Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
A good physical therapist may be of more help than a chiropractor, and around the same cost. Worth a try if the chiro isn't helping. Equine assisted therapy on a horse may help too. When I developed a compression fracture in my back as a pre-teen, the only way I got any relief on the bad days was by riding (I rode on my own, not at a therapy center, but I wouldn't recommend it to others, as you should be under the guidance of a professional when doing equine activities while injured. I was grossly mis-diagnosed until many years later) A few links about it: http://www.narha.org/ http://www.winslow.org/programs.htm#thera http://www.sopristherapyservices.com/aboutus.htm#Therapy http://www.flyingchanges.org/benefits.htm Phaewryn PLEASE Adopt a cat from Little Cheetah Cat Rescue!!!http://ucat.us/adopt.html DONATE: We could really use a power saw (for construction), a digital camera (for pictures) and HOMES for CATS! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.7/410 - Release Date: 8/5/2006
Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Wendy,I'm sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he's feeling better soon.tonyawendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi guys,As always, I trust your opinion. My husband has beenhaving horrible back problems after laying this tilein our house, and he had an MRI last Thursday. TheMRI showed herniated disks in L4 and L5. We arevisiting a chiropractor right now, as his new healthinsurance does not kick in for another six weeks, andwe need SOMETHING done, as his pain level is quitebad. He is not having pain in his back, but sciaticpain, shooting down from his butt and down his leg tothe fold of his knee, all on his left side. Have anyof you had any experience, direct or indirect, withherniated disks? Any advice? I am not sold on thechiropractor, and would like a doctor's opinion, butwe have to wait six more weeks. The chiropractor istrying to push spinal decompression, but it's notcovered by insurance and is several thousand dollars. Also, any advice on pain management for this type ofinjury?Thanks,Wendy__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Thank you to all of you who responded about the herniated disk. I forwarded your messages to my husband at work yesterday. We paid a chiropractor $3500 yesterday for 20 sessions on a spinal decompression machine for lower back pain, a chair for excersizes he can bring home, and a few other items. I hope this helps my husband, because at the rate he's going, he won't be able to continue to work if this doesn't help. I'll let all of you know how it worked. If it doesn't work, hopefully we won't have to worry about pre-existing as he hasn't seen a medical doctor about the problem. I wanted to ask Mary Christine about parafon-forte and soma. Are these both medicines OTC, or does he need a prescrip for them? I have been coaxing my husband each time he has an episode to try to relax and not tense up, but it's hard for him not to. Thank you again for helping us out!!! As always, this site has proved invaluable. :) Wendy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
RE: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Parafon forte is RX, not OTC. So is soma; from long, long experience I can tell you that parafon is better than soma because it does not cause you to feel drugged or sleepy. And it works!I keep a supply on hand at all times! Some of the newest docs don't prescribe it cause it has been used for so long it's been forgotten. that they only hear about and prescribe the new ones. Granted, there are a lot of newer muscle relaxants out there, but most of them have the tendency to make you feel groggy! Get an RX and try it!! Besides, it is much cheaper than the ones the drug reps try to push!!! Helene -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 12:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk Thank you to all of you who responded about the herniated disk. I forwarded your messages to my husband at work yesterday. We paid a chiropractor $3500 yesterday for 20 sessions on a spinal decompression machine for lower back pain, a chair for excersizes he can bring home, and a few other items. I hope this helps my husband, because at the rate he's going, he won't be able to continue to work if this doesn't help. I'll let all of you know how it worked. If it doesn't work, hopefully we won't have to worry about pre-existing as he hasn't seen a medical doctor about the problem. I wanted to ask Mary Christine about parafon-forte and soma. Are these both medicines OTC, or does he need a prescrip for them? I have been coaxing my husband each time he has an episode to try to relax and not tense up, but it's hard for him not to. Thank you again for helping us out!!! As always, this site has proved invaluable. :) Wendy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
RE: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Thanks Helene. I will keep this email on hand for when we get to visit a doctor in September. I doubt the chiropractor can prescribe meds, but not sure about that. --- Helene Hand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Parafon forte is RX, not OTC. So is soma; from long, long experience I can tell you that parafon is better than soma because it does not cause you to feel drugged or sleepy. And it works!I keep a supply on hand at all times! Some of the newest docs don't prescribe it cause it has been used for so long it's been forgotten. that they only hear about and prescribe the new ones. Granted, there are a lot of newer muscle relaxants out there, but most of them have the tendency to make you feel groggy! Get an RX and try it!! Besides, it is much cheaper than the ones the drug reps try to push!!! Helene -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 12:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk Thank you to all of you who responded