This has been a rotten year healthwise and doesn't seem to be getting any better, but at least I haven't had any more pets die, since June...
I have had back problems since hurting my back in 1999 while teaching and was diagnosed with DDD and facet and SI problems in 2000. I have been taking strong narcotics since that time and have had just about every pill, injections, patch etc. I had a rhizotomy in Dec. 2012, right after I broke and dislocated a toe and it worked for about 4 months to reduce the pain on my left side about 50% better than it was.
The end of Sept , 2013 the dr. did a diagnostic facet nerve block on my right side, at two levels on my spine. Unfortunatly the pain got worse then before the injection procedure and un related to this injection but about four to five days later while playing ball with our dog , I just fell on the grassy ground at the playground, and landed on my right side, where the injections had been done. %)I didn't feel immediate pain, no worse then what I was already experiencing but over a period of five days or so it began to get worse and I contacted the pain management dr. who did the procedure . He saw me and did a quick examination and told me complete bed rest for one week, I had either pulled a muscle in my back badly or herniated another disk in my back, It is impossible to do bed rest for a week but I did nothing too strenuous. My pain has gotten worse and worse and for the last three weeks I have suddenly gotten Sciatica very bad, which before was just my back.
I could not stand the pain anymore and the workmans comp refused to pay for the pain patch the workmans comp dr. prescribed, ( they are trying to settle my case, wanting to buy out my medical care for the future and it has already been 13 years.. I would be a fool to settle and already went to court back in 2005 to have future medical care paid for by them.) They will not pay for these patches and Medicare and I can not pay them, ,they cost over $400.00.............no kidding!( Flextor patch ) So I saw my family dr. last week and she diagnosed Sciatica also. One test she did was the knee reflex and when she hit my left knee with the little hammer, there was no reflex, no movement by the knee.
So all she could do was prescribe muscle relaxers. which help me sleep some but nothing for the pain.
This was last Tuesday when I saw her and today the pain was so bad, I could not stand it anymore and called her or if I could not get in it would have been the emergency room, Luckily I got in and all she could do was phone in another patch for my back, but luckily, this one was paid for by Medicare as it is one that has been around for a long time so I will give it a try.It is Lidoderm, a patch to use for 12 hrs, I used it about 6 years ago, but it did not help my back pain but that is when I was using so much Norco and had to switch to Methadone. Right now I am willing to try anything and if this will help my leg and foot pain I am going to try it. The only other thing that helps at all is a super hot tub of water, but I can['t stay in the tub all day or I would sleep there as well.
Thursday I go back to my workmans comp dr. and hopefully they will perhaps ok another injection or something for my back but if they would not ok the flextor patch, they may refuse anything else as they are trying to get me to settle so they don't have to pay anymore medical cost, the rest of my life. I just wondered if there is anyone out there who has had sciatica before and if so, what worked for your back and specifically leg and foot pain, it is KILLING me, it is a 8 on the pain score from 1-10 and is constant. I have had a pain of 10 before with my back but it did not last for WEEKS, that is why this is only a 8, not the worst pain but this pain will not stop. Thank you for anyone who has any suggestions or knows anything else that May help.
RWM
