Some encouragement for a lower back pain sufferer?

[PirateLover]

This may be a little long...

My bf of 5 years is a little down in the dumps lately. He seems to have aggravated a back injury something fierce. He was hospitalized as a child after a large young boy jumped on his back and he apparently suffered a herniated disk at the time. Once he felt better, he was discharged nothing else was ever done about it. He has had flare ups every now and then, but nothing too bad. Now he is 24. He works in the meat dept. of a major supermarket and is constantly on his feet prepping, crushing boxes, lifting things, cleaning, etc. He has been working there part time for about half a year and did not have any issues with his back until a week and a half ago. His back started getting stiff and by the end of the week he was pretty bad (he had pretty much worked every day that week). Last friday he had trouble standing up and sitting. By friday night he couldn't walk on his own and so As of last saturday he has pretty much been bedridden. He has no insurance b/c the company doesn't offer it to part timers until you've been there a full year, however they did send him to a workman's comp doctor (who honestly doesn't seem to have a grasp of whats going on since she can barely speak english and they had a hard time understanding each other. She tried to say he could go back to work on a limited basis when he couldn't even sit up for her in the office but he fought with her and it's ok for now) and they did comp him his medicine. He is getting his MRI read on tuesday.

Anyway, his back is starting to feel better but he still has unbearable sciatic pain and can barely walk or get comfortable in bed. He can't sleep through the night and he is getting down in the dumps and stir crazy. I have been over there as much as possible watching movies and tv and playing games with him and trying to help him by massaging/stretching but I know he is miserable because he can't even sit up for more than a few minutes at a time. I was just hoping you guys could send him some words of encouragement because I know that lower back pain/sciatica is a fairly common problem. We are expecting the dr. to send him to physical therapy after she sees the MRI but it looks like it may be a painful process in the beginning. So please help me in cheering him on. (by the way he is an occasional intercot poster as well, goes by the name of SlinkyDog. His real name is John):thumbsup:

[merlinmagic4]

I don't have any advice but I sure hope he gets some relief soon! :pixie:

[Sunshine1010]

Back problems......they are the root of all evil it seems.

I'm sorry he is having to go through this. It can be exhausting, physically and mentally.

Sciatica nerves are devils. They hurt......

My husband had the same problem as your boyfriend. He got hurt lifting an obese patient into the ambulance. His partner was someone who couldn't lift well at all, and so the weight beared down on my husband.

He ended up having soooooooooooooooooo much back pain. I had to massage him constantly. He groaned all the time. He didn't want to do anything because it hurt so bad.

After lots of medication, the doctor FINALLY suggested having epidural treatments. He got three shots in the back (like a pregnant woman in labor does), and....I can honestly tell you..........he's NEVER had another problem. It worked wonders.

Sciatic nerves aren't something you can 'rest up and it will end up stretching out'. You fix muscles like that. Sciatic nerves are evil.....(in my opinion)....they need treatment.

There's lots of different options, but that one worked for my husband.

Good luck hon....

[MsMin]

I've had lower back problems that come and go but my brother had a herniated disk and ended up having surgery after about 10 yrs of suffering off and on. The only thing your bf doesn't need to do is cause more damage.
My brother managed his pain and discomfort for years until one day he woke up and his foot was numb. The doctor said that he was lucky he still had bowel control after irritating the traumatized vertebra for so long. That scared him into the surgery when he realized the permanent damage that could happen. He had the surgery to fuse the vertebra and has done great since then. I do realize you are not in the position for surgery w/o insurance. I do want to caution you about additional damage b/c the body is telling him to STOP :(
I've known some ppl to apply for SSI benefits so they can afford the medical expenses and recover. I don't know if he qualifies I think you need 10 quarters to qualify and it takes a long time to get the benefits and who pays the rent til then? You would probably be better off waiting until he is at work a year if he can continue w/o further injury.
So sorry to hear he is in such pain.

[DisneyDudet]

I had lower back problems all through high school and into college. I'm 23, so that seemed awful young to to have them way back then. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and went to an orthopedic back dr. He said there was nothing wrong w/ my xrays and that I could probably benefit from physical Therapy. I had 6 weeks of physical therapy last summer, and it was the best thing I ever did. Apparently I had little range of motion and no endurance in my back, as evidenced by my inability to stand or sit for long periods of time. After 6 weeks of one hour sessions and take home exercises, I am now back pain free.

I did this the summer before I graduated nursing school, in order to not have back pain when I started working full time as a nurse. I'm so glad I did. I found some shoes that helped with my back and now I couldn't be happier.

I would suggest getting an independent company for insurance. You will have to pay for it, but you can't put a price on health. If he is a student in college, there are insurance companies that have plans geared to students, so that's something to look into.

As for encouragement, I would just try to be supportive and give back rubs, maybe getting him to a spa for a full body massage or something.

