Close to tears........

[Surelynot]

2 minutes ago, kynikoi said:

Hot water bottle, voltaren tabs and gel. In a day or two try stretching. If not better go to hospital after a week+

That and frozen peas seems to be the way to go.......

Edited June 21, 2021 by Surelynot

[1FinickyOne]

4 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Hoping it is my imagination......you know what it is like......read up on symptoms and bang......you have them.

Sure, you and Woody Allen

 

I had a apinful and really annoying back/arm problem and went to a Chinese clinic/accupuncturist and after 4 treatments [gradual improvement from the first time] I am now pain free... 

[rumak]

47 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Can I buy it or will I need a prescription?

need a hospital to prescribe......... and they don't like to.    most of the doctors believe that

diazapam is only for sleep,  and is oh sooooo dangerous.   bahhh

 

best doctor in CM  told me straight out ( i am anti meds, generally)   " TAKE IT !"   It works wonders when one has spasms ,  so does help with relaxation.  

 

tell doctor can't sleep cause of the pain.   only diazepam works.   might get 10 pills.

ask for 20      pleaaase      don't overdue it when taking  ????

[1FinickyOne]

4 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Hoping it is my imagination......you know what it is like......read up on symptoms and bang......you have them.

Sure, you and Woody Allen

 

I had a painful and really annoying back/arm problem and went to a Chinese clinic/accupuncturist and after 4 treatments [gradual improvement from the first time] I am now pain free... 

[Surelynot]

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

need a hospital to prescribe......... and they don't like to.    most of the doctors believe that

diazapam is only for sleep,  and is oh sooooo dangerous.   bahhh

 

best doctor in CM  told me straight out ( i am anti meds, generally)   " TAKE IT !"   It works wonders when one has spasms ,  so does help with relaxation.  

 

tell doctor can't sleep cause of the pain.   only diazepam works.   might get 10 pills.

ask for 20      pleaaase      don't overdue it when taking  ????

Managed to get some lorazepam prescribed (months ago for something else), but someone told me they don't do much......have never taken one.......might try one tonight.

[rumak]

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Managed to get some lorazepam prescribed (months ago for something else), but someone told me they don't do much......have never taken one.......might try one tonight.

google:  The main difference between lorazepam and diazepam is that diazepam stays in the body longer than lorazepam. Lorazepam, which is the generic name for Ativan, has a half-life of up to 18 hours. On the other hand, diazepam, which is the generic name for Valium, has a half-life of up to 48 hours.

[Surelynot]

1 minute ago, rumak said:

google:  The main difference between lorazepam and diazepam is that diazepam stays in the body longer than lorazepam. Lorazepam, which is the generic name for Ativan, has a half-life of up to 18 hours. On the other hand, diazepam, which is the generic name for Valium, has a half-life of up to 48 hours.

Big question................ will I feel just as happy?

[faraday]

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Managed to get some lorazepam prescribed (months ago for something else), but someone told me they don't do much......have never taken one.......might try one tonight.

Lorazepam are Benzodiazapine, as are Diazepam, but have a shorter half- life of 12 hours. Whereas Diazepam have 50 hours & therefore, because they stay in your system longer, the risk of dependency is higher.

 

They will of course, make you relax because at the moment the pain is making you tense up. You'll also sleep great. Go easy on them, & no alcohol of course.

 

Additionally, get some Arcoxia 90mg from the pharmacy, no prescription needed. They are an anti-inflammatory, but in a different class to ibuprofen.

 

[faraday]

10 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Big question................ will I feel just as happy?

Yes, you will.

[madmen]

6 hours ago, Surelynot said:

That what I was hoping someone might say......see how it goes first.....slight numbness in right leg.......but that could be lying down for so long plus my imagination!!!!!

or it could be pressure on your spinal chord 

[Surelynot]

1 minute ago, madmen said:

or it could be pressure on your spinal chord 

Shuffling around can feel a difference when I put one foot down compared to the other.....the right  is almost painless.....the left gives a good twinge in the back as it goes down.

[Surelynot]

6 hours ago, Surelynot said:

That what I was hoping someone might say......see how it goes first.....slight numbness in right leg.......but that could be lying down for so long plus my imagination!!!!!

That should read left leg!!