about the herniated disk. I forwarded your messages to my husband at work yesterday. We paid a chiropractor $3500 yesterday for 20 sessions on a spinal decompression machine for lower back pain, a chair for excersizes he can bring home, and a few other items. I hope this helps my husband, because at the rate he's going, he won't be able to continue to work if this doesn't help. I'll let all of you know how it worked. If it doesn't work, hopefully we won't have to worry about pre-existing as he hasn't seen a medical doctor about the problem. I wanted to ask Mary Christine about parafon-forte and soma. Are these both medicines OTC, or does he need a prescrip for them? I have been coaxing my husband each time he has an episode to try to relax and not tense up, but it's hard for him not to. Thank you again for helping us out!!! As always, this site has proved invaluable. :) Wendy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Hi Wendy, I'm sorry that your husband is having such debilitating pain! I have some idea of what he's going through dealing with constant back pain and how hard it can be to be still through the worst of it. I have learned if I don't listen to the warning signals, that first "ice pick to the spine", that I will soon find myself flat on my back, incapacitated. A couple of Chiropractors have helped me, PT has helped, stretching and yoga have helped, but I've also learned to listen and not continue to push myself when those painful warnings come. I find taking some ibuprofen, (I don't have insurance right now either and can't get the "good stuff" muscle relaxers), laying flat on my back with a heating pad to relax the muscles around my spine, and gentle stretching exercises will put me back into alignment. Tie that husband to the bed if you have to! I can't imagine he'd resist all that much if you offer to massage his back for him! Prayers that he feels better soon, Nina wendy wrote: <> I have been coaxing my husband each time he has an episode to try to relax and not tense up, but it's hard for him not to.
RE: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
You said it all and said it so eloquently!!! I also know about the pillows, driving , and all of the little things which are really the big things in dealing with (back) pain..you speak from experience..yes, robaxin is one that is tried and true, also- I had forgotten about that drug.You are right,as I , too, mentioned earlier, the drug reps push the newer and much more expensive drugs.What is funny is that when I spend the night in someone else's home, they say, "Oh, you didn't have to bring your own pillow", and I have to explain that oh yes I did.,, Helene From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of TenHouseCatsSent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 2:34 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk it's funny, helene, because while the parafon forte helped with the pain, it was the soma that enabled me to get back to work after my first two surgeries--so much depends on one's own individual response to a medication. soma NEVER made me drowsy or feel drugged; it almost felt as if it energized me by removing the constant strain of trying to deal with the pain. yet i had a housemate who used my soma as her addiction of choice. it may also have to do with what they're learning about people with chronic pain and their reaction to meds in general--that, for example, people with high levels of chronic pain do not respond to opiates the same way people without it do--that things like vicodin and others do NOT tend to create dependence as they do for people without chronic pain. i know for myself, that if i take a vicodin in the morning when i wake up, it enables me to make it through the day without another one yet when i've had to take it for an acute condition, unrelated to the back problems (like, oh, having all my teeth pulled last month, or for a second-degree burn a few months ago), half of one knocked me out! robaxin is another old-school drug that many people had good results with in the past. like soma and parafon forte, they're generics so no one makes a lot of money on them, and thus drug reps don't push them--never forget that docs get almost no pharmaceutical education in school, and way too many never do more than take the word of the drug reps for what they should prescribe. of course it's hard to not tense up when the pain is most intense! i learned to remind myself that the pain is coming from an irritated nerve, and the longer i do things to keep it irritated (ie, walk, move, you know, those sorts of things), the longer it was gonna take for the nerve to have a chance to calm down. you just have to STOP and let it be. something else i finally figured out, after about three years, was how TIRING it is to be in pain--it takes a lot of energy to function with such an insult to your system going on. so getting a medication that works for the individual, and doing gentle stuff like stretching exercises all the time, really makes a difference. other little accommodations: experiment with pillow and supports for the car and for furniture in the house. i can tell within 5 minutes if a chair or a bed or a couch or a car seat is gonna kill me--and i'd rather be on the floor than in one of those that's gonna make things worse. a simple pillow of the right consistency can make a HUGE difference! talk to your chiro about prescribing an obus forme chair support--has an adjustable lumbar pillow, you can carry it from car to chair to friend's houses--i've taken it on camping trips! i'm still using the one i got back in 78. good luck, and keep us informed... MC On 8/1/06, Helene Hand [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Parafon forte isRX, not OTC.So is soma; from long, long experience I cantell you that parafon is better than soma because it does not cause you to feel drugged or sleepy. And it works!I keep a supply on hand at all