My back is, once again, KILLING ME!!!
I, apparently, have only two modes right now:
1) on drugs - less pain, but stupid and falling asleep at random times (to include in the middle of doing things)
2) not on drugs - in an intense amount of pain, but (mostly, some pain-fog) clearheaded and irritable from the pain
Last few times I had back pain this bad in my lower back it was either swollen kidneys from UTI getting all the way up in there with no early symptoms or something wrong with my back that the doctors couldn't agree on.
On the first it was a clear diagnosis from urine testing and abdominal scans. I was put on painkillers, antibiotics, heat and drink more water and "you should feel better in 2 days, maybe 3"... Four weeks later I was still dealing with it but it did fade with time.
I was good until the next time it happened this year. Then went through the same again.
On the second it wasn't so clear. My mom (I was there visiting at the time) took me to her chiropractor and he looked, felt, bent, and generally gave me a good back exam and then said "you need to go to the hospital and get xrays and a more thorough exam... this seems like a disc issue and I don't want to harm you if that's what it is".
So, my spouse had to drive to NY to pick me up and when back home I went to the VA to get checked out more conventionally and thoroughly... Only to have a doctor ask me where I hurt and tell me -with no more thorough exam at all- that it was muscular, that despite having done nothing out of the ordinary I must've pulled a muscle in my back and that I was to take painkillers, muscle relaxers, and baby it til it felt better.
At that point I officially no longer cared, it hurt so bad. I was spending all of my time not using the bathroom laying in a very specific and careful position on my back while drugged to high heaven for weeks afterwards.
After a very long while the pain faded to nothing except the occasional "that didn't feel right" in my spinal area, as it had started.
Sunday the knot/sharp feeling in my lower spine started again and I'm back to taking pain meds and muscle relaxers... because it (again)spread around the starting point, crept along the ridge of my left hipbone to my left side, down towards the hip and now into the left side of my tailbone... while my spouse at times rubs so much IcyHot into my back that his left hand literally has a blue cast to it now.
I'm calling the VA today to get an appointment for this. Maybe *this* time I'll get an actual examination before they tell me what's wrong with me, and maybe it'll heal a bit faster this time (if it ever fully healed before, like I said I was still getting twinges).
Hell, I'd be willing to be told it's psychosomatic since the time before when it wasn't a UTI was when I was visiting home due to my step-father having open-heart surgery after a heart attack... I've a big pile of stress right now going on...
Just actually examine me and then tell me something that remotely fits my life and activities of this time.
Did I not say earlier, "no drugs = cranky"? Yup. I hate how taking narcotics makes me feel... teamed with muscle relaxers I'm dull-witted, confused, forgetful, giggly and silly without being happy. Then I pass out. Only to eventually wake from pain as they wear off.
This sucks and I'm officially "bitching and moaning". Ha.
Time for meds, I'll be so glad when this is over.
I, apparently, have only two modes right now:
1) on drugs - less pain, but stupid and falling asleep at random times (to include in the middle of doing things)
2) not on drugs - in an intense amount of pain, but (mostly, some pain-fog) clearheaded and irritable from the pain
Last few times I had back pain this bad in my lower back it was either swollen kidneys from UTI getting all the way up in there with no early symptoms or something wrong with my back that the doctors couldn't agree on.
On the first it was a clear diagnosis from urine testing and abdominal scans. I was put on painkillers, antibiotics, heat and drink more water and "you should feel better in 2 days, maybe 3"... Four weeks later I was still dealing with it but it did fade with time.
I was good until the next time it happened this year. Then went through the same again.
On the second it wasn't so clear. My mom (I was there visiting at the time) took me to her chiropractor and he looked, felt, bent, and generally gave me a good back exam and then said "you need to go to the hospital and get xrays and a more thorough exam... this seems like a disc issue and I don't want to harm you if that's what it is".
So, my spouse had to drive to NY to pick me up and when back home I went to the VA to get checked out more conventionally and thoroughly... Only to have a doctor ask me where I hurt and tell me -with no more thorough exam at all- that it was muscular, that despite having done nothing out of the ordinary I must've pulled a muscle in my back and that I was to take painkillers, muscle relaxers, and baby it til it felt better.
At that point I officially no longer cared, it hurt so bad. I was spending all of my time not using the bathroom laying in a very specific and careful position on my back while drugged to high heaven for weeks afterwards.
After a very long while the pain faded to nothing except the occasional "that didn't feel right" in my spinal area, as it had started.
Sunday the knot/sharp feeling in my lower spine started again and I'm back to taking pain meds and muscle relaxers... because it (again)spread around the starting point, crept along the ridge of my left hipbone to my left side, down towards the hip and now into the left side of my tailbone... while my spouse at times rubs so much IcyHot into my back that his left hand literally has a blue cast to it now.
I'm calling the VA today to get an appointment for this. Maybe *this* time I'll get an actual examination before they tell me what's wrong with me, and maybe it'll heal a bit faster this time (if it ever fully healed before, like I said I was still getting twinges).
Hell, I'd be willing to be told it's psychosomatic since the time before when it wasn't a UTI was when I was visiting home due to my step-father having open-heart surgery after a heart attack... I've a big pile of stress right now going on...
Just actually examine me and then tell me something that remotely fits my life and activities of this time.
Did I not say earlier, "no drugs = cranky"? Yup. I hate how taking narcotics makes me feel... teamed with muscle relaxers I'm dull-witted, confused, forgetful, giggly and silly without being happy. Then I pass out. Only to eventually wake from pain as they wear off.
This sucks and I'm officially "bitching and moaning". Ha.
Time for meds, I'll be so glad when this is over.