[Sheryl]

The way you describe it (sudden acute onset related to a sudden movement), is most suggestive of an injury to muscles or ligaments though not possible to rule out something else.

 

Fairly common occurrence.

 

rest - lying down in whatever  position feels most comfortable - antinflammatories and application of hot or cold packs are the mainstay of home treatment. Cold is better initially if there is an injury (initially = first 12-24 hours) but heat is better for relaxing muscle spasm.  Personally I'd try a heating pad at this point.

 

Antinflammatories = NSAIDs like ibuprofen, diclofenac. Unlike tramadol et al they will actually address the root cause i.e. inflammation. BUT should not be taken if you are on blood thinners (including aspirin), have kidney disease or have gastritis/history of gastric ulcers. And always take with food.

 

Indications for seeing a doctor would be if the pain persists for more than a few weeks, or if it is not relieved, even temporarily,  by rest or if the pain radiates down the leg or there is marked numbness/tingling in the legs (by marked I mean obvious, not something so faint you aren't even sure you feel it vs imagine it).

 

Most peopkle get relief with rest, NSAIDs, and time.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906

[phetphet]

Firstly I would go see a doctor or orthopede.

 

Coming on that suddenly, it sounds like a herniated disc. You don't say which region of your back: cervical, thoracic or lumbar.

If cervical (neck) one of those foam neck collars can help support. 

Maybe take a NSAID.

I don't know if possible to buy Solpadeine here. Also maybe a muscle relaxant.

Rest, rest and more rest. If too painful, see a doctor.  They can give better diagnosis and offer stronger drugs. Or even steroidal  injection if symptoms don't improve.

 

Put simply, the spinal discs are like jelly filled doughnuts. Any movement, however minor can trigger a prolapse where the outer disc tears and the jelly interior bulges through the split. It is this bulge pressing onto one of the big nerves radiating off of the spinal column that causes the pain.

 

Can take a long time to recover. Mine took almost three months. Trying to sleep was a nightmare.

 

HTH

 

 

[vandeventer]

Back pain at any age can be bad, you should get a x-ray to see how bad things are first. I was out of work in Australia for a year with back pain. I have been on supplements of vitamin d3 and vitamin k2 for the last 10 years and I feel great. They are very good for bones and teeth. For pain it's best to keep moving, if you have a pool near by try doing some exercising in the pool. You can look on the internet for some good exercises.

[MadMuhammad]

I herniated a disc 18 months to 2 years ago. I couldn’t walk, fart, burp, roll over or go to the toilet without vicious pain. Even tipping my head back to drink from a glass was excruciating.

I first attended a hospital where surgery was the first and only recommendation. I got a second opinion from a quality physiotherapist where I then spent a month relieving the pain and further month correcting the problem. 
The herniated disc was also putting pressure on my sciatic nerve which gave me pain and numbness all the way to my ankles. 
 

I’m now to the point where I’m virtually ‘pain free’, as in I can function, but I need to continue to exercise and stretch and on days where the pain is restrictive I take Voltaren to reduce inflammation and ganopentin (Lyrica) for nerve pain. These meds work the well the pain is totally marked for 24-48hrs, enough that stretching and movement then reduces it to a level that is easily ignored or manageable 

 

Edited June 22, 2021 by MadMuhammad

[rwill]

Drink lots of water.  You can get Arcoxia at a pharmacy.  It's a pretty good pain killer.

 

Really you need to find out if it is a spine or muscle problem.

[uptome1946]

4 years ago while I was parking my Honda Phantom motorcycle in a tight spot I bent  over and felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back that immobilized me in a bent posture just as you described.  I lowered myself to the ground in severe pain and within minutes had a crowd surrounding me and trying to help me stand up.  The pain was excruciating.  I could only walk bent over and each step was painful.  I left the motorcycle parked there and got a taxi home.   This all took several hours to accomplish.

 

I was told by a friend that McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai was the place to go and thankfully I did that the next day.  I was referred to Suan Dok k to get an MRI then the doctor at McCormick told me after looking at my images that I had a bulging disc and fairly severe shrinking and hardening of my lower discs. 

 

I immediately thought the worst and that his comments meant that I  was a candidate for emergency surgery.  He almost laughed at my worried questions to him and assured me that at my age, 70 years old at that time, my spine was about normal for a man that age. 

