedist to see what the next step is. I feel that I have a very high pain tolerance but I feel like such a failure that I cannot perform the simplest daily tasks from dishes to laundry and all I do is take pills all day.