Sciatica ? - Please Help!

[kjs1976]

My DH was diagnosed with Sciatica on his right side on Monday night. He is on three different meds including vicadin and they hardly seem to be working. He is still in a lot of pain with certain movements and sitting. He had a massage last night and that did nothing. I'm so scared and don't know what to do next. I see a chiropractor but he refuses to go. I'm about ready to call and make an appointment any way. I also go the number of an orthopedist last night that came highly recommended, but I'm not sure how soon he can see my DH and exactly what he would do. I could barely sleep last night and amd sick to my stomach over what to do. Plus, we go to WDW in 12 days and I'm nervous about that because it is a big trip. Any guidance would be appreciated! Thanks.

Kassi

 

[Ranatra]

We just went thru this with my DH. I wished I had known more about this at the time. I strongly recommend seeing a neurosurgeon asap. He needs to have an MRI. I really wish we would not have wasted 3 weeks and had seen the neurosurgeon sooner. The pain just increased in intensity over time until he could only lie flat on his back, unable to even sit at all. An MRI showed a herniated disk, L5 to be exact. His foot had started to drop and his toes were numb at this point. He had the surgery and immediately was able to get on his feet. He also had 6 weeks of physical therapy afterward. The leg pain took time to disappear completely and he is still left with some numbness in his toes. I feel that if we would have seen the neurosurgeon sooner instead of letting his PCP treat him for sciatica with steroids and vicodin, it wouldn't have progressed to the point it had and he might have not been left with the toe numbness.
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

 

[Christine]

I hope that he was diagnosed with definitive tests and not just what a doctor thinks. I agree that he needs an MRI. I know sciatica can be painful but not THAT painful.

 

[SamRoc]

Hi Kassi,

Everyone feels differently about what treatment to do for this, I actually had 2 herniated discs about 10 years ago, to the point where I couldnt even go up the steps and slept on the couch as my sciatica was so bad. My doctor prescribed a muscle relaxer and a pain killer, but that wasn't going to fix the problem. It literally was a pain in the butt all the way to my ankle. I had the MRI done to confirm the 2 herniated discs and did see a orthopedic surgeon. But what worked for me was going to my chirpopractor here in NYC 3 times a week. I was on different machines to stretch and relieve the pain. I was very nervous about having the surgery so I decided to take this route. It worked out great for me. Also, I felt great relief when I took a hot shower and did the runners stretch, thats when you face away from the water, and press against the wall, and alternate stretching one leg back and bending the other leg. I do this every day to stretch. It took about 2 months before I felt back to normal self. It wasnt easy, your dh has to be prepared to work at it. I know it hurts, thats the worst kind of pain, hope he feels better soon. Just make sure he gets the MRI, sees the right doctors and make a choice on what plan will be best for him.

 

[anewvance]

I've just been diagnosed with this as a result of my car accident. I refuse to go to pain management because that means a needle in my back and i've had 3 very bad epidurals/spinal taps so I won't be doing that again.

So he put me on a strong anti inflammatory. The pain isn't totally gone but I did go from absolute pain whenever I stood up that would catch me offguard and make me sit again to now it's just an annoying slighty pain. So that might be a route to go.... my doctor wouldn't give me pain meds, no fair! LoL.

 

[Ranatra]

I was on different machines to stretch and relieve the pain. I was very nervous about having the surgery so I decided to take this route. It worked out great for me.

I know of 2 people that tried this. It was successful for one of them and the other person had to have the surgery, so yes, I think it's worth trying.

I think that if this would have been recommended to DH in the very beginning, he could have attempted this first, but after doing steroid treatments for 3 weeks and ending up as bad as he did, with the foot dropping and the numbness, it was evident he had to have the surgery asap to prevent any further nerve damage.
Like I said in my previous post, I wished I would have known more about this from the start.

 

[AmyJ of Ca]

Went to my family Dr and he gave me the muscle relaxants and pain pills...did nothing. He then sent me to physical therapy and it slowly GOT WORSE!! Went to pain mngmnt DR and he wanted to do the epidurals with the steriods. No thanks. I made an appt with a Chiropractor that uses ART therapy. No manipulation of the spine and finally something works. I had and MRI that showed a disc bulge but on the other side of my spine so I think my problem was more of a muscle, nerve problem. I had never been to a Chiropractor before. It always didn't sound "fun" to have someone popping my back but this is different. Before you do anything, he should get an MRI so he knows what he's dealing with. Good luck. It sucks, I know but there is hope without invasive procedures.

 

[kjs1976]

Dh just talked to his aunt who is a doctor and told him, congratulations, you inherited this from your Dad's side. She has had it along with his dad and two uncles.

This morning we got into see the Dr. he saw last week. He referred him to get an MRI, which we got scheduled in at 1PM today....thank goodness no waiting on that.

I'm just sick with worry.

 

[sugarpie]

Sciatica is kind of a generic term. The pain comes from different underlying causes. It definitely needs to be treated by someone who knows what they're doing.

Before I knew my DH he had a herniated disk and was advised to have surgery. He didn't want to take the risk so he saw sports medicine specialist and did a lot of physical therapy. It worked for him.

I have sciatica and I see a chiropractor because my legs are slightly uneven in length, causing my hips to be messed up, etc. I also started excercising. It really helps.

I hope your husband gets the help he needs.