 

I was signed up 10 physical therapy sessions at the clinic in McCormick.  I believe that the cost for each treatment was 1000 baht.  This included a massage, electo-tense stimulation, then traction on a hot-pad table that offered miracle relief that lasted for many hours. 

 

The traction setup looked like  primitive last century technology but worked wonderfully.  You weigh yourself and then two wide straps are attached,  one under your arms and the other around your hips.  Your weight determines the settings for the force of the stretch you will undergo.

 

Then a series of timed  stretches and relaxations are performed by this ancient looking machinery.  This hour long stretching routine  did wonders to my spine and when it was over with I felt like a youngster.  After three treatments the back pain was gone but I enjoyed each and every treatment.

 

After this experience  I have gone back often and just walk in and ask for this treatment.   Especially after the 30 hour flights from the US when I used to suffer mild backaches for several days after each trip. 

 

I have been trapped here in the US since October 1999 and am hoping to return as soon as I can. I have made 84 round trips from the US to Thailand since 1999 and I wish I had know earlier about the wonders of spinal traction.  I would have done this upon returning every trip.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gandtee]

I've had back problem for about three weeks now. It's more above my hip to the side of my spine. I twisted it when buggering about with my car. It's worse when getting out of bed, but eases up during the day. My wife says it's because I spend too much time sitting at the computer. I now use a suitcase luggage strap around my chair and body to stop me slumping when using the computer. I think it helps. I'm now using Cool embrocation. I'm in my late eighties, so age doesn't help. This is no help to the  subscriber who wanted help, but it's a bit of sympathy. Get well soon.

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

It will take about a week + to get back to normal probably, ice (or frozen peas) help, just needs time. Can be a disc problem, either way, just rest, no need for specialist just yet, unless numbness. When it happens to me I try to get back to normal as soon as possible, that means cycling and golf

I think heat is better, my back went 'out' one time, trapped nerve, after days of pain an unable to move, I went for the 'hot stone' treatment some nurophen and within 24hrs pain gone.

[holymoly]

Yeah, I have been where you are now. A nerve, likely in the lumbar region gets pinched.

I nearly cried for three months until I found an honest chiropractor (in Canada) who did a simple adjustment and I followed with exercise. That,s simple enough.

The difficult part is to find an honest chiropractor in Bangkok.

Oh, try ice packs where it hurts and the skin feels hot. 

 

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

34 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I think heat is better, my back went 'out' one time, trapped nerve, after days of pain an unable to move, I went for the 'hot stone' treatment some nurophen and within 24hrs pain gone.

It's a personal thing, I've found ice can switch off a low level constant back pain. Obviously it heats up after

[Skeptic7]

Sounds like a slipped disk or bulging disk. Ibuprofen works in high doses for me. Also bought Celebrex over the counter here a few years ago. It helped too. 

 

Back pain sucks. Hope you get relief soon. If bulging or slipped disk...normally takes me a few days to return to 100%, depending on the severity. 

Edited June 22, 2021 by Skeptic7

[DavidH555]

I'm 46, healthy and reasonably fit. I did my back last year whilst brushing my teeth. Couldn't believe it.

I don't think it was a disc, but a nerve. I couldn't walk for a few days. Massage made it worse. As mentioned above, try to get moving asap and sleep on a firm bed. It will feel better in a few days.

Best of luck.

[Surelynot]

15 hours ago, Sheryl said:

The way you describe it (sudden acute onset related to a sudden movement), is most suggestive of an injury to muscles or ligaments though not possible to rule out something else.

 

Fairly common occurrence.

 

rest - lying down in whatever  position feels most comfortable - antinflammatories and application of hot or cold packs are the mainstay of home treatment. Cold is better initially if there is an injury (initially = first 12-24 hours) but heat is better for relaxing muscle spasm.  Personally I'd try a heating pad at this point.

 

Antinflammatories = NSAIDs like ibuprofen, diclofenac. Unlike tramadol et al they will actually address the root cause i.e. inflammation. BUT should not be taken if you are on blood thinners (including aspirin), have kidney disease or have gastritis/history of gastric ulcers. And always take with food.

 

Indications for seeing a doctor would be if the pain persists for more than a few weeks, or if it is not relieved, even temporarily,  by rest or if the pain radiates down the leg or there is marked numbness/tingling in the legs (by marked I mean obvious, not something so faint you aren't even sure you feel it vs imagine it).