times!Some of the newest docs don't prescribe it cause it has been used for solong it's been forgotten. that they only hear about and prescribe the new ones.Granted, there are a lot of newer muscle relaxants out there, butmost of them have the tendency to make you feel groggy! Get an RX and tryit!!Besides, it is much cheaper than the ones the drug reps try to push!!! Helene-Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED][mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ] On Behalf Of wendySent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 12:37 PMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: To all who replied Re: OT: Need advice on herniated diskThank you to all of you who responded about the herniated disk.I forwardedyour messages to my husband at work yesterday.We paid a chiropractor $3500yesterday for 20 sessions on a spinal decompression machine for lower back pain, a chair for excersizes he can bring home, and a few other items.I hope this helps my husband, because at the rate he's going, he wo
RE: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
I have one-ruptured disk- cannot be resolved with surgery, unfortunately, and scoliosis-I have used parafon forte muscle relaxants for years. (RX) Old drug; good; no sleepiness with it. Also Lortab (RX) for the really bad times.you can get naprosyn (SP?) muscle relaxant over the counter. You just double the amount indicated every 4-6 hrsfor prescripton strength.Careful about driving. I have found 2 very helpful things- physical therapy with a good therapist, and exercises every day as soon as the acute pain subsides. (Prescribed by therapist.) If nothing else right now, walk and keep mobile. Massage therapy good too. I could go on and on, but I think that is enough. Helene From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 12:37 AMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk I'm not much help - but I hope so much he feels better soon! elizabeth In a message dated 7/30/2006 9:03:10 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi guys,As always, I trust your opinion. My husband has beenhaving horrible back problems after laying this tilein our house, and he had an MRI last Thursday. TheMRI showed herniated disks in L4 and L5. We arevisiting a chiropractor right now, as his new healthinsurance does not kick in for another six weeks, andwe need SOMETHING done, as his pain level is quitebad. He is not having pain in his back, but sciaticpain, shooting down from his butt and down his leg tothe fold of his knee, all on his left side. Have anyof you had any experience, direct or indirect, withherniated disks? Any advice? I am not sold on thechiropractor, and would like a doctor's opinion, butwe have to wait six more weeks. The chiropractor istrying to push spinal decompression, but it's notcovered by insurance and is several thousand dollars. Also, any advice on pain management for this type ofinjury?Thanks,Wendy__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com __ NOD32 1.1430 (20060304) Information __This message was checked by NOD32 Antivirus System.http://www.nod32.com
Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
Hi again Wendy. I haven't had any herniated disks, but many of my family and friends have! I know the pain can be hiddeous. I know massage therapy can prove to be very helpful in relaxing the muscles and easing the pain. I've also heard that there is a plastic device (not sure what it's called) that you can put under your hips at night when you sleep. It is supposed to help position your body to relieve sciatic pain. The people I know who've used it say it works wonders. Try asking your chiropractor or a massage therapist if they have something like that.As far as over the counter pain meds, I've always heard that Naproxen is the best. So I'd try that. Aleve can also be helpful. Rest and walking (if he's up to it) may help as well. Once his insurance kicks in (I know all about those in-between times!), the doctor may recommend surgery. If they're talking about fusion (which is often the only option these days), just be aware that it's not perfect. Fusing the disks actually weakens the other disks and causes more disks to herniate eventually. They are working on a disk replacement surgery, but it's probably at least a few years or more away. But if he can find ways to manage the pain at an acceptable level, he may want to think about waiting (I know people who are trying to wait). But if the pain is unbearable, fusion is better than nothing.PT would probably help too...and they may be able to give him some exercises to help strengthen the muscles and lessen the pain.Back pain is never fun (I've pulled lots of muscles in my back)...especially because it makes it so difficult to do ANYTHING...from walking to turning to sleeping to coughing. I will be praying that your husband feels better and that you find something to help deal with the disks. Good luck!!Marissawendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi guys,As always, I trust your opinion. My husband has beenhaving horrible back problems after laying this tilein our house, and he had an MRI last Thursday. TheMRI showed herniated disks in L4 and L5. We arevisiting a chiropractor right now, as his new healthinsurance does not kick in for another six weeks, andwe need SOMETHING done, as his pain level is quitebad. He is not having pain in his back, but sciaticpain, shooting down from his butt and down his leg tothe fold of his knee, all on his left side. Have anyof you had any experience, direct or indirect, withherniated disks? Any advice? I am not sold on thechiropractor, and would like a doctor's opinion, butwe have to wait six more weeks. The chiropractor istrying to push spinal decompression, but it's notcovered by insurance and is several thousand dollars. Also, any advice on pain management for this type ofinjury?Thanks,Wendy__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.
Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
hi, wendy. i've had three back surgeries over the years--two for ruptured disks at L3/L4 (because my ruptures were at that level, i did NOT have sciatic involvement, so they kept saying, you don't have a ruptured disk, you have endometriosis... the gyn folk, of course, said, you don't have endometriosis, you have a ruptured disk. turns out, of course, that i had BOTH!) i've also had fusion surgery at C3-6. with both of my lumbar surgeries, i was sent tosurgeons BY my chiropractors who, after treatment, determined that they couldn't do any more until the insurance kicks in (and if it will cover pre-existing conditions, a particular joy of the healthcare system!), pt can be very helpful, tho sometimes you have to try a couple of places to find one that's really good with your particular problem. the thing that has helped me the most over the years, however, has been OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine), which is a specialty that goes well beyond what most DOs are trained in. there are only a few DO med schools that have a program for it, and i'm lucky enough to live in a town that has one. if you have DOs in your area (and many parts of the country have very few), call around and ask if any of them are OMM docs. if they aren't, see if they can give you a referral to someone--i know that a lot of MDs have taken the specific training, but am not sure offhand how to get you the contact info to locate them--i haven't been seeing an OMM lately, but could possibly track down someone who'd have the list of trained folks if you can't get anywhere on your own. ah, parafon-forte! i remember it well--it's what kept my going for many years! another old standby that worked for me, and got me back to work in fact, was soma (carisoprodol.) anti-inflammatories may or may not work, depending on what is causing the pain. swimming is a wonderful therapy, as it removes a lot of the strain on the body; oddly enough, bike riding is also usually a good choice, depending on the level of sciatic involvement. there are a lot more surgical options now besides fusion--even in 79 and 91, when i had mine, they didn't fuse me so i have full motion. there are long-lasting nerve blocks that help with letting the constantly irritated nerves relax, and laser surgeries that are much less invasive. see if there are any physiatrists in your area (specialists in physical medicine and rehab)--they really good with the mechanics of injury and helping the body work. sports-medicine folk can be of great help too--you might want to do some of that research while waiting for the insurance to come through, so you can have options and appointments set up in advance. pain clinics, at least around here, are probably not an option, as here they won't work with people who have medical/surgical alternatives left. don't underestimate the emotional effects of chronic pain, and the inevitable toll on daily living activities that such a condition takes--clinical depression is a NORMAL reaction to an abnormal situation. feeling powerless, feeling less-than, feeling angry--these are more usual than not. and the more stressed out one is feeling, the more one tenses up the very body parts that most need to relax! (of course.) that goes for BOTH of you. the less stress in the environment, the better for all concerned (sounds like FeLV, huh? and yep, good food helps keeps up the body, too!). yell if you have questions, tho i can't generalize from my experiences, i do know a bit more about this than most people MC On 7/31/06, Marissa Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi again Wendy. I haven't had any herniated disks, but many of my family and friends have! I know the pain can be hiddeous. I know massage therapy can prove to be very helpful in relaxing the muscles and easing the pain. I've also heard that there is a plastic device (not sure what it's called) that you can put under your hips at night when you sleep. It is supposed to help position your body to relieve sciatic pain. The people I know who've used it say it works wonders. Try asking your chiropractor or a massage therapist if they have something like that. As far as over the counter pain meds, I've always heard that Naproxen is the best. So I'd try that. Aleve can also be helpful. Rest and walking (if he's up to it) may help as well. Once his insurance kicks in (I know all about those in-between times!), the doctor may recommend surgery. If they're talking about fusion (which is often the only option these days), just be aware that it's not perfect. Fusing the disks actually weakens the other disks and causes more disks to herniate eventually. They are working on a disk replacement surgery, but it's probably at least a few years or more away. But if he can find ways to manage the pain at an acceptable level, he may want to think about waiting (I know people who are trying to wait). But if the pain is unbearable, fusion is better than nothing. PT would probably
Re: OT: Need advice on herniated disk
I'm not much help - but I hope so much he feels better soon! elizabeth In a message dated 7/30/2006 9:03:10 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi guys,As always, I trust your opinion. My husband has beenhaving horrible back problems after laying this tilein our house, and he had an MRI last Thursday. TheMRI showed herniated disks in L4 and L5. We arevisiting a chiropractor right now, as his new healthinsurance does not kick in for another six weeks, andwe need SOMETHING done, as his pain level is quitebad. He is not having pain in his back, but sciaticpain, shooting down from his butt and down his leg tothe fold of his knee, all on his left side. Have anyof you had any experience, direct or indirect, withherniated disks? Any advice? I am not sold on thechiropractor, and would like a doctor's opinion, butwe have to wait six more weeks. The chiropractor istrying to push spinal decompression, but it's notcovered by insurance and is several thousand dollars. Also, any advice on pain management for this type ofinjury?Thanks,Wendy__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