Not being able to do what you like and need to do can be very straining on a person. A lot of positive talk and adaptation to what he CAN do will help.

Keep us posted on his progress and back pain relief pixie dust is on the way!

[PirateLover]

Thanks for the advice everyone. He is feeling a bit better today I have been heavily researching the issue and he also has a well renowned book that I've reading through. The good news is there is no tingling/weakness/numbness with the sciatica, just pain so it probably isn't any severe nerve damage or anything. From what I've read, PT should be the first step. Hopefully that will help him until he can get enough coverage to start getting the epidural. He knows that he may have to have surgery in the future and I think he will be super careful from now on.

The problem with insurance is that he doesn't have too much money to begin with, plus he never really gets sick so he never looked for outside insurance. He is also finished college. He was hoping to stick it out a year at this job or find a better job for insurance. I don't think he really wants to go the government route. He knows now (like msmin said) that when he starts to get stiff he needs to take off then and relax then and not push it and wait until it's unbearable. So far his job has been very accommodating so I'm hoping they will help him out with the PT cost as well. He is an excellent worker and all his bosses say he goes above and beyond the call to get things done as efficiently as possible.

[PirateLover]

My bf just got back from the Dr. He got to see the main dr. today who was a lot more knowledgeable and understanding. He does have a herniated disc and scar tissue plus 2 bulging disks. He is being sent to a spine specialist and will most likely need shots or surgery. The doc is keeping him out of work indefinitely at this point. Hopefully he will get the next appointment soon.

[DizNee143]

i hope he continues to feel better!! :mickey:

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I don't have any advise except PT showing him how to stretch properly. I hope he's better soon.

[tinkerbellybutton]

I really don't have a lot of advice, I know several people including my dad, Bruce's dad and my stepdad who have had herniated disk and had problems with sciatica. The thing is that treatment and success varies so much. What worked for my dad didn't work for Bruce's dad, etc. It sounds like he's going to stay on top of it, which is the most important thing. Like others have said, the last thing he needs to do is injure it further. Having a competent Dr. that he trusts is definately important. I just wanted to send a quick note to say that I hope he feels better soon and that they do all that they can for him. The being without insurance thing is scary. I don't know about your area but I recently had thousands of uncovered medical bills and the hospital that I went to has in-house programs based on income when you don't have insurance. Their guidelines surprised me, you can still make decent money and qualify for reduced or free medical care. He may want to check into that if they think he needs to have something done soon. Anyway, tell him we're sending get well pixie dust :pixie: and we hope he's feeling 100% soon!

[PirateLover]

Thanks Traci! I know what you mean about how things work for some people and not for others. The doctor said that many people function fine with epidural shots, and PT. Other people end up needing the surgery. We are hoping that he can stave off surgery until he is older. If it isn't absolutely necessary, then he will try every other method. He is continuing to feel better although everyday his pain shifts. Hopefully the neurosurgeon will get him on track with a good PT regimen starting tuesday and we can finally get him out of the house to do something other than go to doctor's appointments.

I do know that there is a certain amt of funds set aside for those who have no insurance. He went to CO for skiing a few years ago and got terrible altitude sickness...if he had waited a few more hours he would've been in a critical state. They had to rush him down the mountain in a 2 hr ambulance ride and he was hospitalized for a day or two. He had no insurance at that time either (he has been going back in forth with having it and not having it throughout the 5 years we've been together) and he ended up only needing to pay something like $200 of a bill worth thousands.

[Beast_fanatic]

:pixie: on the way! Hope he's able to find some relief soon!

[StitchLuvr]

I hope that your BF is able to get some relief thru surgery and/or epidural injections. It stinks about insurance; in a case such as this there are usually income guidelines that the hospitals follow with regards to bills. For instance my parents who are both retired & on medicare.....my mom had a recent surgery and with their income level they were able to take off just about 50%.

Even if BF has a bill forever, as long as he's paying $10 a month there's nothing bad that can happen to him. When I was in nursing school I knew of someone who (unfortunately) had a major catastrophe....and astronomical medical bills to boot. He started paying $10 a month.

I'm just trying to get the point across that yes it stinks not having insurance but PLEASE don't let your BF ignore the problem-it'll only get worse. The doc can't refuse surgery or other treatment based on an inability to pay.

I don't have a back issue but I was born with a birth defect that has me in chronic pain @ 35. I know what it's like to suffer.....unfortunately I've done that all my life and will have to continue to do so.

Please keep us posted.....

[PirateLover]

I'm just trying to get the point across that yes it stinks not having insurance but PLEASE don't let your BF ignore the problem-it'll only get worse. The doc can't refuse surgery or other treatment based on an inability to pay.


Please keep us posted.....

Thanks for the support! Trust me, he realizes now that it's gone too far and we will look into every possible method of assistance to make sure he gets the best treatment he can.