 

Most peopkle get relief with rest, NSAIDs, and time.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906

Wow...thanks for that Sheryl.

 

Taken your advice along with the help many other put forward. 

 

Managed a goodnights sleep........anti-inflammatory plus a 0.2mg lorazepam. Slept on my side with a pillow between my knees.

 

Starting to shuffle/walk about with less pain already..........pretty sure the numbness is 90% in my head and a consequence of resting during the day.

 

As long as this isn't disc related going to be quite happy to let it run its course.

 

Cheers.

[Surelynot]

2 hours ago, uptome1946 said:

4 years ago while I was parking my Honda Phantom motorcycle in a tight spot I bent  over and felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back that immobilized me in a bent posture just as you described.  I lowered myself to the ground in severe pain and within minutes had a crowd surrounding me and trying to help me stand up.  The pain was excruciating.  I could only walk bent over and each step was painful.  I left the motorcycle parked there and got a taxi home.   This all took several hours to accomplish.

 

I was told by a friend that McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai was the place to go and thankfully I did that the next day.  I was referred to Suan Dok k to get an MRI then the doctor at McCormick told me after looking at my images that I had a bulging disc and fairly severe shrinking and hardening of my lower discs. 

 

I immediately thought the worst and that his comments meant that I  was a candidate for emergency surgery.  He almost laughed at my worried questions to him and assured me that at my age, 70 years old at that time, my spine was about normal for a man that age. 

 

I was signed up 10 physical therapy sessions at the clinic in McCormick.  I believe that the cost for each treatment was 1000 baht.  This included a massage, electo-tense stimulation, then traction on a hot-pad table that offered miracle relief that lasted for many hours. 

 

The traction setup looked like  primitive last century technology but worked wonderfully.  You weigh yourself and then two wide straps are attached,  one under your arms and the other around your hips.  Your weight determines the settings for the force of the stretch you will undergo.

 

Then a series of timed  stretches and relaxations are performed by this ancient looking machinery.  This hour long stretching routine  did wonders to my spine and when it was over with I felt like a youngster.  After three treatments the back pain was gone but I enjoyed each and every treatment.

 

After this experience  I have gone back often and just walk in and ask for this treatment.   Especially after the 30 hour flights from the US when I used to suffer mild backaches for several days after each trip. 

 

I have been trapped here in the US since October 1999 and am hoping to return as soon as I can. I have made 84 round trips from the US to Thailand since 1999 and I wish I had know earlier about the wonders of spinal traction.  I would have done this upon returning every trip.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've noticed if I sit on the edge of the bed, but then support my upper body weight using my arms and hands the pain is relieved....... hoping it is not disc related!!.......I am now upright after 24 hours and can walk very very gingerly........hoping that is a good sign?

[Surelynot]

2 hours ago, Gandtee said:

I've had back problem for about three weeks now. It's more above my hip to the side of my spine. I twisted it when buggering about with my car. It's worse when getting out of bed, but eases up during the day. My wife says it's because I spend too much time sitting at the computer. I now use a suitcase luggage strap around my chair and body to stop me slumping when using the computer. I think it helps. I'm now using Cool embrocation. I'm in my late eighties, so age doesn't help. This is no help to the  subscriber who wanted help, but it's a bit of sympathy. Get well soon.

Obviously I am not a doctor and you shouldn't listen to me, but it might be your sacroiliac joint, where the coccyx fits into the pelvis.......strained mine badly shifting bags of sand when I was a teenager.......not that helps you any!!!!!

[SOTIRIOS]

...could also be withdrawal symptoms if you were taking certain medications ...then stopped...

[Surelynot]

40 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Sounds like a slipped disk or bulging disk. Ibuprofen works in high doses for me. Also bought Celebrex over the counter here a few years ago. It helped too. 

 

Back pain sucks. Hope you get relief soon. If bulging or slipped disk...normally takes me a few days to return to 100%, depending on the severity. 

So it works its way back into position......given time?

[Surelynot]

4 minutes ago, SOTIRIOS said:

...could also be withdrawal symptoms if you were taking certain medications ...then stopped...

On various meds....but very careful.....all boxed up and counted out every week and taken on time.......not changed anything.....but thanks for the suggestion.